School Parternship Educator [Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]

Title:                                School Partnership Educator

Department:                     Education

Reports To:                      Director of School and Teacher Programs

Type of Position:              Full-time, exempt

Scope of Position

Working with students, teachers, and administrators in neighboring
Boston public schools, the School Partnership Educator supports the
Gardner Museum’s unique multiple visit program. The School Partnership
Educator is passionate about teaching urban students, and helps generate
enthusiasm and support for partnership activities through ongoing
dialogue with teachers and administrators. Additionally, s/he looks for
ways to understand and assess how partnership activities promote student
and teacher learning and help partner schools achieve school and
district learning goals.

With direction from the Director of School and Teacher Programs, the
School Partnership Educator develops engaging museum-school curricula
for use in the classroom and museum using the Visual Thinking Strategies
(VTS) methodology. S/he leads VTS lessons in classrooms, teaches lessons
that combine gallery discussion with studio projects at the museum, and
assists the Director of School and Teacher Programs to develop
professional development for classroom teachers and family events
tailored to the individual needs of diverse urban schools. As the
program’s administrative glue, the School Partnership Educator is
responsible for maintaining a complex teaching calendar over the course
of each school year and preparing annual statistics. S/he also helps to
identify opportunities for research and assessment purposes, and
collects and analyzes data on a regular basis.

The School Partnership Educator teaches in a manner that encourages
learning to look and feeling comfortable in the museum environment,
primarily through the VTS method. In addition, s/he plans creatively for
the program’s future development, in part by looking at how aspects of
the Gardner School Partnership Program might serve as a model for
museum/school collaborations elsewhere. As a key member of the Education
Department team, s/he also assists with the planning and implementation
of educational initiatives for the general K-12 school community in
preparation for the opening of our new building in January 2012.

Responsibilities

* Teach Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 children in the
classroom and at the Museum using VTS method, and communicate regularly
with teachers and administrators in partnering schools to develop strong
collaborative relationships.
* Manage education and multiple cross-departmental calendars to
schedule all classroom lessons, museum visits, and teacher and family
programs with partner classes. Use Patron Edge software to track annual
statistics.
* Collaborate with partner school teachers and school
administrators to coordinate and implement annual SPP family events.
* Assist in planning and facilitating a variety of professional
development programs for teachers.
* Coordinate the implementation and analysis of ongoing
assessments and research of the School Partnership Program.
* Develop programs for the Gardner’s new building that integrate
the museum’s five cornerstones, particularly landscape and music, with
museum and classroom experiences.
* Support Director of School and Teacher Programs on
collaborations with teachers and artists-in-residence to develop and
implement one in-depth artist/school program every other academic year.
* Participate in departmental and communitywide events as
necessary (which on occasion may require time after hours or weekend).

Qualifications

Required:  BA in art education, art history, or museum education (MA or
MEd preferred); 2 or more years of museum teaching experience;
familiarity with art-making processes; outstanding verbal and written
communication skills; ability to work well both independently and as
part of a team; proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.

Strongly Preferred:  Prior training in the Visual Thinking Strategies
(VTS) approach; knowledge of constructivist educational theory; research
experience; experience working with children of diverse cultural and
socio-economic backgrounds; fluency in more than one language
(especially Spanish) a plus.

To apply for this position, please send your cover letter and resume to
hr@isgm.org <mailto:hr@isgm.org> . E-mail is the preferred method of
applying, with all attachments in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.