The WorldStrides Curriculum & Academics team has developed resources to help all traveling educators extend their professional development and learning. Whether you traveled to Washington, D.C., or Rome, Alaska or London, the links below can be used in a multitude of ways: to further reflection, to encourage thought about experiential travel, or to connect more with your students after you return. As every state has different requirements, these resources are designed to supplement the professional development certificate educators receive once they return from their travel program with students.
Questions about professional development? The Curriculum & Academics team can be reached at professionaldevelopment@worldstrides.com.
W
e know that traveling with students is both personally and professionally rewarding, but what exactly do teachers gain from traveling with WorldStrides? You may find yourself needing to justify or explain the professional development you earn. This document includes information about what makes WorldStrides professional development unique and what teachers gain from traveling with students. Using this resource, you can demonstrate how your travel experience has helped you gain valuable skills and develop an increased understanding of your students that you can apply in the classroom.
Note: There are three versions of this resource – please download the version that is most applicable to your travel program, whether you traveled domestically, internationally, or with a performing arts program!
Click to download this resource – Domestic
Click to download this resource – International
Click to download this resource – Performing Arts
This resource contains suggestions for how to expand your professional development before, during, and after your travel program. The Curriculum & Academics team curated a thought-provoking reading list of titles that are relevant no matter your content area or grade level. Itinerary annotation, guided journaling, and travel-program-inspired lesson planning can help educators demonstrate their continued professional learning through program participation.
You’ve decided to travel with your students – now what? How can you best prepare yourself, your chaperones, and your students before the travel program? Whether you are a veteran program leader or new to traveling with students, these guiding questions will spark inquiry about your curriculum, travel, and other on-program considerations.
As educators, we know the importance of making time to reflect in order to make meaning. When you return from your trip, use these post-trip reflection questions to guide you in thinking about your experience traveling with your students and what you can learn for the future.
The reflection that occurs after travelling is just as important as the experiences students have while travelling. To help your students reflect after your travel program, try these reflection prompts developed by the Curriculum & Academics team. Students can work through these questions in small groups, respond to a few questions in a journal entry, or pick one prompt to respond creatively to. With six thought-provoking question categories, you can even roll a die to randomly assign groups!
Throughout the year, WorldStrides also provides professional development resources for teachers that participate on orientation and convention trips with us. These sessions provide an interactive way to see a lesson plan or teaching topic in action while in an amazing destination. Inquire with your respective Account Manager for details on future convention and orientation trips that you may qualify for – but in the meantime, take a look below at teachers enjoying trips with fellow educators around the country.
