Explore how visual arts, museums and archives can support Common Core Standards and enrich social studies, language arts, and math curriculum. In-service workshops can take place at the Museum, at your school or run virtually via videoconference and may vary in duration to accommodate your needs.

Let's Look (Early Childhood)

Art museums provide invaluable learning opportunities for early learners. Explore how to bring together cultural and behavioral competencies, social skills. art-making, and play for engaging experiences that emphasize object-based strategies and early literacy. (Recommended for Pre-K to 1st Grade, Special Needs & Autistic Support classes)

Art, Science, and the Environment

Explore how visual analysis of the American landscape can help students visualize and enliven the learning about seasons, nature, weather patterns, and the outcomes of human interaction with the natural environment.

Storytelling in Art (Language Arts)

Discover how art and art history can help you introduce different styles of writing (including narrative, descriptive, expository, or persuasive). Collaborate on engaging a work of art in developing writing prompts and discussion questions that will lead your students in their discovery of the power of writing. Explore how seeing artists as “authors” and understanding of their points of view, characters, moods and settings in a story can assist your students in deepening their engagement with the writing process.

American History in Art

Engage in close visual analysis and in depth discussion of some iconic paintings representing American history and address important themes of ideology, cultural history, race, social justice, and gender. Discuss how museums can challenge dominant narratives in our society and take part in questioning strategies and activities designed to build on student learning in Social Studies and United States’ history.

How to Talk about Contemporary Art

Discover the ways artists use unique materials and techniques to translate important social and cultural issues into their art. Practice the methods of enhancing the visual and cognitive skills to better lead your students in development of their own arguments and interpretations.

Teaching with Primary Sources

Discover PAFA’s archives and works on paper collection, and learn to investigate primary and secondary sources in order to facilitate analytical discussions and activities with students. Create a primary source-based activity that helps students engage in active learning, develop critical thinking skills and construct knowledge. 

The Art of Observation (Team building)

Engage in close looking at artworks, self-reflection, collaborative problem solving, and building group consensus. Activities may help to identify unconscious biases in our personal decision-making and lead to appreciation of how diversity contributes to less biased conclusions. Content can be adapted to meet the needs and goals of your team.

PAFA is approved to provide Pennsylvania Act 48 hours and New Jersey Department of Education Professional Development Credit for its courses and workshops.  Courses and workshops are eligible for the number of hours for which they meet (excluding lunch breaks); for example, 3 classroom/contact hours = 3 Act 48/NJ credits. 

Educators electing to receive PA Act 48 or NJ Professional Development Credit should notify the Youth and Family Programs office when registering. 

Please note:  PA educators must provide their six-digit Professional Educator Identification Number.

Obtain a free teacher pass to PAFA prior to your visit with your students.  Request your pass by filling out the form below  or when scheduling a tour.