The National Museum of Bermuda (NMB) is offering a free year-long, four-module programme for all local teachers. Entitled “Moving the Needle: Teacher Professional Development,” this museum programme will provide local teachers with the opportunity to explore, refine and unpack their understanding of Bermuda’s diverse past, and experiment with multidisciplinary approaches to teaching history that respond to the needs of Bermuda’s students. Each of the four modules will consist of a required lecture and a workshop.

The first module, titled “The Early Atlantic Age (1250-1609)” will begin with a lecture hosted by Dr. Clarence Maxwell, Bermudian historian and Assistant Professor of History, Millersville University. The inquiry-based lecture will begin Bermuda’s story in 1250, with the construction of the Atlantic System that led to the Island’s discovery, and continue through to the arrival of the first man of African descent, Venturilla, and the Sea Venture wreck. This lecture, which is also open to the general public, will take place on Thursday, March 12 from 5:30–7pm at North Hall, Bermuda College.

The workshop or second component of the first module is open to local educators only and will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 10am –12:30pm at the National Museum of Bermuda. This facilitated interactive workshop will allow teachers to reflect on the lecture content, challenge established patterns of historiography, and experiment with and evaluate multi-disciplinary approaches to teaching history. This workshop and the others in the series aim to provide user-friendly, well-designed classroom resources, and will closely link to the national curricula, including unit/lesson plans that teachers will develop.

The registration deadline for Module 1 is Wednesday, March 11. Register with info@nmb.bm.

Information and a timeline for modules two, three, and four will be shared on the NMB website at www.nmb.bm/teacherdevelopment. Upcoming module titles are:

Module 2: Early Settlement & Economic Growth (1609–1800): What are the critical stories and events that have shaped Bermuda?

Module 3: Bermuda’s Emancipation & Evolution (1800–1900): How did Bermuda transform from a regional to global island?

Module 4: Modern Bermuda (1900–today): What can we learn from the past to shape a better future?

This programme is endorsed by the Department of Education and is certified as four hours of BEC professional development credit.

• Press release from the National Museum of Bermuda

• For a flyer on the event, click on the PDF under “Related Media”