U of A to Offer Free Professional Development for K-12 Educators

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The U of A is excited to invite K-12 educators to a free training session July 17-19 on campus in Fayetteville, hosted by the University Libraries’ Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts. 

Attendees who complete the training will earn 18 hours of professional development credit from the Arkansas Department of Education and receive a $75 reimbursement for travel costs. This event is supported by a grant from Arkansas Humanities Council, and registration is required. 

Attendance is capped at 30 participants, and priority will be given to K-12 educators in public schools. 

Sessions will be held daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and professional development credit will be awarded only to participants who attend for the duration of the three days. Housing and linens will be provided, so attendees will only be responsible for the cost of food. 

The program goal is to help communities across Arkansas learn how to find, document and present their unique cultural traditions, from dance to arts and crafts to folklore. Guest speakers include Meredith Martin-Moats, McIlroy House; Gregory Hansen, Arkansas State University; Lisa Higgins, Missouri Folk Arts Program; and Raven Cook, master’s student of art history at the U of A. 

Lauren Willette, folk arts fieldwork coordinator for Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, says she is excited to work with and learn from Arkansas educators. 

“We will use the theme of Arkansas Legends and Lore to dig deep on the subject of folklore, focusing on ways to bring new ideas and techniques to public school classrooms,” she said. 

Questions about this event may be directed to Willette at willette@uark.edu. 

Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas’ living traditional arts and cultural heritage.

About Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts: AFTA is dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting, and sustaining Arkansas’ living traditional arts and cultural heritage. AFTA is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and works in partnership with stakeholder organizations and individuals, including the Arkansas Arts Council, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and Arkansas State University.

About the University Libraries: Located in the heart of campus, the David W. Mullins Library is the university’s main research library. Branch libraries include the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Physics Library, and the Robert A. and Vivian Young Law Library. The Libraries provide access to more than 3.1 million volumes and more than 180,000 journals and offer research assistance, study spaces, computer labs with printing and scanning, interlibrary loan and delivery services, and cultural exhibits and events. The Libraries’ Special Collections division acquires, preserves, and provides access to materials on Arkansas and the region, its customs and people, and its cultural, physical, and political climate. Visit the Libraries’ website at libraries.uark.edu to learn more about services and collections.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.