Teacher Professional Development: We Bring it to You!

In early June, Street Law provided a two-day professional development seminar to teachers from the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, VA. This law-themed academy is led by a team of social studies, English, and science teachers.

Fifteen teachers attended and participated in demonstrations of law-themed lessons that tie together the subjects of science, English, and social studies. The sessions featured multiple teaching strategies that can be used across curricula and that reflect best practices in law-related education. The agenda also included discussions about the Legal Studies Academy’s vision and goals, as well as substantial time for teachers to work independently, with their grade-level teams, and with their curricular teams.

At the end of the seminar, 100% of the teachers surveyed said they would recommend this type of training to a colleague.

Teachers commented afterwards:

• “[This was a] great time to start really thinking about new approaches to my curriculum!”
• “Loved every moment”
• “Engaging, and I appreciate the strategies modeled”

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Street Law has partnered with several school systems to deliver teacher professional development to social studies teachers in the coming months, including Baltimore, Allegany County, Prince George’s County, and Howard County, all in Maryland. If you are interested in bringing a similar teacher professional development experience to your school or district, please contact Jen Wheeler.