Pulitzer Center Update September 6, 2022
Applications Open: 2022-2023 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship, 'Asking Critical Questions'
Country:
How can engagement with underreported global news stories and media literacy skills support existing curricula, while also preparing students to engage curiously, critically, and empathetically with the world? How can students cultivate a curiosity in global issues, develop an ability to think critically about how and why stories are covered, and consider how engagement with underreported news stories in their classrooms can inspire them to take informed action? As part of this paid, virtual Fellowship, a cohort of up to 16 educators will explore these questions over the course of the 2022-2023 school year in a community with other passionate Fellows, award-winning journalists, and the Pulitzer Center education team. This year’s cohort will explore the following theme:
Asking Critical Questions: Underreported Stories and Media Literacy in the Classroom
In the fall semester, Fellows will participate in eight evening workshops to explore underreported news stories and connect with Center-supported journalists. As part of these workshops, teachers will also develop short units (three to five class periods) that support students in developing curiosity about underreported local and global issues, practicing media literacy skills, and building empathy.
In the spring semester, Fellows will implement their short units, evaluate student outcomes, and share their projects publicly through the Pulitzer Center’s online lesson library and virtual professional development programs.
Applications are due Sunday, October 2, 2022.
Upon successful completion of the program, Fellows will be provided with …
- $1,200 stipend (made in three payments of $400 disbursed in December 2022, and February and May 2023)
- Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow digital badge
- Certificate for 35 professional learning units (PLUs)
If you have questions after reading the eligibility requirements and Fellowship details below, please reach out to us at [email protected].
The Pulitzer Center seeks to forward diversity, equity, and inclusion through our programs and partnerships. Please review our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement for more information on our commitments. Educators from historically marginalized backgrounds, and educators who are teaching students from historically marginalized backgrounds, are strongly encouraged to apply.
Eligibility Requirements:
This Fellowship is open to all classroom teachers (grades four–12) working in public, charter, independent, and alternative schools in the United States and U.S. territories. Educators working with adults and youth in jails, prisons, or youth detention facilities are also encouraged to apply. Applicants must be currently teaching virtually or in person, and plan to continue teaching in their current school at least through the end of the 2022–23 school year.
Three spots for this Fellowship are reserved for educators supporting Chicago public or public charter schools.
Because all sessions will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone.
Fellowship Description:
Through text analysis, group discussion, and engagements with journalists, Fellows will practice applying a media literacy lens to news stories on a range of interconnected global issues like climate change, racial justice, migration, and others. Fellows will connect with journalists who cover these issues through a myriad of storytelling methods (print, video, photography, and data).
Participants will strengthen the skills to ask critical questions and make informed connections between local and global news. Ultimately, teachers will design standards-aligned unit plans that guide students in analyzing global issues, support students in cultivating empathy by centering underreported stories, and empower students to share their learning and take action.
Fellowship Requirements:
Fellows will participate in a virtual orientation on November 5, and join eight weekly evening sessions from November 2022 through January 2023. Each evening session will be two hours long. The first five sessions will include seminars with award-winning journalists, and exploration and evaluation of underreported news stories on a variety of systemic issues. The remaining three sessions will focus on strategies and resources to engage students, unit brainstorming and development, and opportunities for peer feedback on unit drafts. All sessions will be held live via Zoom.
With the support of the Pulitzer Center education team, all Fellows will then…
- Write and revise a short unit (3-5 lessons) with detailed lesson plans related to the Fellowship theme. See examples from the 2021-2022 cohort here.
- Facilitate their unit with students during the spring 2023 semester (ideally between February 1 and May 2, 2023)
- Evaluate their students’ work and provide documentation of their project in the form of student exemplars, lesson plans, teaching materials, evaluation materials, a short blog capturing key takeaways from their experience teaching the unit, and/or images and video.
Fellows’ work will be shared on the Pulitzer Center website. Fellows may also have the opportunity to participate in teacher professional development webinars and/or conference presentations.
The Fellowship will launch on Saturday, November 5, 2022, and conclude on Saturday June 2, 2023. While the exact amount of time spent by each Fellow will depend on their classes and projects, we anticipate the Fellowship time commitment to be approximately 75 hours. This includes participation in virtual workshops, project design, implementation, and evaluation.
Key Dates:
Part 1: Exploring Underreported News Stories and Media Literacy Skills
- Saturday, November 5, 11:30 am-4:30pm ET
- Wednesday, November 9, 6:00-8:00pm ET
- Wednesday, November 16, 6:00-8:00pm ET
*Break for the Thanksgiving holiday
- Wednesday, November 30, 6:00-8:00pm ET
- Wednesday, December 7, 6:00-8:00pm ET
- Wednesday, December 14, 6:00-8:00pm ET
Part 2: Crafting and Revising Units
- Wednesday, January 4, 6:00-8:00pm ET
Optional 1-on-1 meetings with Center staff the week of January 9
- Wednesday, January 18, 6:00-8:00pm ET
- Wednesday, January 25, 6:00-8:00pm ET
Optional 1-on-1 meetings with Center staff the week of January 30 to prepare for unit submission on Monday, February 5, 2023.
Part 3: Unit instruction and Fellowship Closing
- Monday, February 6-Friday, May 5: Teaching units/Virtual classroom visits with Center journalists
- Saturday, June 2, 1:00-3:00pm ET: Virtual celebration / sharing
Deliverables and Fellowship Payments:
- Week of December 14, 2022: Process first payment of $400 upon completion of first five workshops
- Monday, February 6, 2023: Unit Plan Due
- Week of February 6, 2023: Process second payment of $400 upon review of unit plan
- Friday, May 5, 2023: Teaching materials and student work due
- Week of May 8: Third payment of $400 upon review of teaching materials and student work
Click here to apply for the 2022-23 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship. Applications are due Sunday, October 2, 2022.
If you have additional questions, please contact us by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Learn more about past Teacher Fellows and their experiences here.
