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National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions: Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program

Program Description
National Geographic Education Programs (NGEP) and Lindblad Expeditions are pleased to announce the 2012 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow program. This professional development opportunity, named in honor of Gil Grosvenor, Chairman of the National Geographic Society Education Foundation, will give current K-12 classroom teachers and informal educators from the 50 U.S. States, Canada and Puerto Rico the opportunity to extend Grosvenor's legacy of excellence in geographic education. Selected educators will travel aboard the National Geographic Explorer in June and July 2012 to Norway and Arctic Svalbard. Through this program, hard-working educators will be recognized for their commitment to geoliteracy and given a professional development opportunity to be actively engaged in finding new ways to bring geographic awareness and ocean stewardship to their classrooms or informal learning environments through a field-based experience.

Details
Six current classroom teachers and/or informal educators will be selected as 2012 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. Those chosen will have proven dedication to geographic education in their teaching field, and show promise of continued active engagement in the future. They must have plans to return to a classroom or teaching environment following the expedition, and demonstrate the ability to incorporate what they learn into their teaching. In small groups of two or three, the selected Fellows will join other travelers aboard the Lindblad Expeditions flagship, National Geographic Explorer, in Arctic Svalbard on select "Land of the Ice Bears" expeditions. Departure dates in 2012 will be selected from the following: June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6. All voyages are 11 days/9 nights, including travel time and pre-/post-trip stays on shore. Total time on the ship is seven days. For a complete description of the expedition, visit www.expeditions.com/polarbear. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program includes all room and board, all transfers, round trip airfare between your home airport and the ship, and substitute teacher costs for the days of the pre-voyage workshop if requested. Costs not included are personal expenses, taxis/shuttles to/from home airport, gratuities at traveler's discretion, and equipment costs (e.g. rubber boots, warm clothing) as needed.

Requirements
Before the Expedition: Prior to traveling, all 2012 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows are required to participate in a workshop sponsored by Google, National Geographic, and Lindblad Expeditions in Washington, D.C. from April 26-28, 2012. New Fellows will meet with Lindblad naturalists and an experienced Grosvenor Teacher Fellow to help prepare for their expedition. They will also refine messages about geoliteracy and geography education to share on board and will learn how to use Google tools and National Geographic resources to bring the expedition home to their schools and communities. All travel expenses will be covered.

During the Expedition: Throughout the experience, Fellows will brainstorm ideas for creating innovative activities for their classrooms based on a top-notch field experience. They will also explore the use of photography, video, and geo-technologies to capture different aspects of this unique land and ocean adventure. As opportunities arise, Fellows will be encouraged to organize and execute quick, flexible activities for young explorers on board, as well as give formal and/or informal presentations to other travelers about the role of geography education in the world today. Fellows will also work with shipboard naturalists to facilitate field observation activities for young explorers on board.

After the Expedition: After the voyage, Fellows will be required to develop and use activities with their own students that teach geographic and ocean issues highlighted on the trip. Fellows may also be asked to participate in post-trip expansion opportunities including workshops, presentations, and the creation of education materials that will be hosted on the NGEP website, promoting expedition inspired learning to other educators and the public.

About National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations, with a mission to inspire people to care about the world. Since 1988, Gil Grosvenor and National Geographic Education have worked to improve students' geoliteracy through the creation of curriculum and professional development opportunities for teachers. For over 50 years, Lindblad Expeditions has been taking travelers on ocean-based expeditions to remote and pristine places of natural and cultural beauty, with the aim of inspiring people to explore and care about the planet.

 

PERSONAL INFORMATION
PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION
To find information about your State Geographic Alliance, click here.
FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS (all 3 must be answered)
APPLICANTS WILL BE JUDGED ON:
  1. THEIR PROVEN/CURRENT ABILITY TO TEACH GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS;
  2. THEIR ABILITY TO REACH A BROAD NUMBER OF STUDENTS FOLLOWING THE GROSVENOR TEACHER FELLOW PROGRAM; and
  3. THEIR WILLINGNESS, ABILITY, AND CREATVITY TO BRING BACK WHAT THEY LEARNED ON THE EXPEDITION AND APPLY IT IN MEANINGFUL WAYS.
Free Response Question #1.
Please answer the following in no more than 2000 characters including spaces (approx. 250 words).*
The Grosvenor Teacher Fellow program was created to honor Gil Grosvenor’s lifetime commitment to geographic literacy, and to recognize educators who support his legacy in the 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Please describe the best tangible example of a lesson, project or program you’ve implemented in your classroom or teaching environment that helps support geographic learning among young people.
Free Response Question #2.
Please answer the following in no more than 2000 characters including spaces (approx. 250 words).*
If you’re chosen for this program, you will have the opportunity to spend a week in Arctic Svalbard with National Geographic, Lindblad Expeditions and a team of experts including naturalists, geologists, and a National Geographic photographer. This is truly a unique opportunity to explore a remote part of our planet and an experience that few people actually get to share. We would like to understand what you hope to bring back to your students as a result of your experience. Please share a few tangible examples of how you envision sharing your adventure with your students or how you have wrapped previous travel experiences into your classroom or teaching environment.
Free Response Question #3.
Please answer the following in no more than 750 characters including spaces (approx. 100 words).*
Due to the nature of expedition travel, we never know when a polar bear will appear on the ice, or when we will be visited by a pod of dolphins or whales. As such, shipboard travel requires everyone to be flexible. As a Fellow, you may be asked to create activities on the fly that will help small groups of young travelers connect with their surroundings and learn about the ship and surrounding environment. Knowing you would have minimal supplies and no Internet connection, please describe one or two activities you would consider organizing on board with the help of shipboard naturalists and staff, knowing that your “audience” may range in age from 5 to 18, your group size may be as small as three people or as large as 20, and you may have to pause mid-way through to go out on deck and look at a polar bear or killer whale.
RESUME
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE
In the event your application is chosen for our 2012 program, we would like one professional reference who can speak to your ability to embrace this opportunity and commit to sharing your experience with your students and other educators.
DEPARTURE DATES

 

By signing below, I certify the above information was written by me, is a true representation of me, and that I am willingly submitting my application to Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic for consideration as a 2012 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow.
All application materials must be received by Tuesday, January 31, 2012 no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time. Applications will only be accepted through our online system. Due to high volume we are not able to respond to individual questions. If you have any technical problems, please send an email to: teachers@expeditions.com. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 2012 Fellows will be contacted by phone and announced on the National Geographic Education website in March 2012.
It is the hope of National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions that the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program will recognize those teachers who believe in the importance of geographic education by giving them the opportunity to bring a new level of geographic and conservation aspirations to themselves, their students, and the communities in which they live.
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