In a free presentation on Monday, April 8, educator in residence at the Academy of American Poets Dr. Madeleine Fuchs Holzer introduced educators and parents to poetry and resources from Teach this Poem, while challenging them to think of ways in which they might use this powerful resource.
The presentation was the first professional development offering of our newly created Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS).
CAPS is designed to serve educators throughout their careers by offering professional development that addresses critical content areas in teaching and learning. The center offers certificates, seminars, institutes and workshops to individual educators, districts, and community partners. Formats may include face-to-face, online, residencies and weekends offered both on our campus or at school or community sites. Participants can take courses for graduate credit or Continuing Education Credits (CEUs).
“Building upon Lesley’s reputation for preparing highly qualified teachers and school leaders, the center’s programs will expand our offerings to provide advanced professional studies,” says University Professor Martha McKenna, director of our Creativity Commons, as well as CAPS.
“These programs are focused on innovative and culturally responsive approaches to teaching and learning to ensure that all learners reach their full potential, especially English language learners and children with special needs."
The Teach This Poem kickoff event launched an exciting day of poetry at Lesley, as later in the evening we welcome nationally acclaimed poet Richard Blanco for the Strauch-Mosse Visiting Artist Lecture Series at 7:30 p.m. in Washburn Auditorium.
Holzer curates and writes Teach This Poem, a free poetry resource for K-12 educators that helps them create ways to engage children in poetry as a means of exploring emotions and ideas. Each week, a new poem arrives in teachers’ email accompanied by interdisciplinary resources and activities designed to help teachers quickly and easily bring poetry into the classroom. The winner of the 2018 Innovations in Reading Prize given by the National Book Foundation, Teach This Poem reaches over 30,000 educators in classrooms around the world. Learn more about Teach This Poem.
Holzer is a visiting scholar in the Creativity Commons at Lesley University. Prior to moving to Cambridge, Holzer served as educational development director at Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education where she wrote the Institute’s Capacities for Imaginative Learning. Holzer’s poetry and essays have been published in Education Week, Black Fly Review, Footwork: Paterson Literary Review and Pearl, among others. She holds an EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University and an MA in English with a concentration in creative writing from New York University.
Other CAPS presentations include several summer institutions:
July 8-12 | Movement and Migration: Teaching with Children’s Literature
Faculty members Erika Thulin Dawes and Mary Ann Cappiello will lead a discussion on how climate change, political unrest, and economic instability have unleashed unprecedented migrations globally. How do we respond to students who have experienced traumatic relocation? How do we help all of our students understand the people behind the news stories? What can we learn from the past that helps us to understand the present? During the week, participants will explore a range of children’s, middle grade, and young adult books that convey contemporary and historic refugee and immigrant experiences.
Featuring faculty speakers Louise Pascale and Susan Fisher, this institute explores how arts integration provides learning opportunities that enhance the ability of educators to respond to the needs of diverse student populations. Engage in visual and performing arts strategies to consider the multiple ways students learn and interact in the world. Participants will explore how classroom teachers and arts specialists can collaborate to meet the Massachusetts arts standards on arts integration across content areas. Guest Speakers: Martha McKenna, director, Center for Advanced Professional Studies in Education, and William Henderson, former principal, Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School in Boston.
July 15–19 | The Controversial Constitution: Civics and Democracy
Faculty members Jo-Anne Hart and Susan Patterson will lead an in-depth exploration of the founding and the continued impact of the U.S. Constitution on our lives. This institute will employ the Constitution to explore social controversies past, present, and future. It will also explore Massachusetts civics standards and prompt participants to develop curriculum and pedagogy to support students in becoming engaged citizens. Guest speakers for this institute include former Congressman William Delahunt, D-Massachusetts (10th District), former Lesley University President Margaret McKenna, a board member of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and Mark Miller, political science professor, Clark University and former judicial fellow for the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, authors of the celebrated young adult text "Fault Lines in the Constitution" Cynthia and Sanford Levinson will participate in the institute bringing their expertise in education, public policy and law.
For more information, contact Rodney Durand at 617-349-8511 or at capse@lesley.edu.
