Designed for classroom teachers, librarians, art teachers, and others interested in engaging students in the visual arts and the art of the book, the Museum’s professional development programs emphasize teaching through the arts and encourage critical and creative thinking.

Fees for the following workshops include Museum Admission and a 10% discount in the Museum Shop (Members 20%) on the day of the program. Registration required.

Simmons College MFA in Writing for Children
at The Carle
Recruiting students for admission to the 2009-2011 program.
Simmons College and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announce a 32-credit MFA in Writing for Children to be taught at The Carle. This program consists of four academic courses and four writing courses, including a two-course sequence in which a student develops a manuscript from conception to submission.

Attend an informational session at the Museum to learn about the program, how to apply, and meet representatives from Simmons and the Museum.

Sunday, February 8, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Thursday, March 12, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Sunday, April 19, 4:00 - 6:00 pm (current students will be present)

For more information contact Megan Lambert, Instructor of Children’s Literature Programs at (413) 658-1123 or email meganl@carlemuseum.org.

To visit the Simmons College Web site about the program, click here.

Professional Development Workshop
Sowing the Seeds of Visual Literacy
January 16, 2009
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
$80 (Members $70)
6 PDPs. This workshop includes an introduction to Visual Thinking Strategies, an educational approach to viewing art, developed by Abigail Housen and Philip Yenawine, and an opportunity to explore the picture book as an art form. The two complementary parts of this workshop will establish the profound links between visual and verbal literacy, while suggesting ways that teachers and librarians can hone their evaluation, picture book selection, and storytime skills. Registration fee includes lunch. Instructors: Megan Lambert and Rosemary Agoglia

Registration is required. Please click here for information on how to register by Mail, Phone, or Fax.

For more information about VTS, please visit www.vtshome.org.

Professional Development Workshop
Eric Carle Tissue Paper Workshop
January 24, 2009
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
$50 (Members $45)
4 PDPs. Are you fascinated by the tissue collages of Eric Carle? Explore Carle's paper-painting techniques and how they can be adapted for home or the classroom while creating unique collage papers of one's own. Instructor: Meghan Burch

Registration is required. Please click here for information on how to register by Mail, Phone, or Fax.

Professional Development Workshop
The Whole Book Approach
February 5, 2009
12:30 - 3:30 pm
$40 (Members $35)
3 PDPs. Discover the difference between reading with children and reading to children. This introduction to The Carle’s Whole Book Approach is designed to give educators the tools to evaluate the picture book as an art form and to use this critical engagement as a platform for leading interactive picture book reading experiences with their students. Instructor: Megan Lambert

Registration is required. Please click here for information on how to register by Mail, Phone, or Fax.

Professional Development Workshop
Design and Documentation
March 30, 2009
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
6 PDPs. Participants will explore and experience the connections among observation, listening, and visual communication as tools for teaching. The session will focus on Italian- and Reggio–inspired approaches to early childhood education, the Visual Thinking Strategies, and how graphic design can be used to foster greater engagement with art and learning, while highlighting the relationship that exists among design, documentation, and multiple languages of expression. Instructors: Rosemary Agoglia, Lella Gandini, Kristina Lamour Sansone

For information on the Trinkett Clark Internship, please click on the link for details.