The ART/ACT: educate Teacher Fellowship supports High School teachers who want to design learning experiences for students around climate conversations, change making and art. Begun in 2018 through a partnership between the David Brower Center and Berkeley High School. The program first focused on youth artists, displaying their work during the annual ART/ACT: youth exhibition.

Our goals are:

• To give teachers the tools to do amazing things that you are passionate about, and give support to your big ideas.
• To provide resources and support teachers need to amplify student voices and provide agency for students to become leaders in conversations around art, the environment and the future. 
• To support teachers in creating change in classrooms through innovative teaching and curriculum design around ecology and art. 
• Nurture students as leaders and culture-creators in the local and national community.
• To foster classroom conversations about environmental concerns, across disparate regions of the United States.

Applicants:

We are looking for change-makers; teachers who have a vision or the energy to create change in their schools, and who simply need the training, resources, support and/or cheerleading to do so.  Applicants must be interested in exploring cultural differences across America, and exchanging ideas on how to best prepare the next generation for the rapidly changing times ahead.  This opportunity is a good fit for highly engaged teachers looking for ways to innovate in their curriculum and pedagogy, so that students can be more deeply engaged in learning around science and climate topics.   

Benefits: 

Teachers who are accepted will receive 2 years of personalized support, paid graduate course credit in integrating ecology, arts and project-based learning, paid travel/lodging to California or Nebraska, and the space and office support to include their students’ work in a formal exhibition on Youth, Art and Climate at the David Brower Center in Berkeley CA. If permission from principal, district or parents is required to participate, teachers must obtain these permissions themselves. Sub daycare the responsibility of the teacher-the donation cannot cover subs. Please check with your district about how graduate credits will impact your payscale. 

Structure & Responsibilities

Teachers apply in pairs from the same school.  Teachers will attend a monthly zoom gathering during this school year in order to qualify for graduate credit, and will also have access to individual coaching and check ins.  Summer and fall meetings will be structured in conversation with the teachers who are accepted. 

There will also be numerous opportunities to include visiting artists, scientists and other experts in your class content, as well as ongoing exchange between students in different parts of the US. Teachers will build curriculum according to their own interests and their students needs. Students’ project based learning of ecology & art, will be exhibited in March in Berkeley, CA during the second year of their fellowship.  The Brower Center will help teachers prepare student work for shipping and exhibiting.

Application Process: 

This is an incredible opportunity to grow as a teacher, be nurtured as a leader, and get support and resources for your classroom. 
Interested teachers should contact Kimberley D’Adamo at kdadamo2@unl.edu