Graduate/Professional Development Credit
Traveling with our program can earn educators graduate school and professional development credits while enjoying their summer vacations!
We award professional development certificates at the end of the program (free). Every state has different rules on professional development credit, so the amount of credit an educator receives for participating in one our programs depends on where they teach.
We have established a partnership with Indiana University to reward teachers in our program with graduate school credit. We are able to get teachers in-state, summer tuition rates so the graduate credit is very inexpensive. Participants can sign up for an optional 1 credit hour or 3 credit hours (semester system) of graduate credit for each GEEO trip they take. It is considered "workshop" credit and should be transferable to any degree or scaling up in a pay scale. Participants must complete GEEO's Graduate Education Program to earn this credit. Please below for full details.
GEEO’s Student and Teacher Education Program for Summer 2012
For the past four years GEEO has been working with Indiana University to award 1 graduate credit hour to participants in our summer travel programs and this year we have been able to expand this to a 3-credit program. This program requires the teacher to complete all of the steps in the former 1-credit program plus additional coursework designed to share their experience with other teachers.
The price for the 3-credit program is $1,132.98 and the price for the 1-credit program is $377.66.
In 2008 GEEO developed a system to ensure that both teachers and their students receive as much educational benefit as possible from our travel programs. The program was developed by GEEO staff in consultation with educators ranging from elementary to graduate level education. (Note: If any of the following are not possible for an educator, GEEO can work with them to substitute an alternative assignment.)
Eight weeks before departure, each participant must fill out a classroom action plan survey, which tells us how they plan to bring their travel experience into the classroom. If we do not find their proposal adequate, we advise them on how they can improve their proposal and require them to resubmit the form. Teachers are not required to follow their original proposal if they are inspired to create alternative activities while on the trip or upon their return. The participant will receive an incomplete if this is not submitted.
During the trip, participants will learn about the destination country. The teachers will participate in the program's scheduled visits to historically and culturally significant locations, cultural immersion, volunteering, nature experiences, school visits and other educational and mind-opening activities.
Towards the beginning of each trip we run a curriculum discussion meeting where the teachers discuss classroom action plans prepared by each teacher in advance. The teachers in the group offer feedback and often these plans are enriched.
Teachers will also keep a diary or blog during the course of their trip. They do not need to submit the diary to GEEO, but they do need to submit 10 interesting things learned or memorable experiences during the course of their trip. Failure to submit the list to GEEO results in a 1-letter grade deduction.
When the teachers return to the classroom they share their experiences with their students through prescribed GEEO activities, which begin with a 10-15 minute power point presentation to their students. GEEO provides the teachers with the presentation and encourages teachers to customize it for the age and subject they teach. Teachers are encouraged to send their customized power point to GEEO for our program development and evaluation. Based on average teach workloads, we estimate that these presentations are made to 100 students per year, and to as many as 3000 students over the course of their career if the teachers continue showing the presentation in subsequent years. The presentation teaches the students about the country and the teacher’s personal experience there, and then provides suggestions for how the students can pursue travel opportunities, be it student exchanges, summer vacation, study abroad or even the Peace Corps. To receive credit, teachers must submit a photo of participant giving presentation.
GEEO also provides each participant with a Google Earth presentation, which allows the students to see their teacher’s journey on a 3D globe. Zooming in and out on high resolution satellite images, this presentation is highly interactive and really captures a student’s attention. The participant must submit a photo of them giving the presentation. 1 letter grade deduction if not accomplished.
Participants also dedicate classroom space to their GEEO experience. The teachers display photos of their trip along with a one-page current events article that they can refresh once a month. They must send in a photo of this display to GEEO. The teacher can also post their list of 10 memories/things they learned on the bulletin board. The participant must submit a photo of classroom display. 1/3 of a letter grade deduction if not accomplished.
Teachers in our program must also enact their action plan, incorporating their experience into curriculum. For example a math teacher could bring back small denominations of currency from the country they visited and have the students do math problems using the money. Teachers will have to submit a brief summary of what they did in their classroom and we will then post some of these samples on our website to inspire future teachers that go through our program. Participant must submit materials from their chosen activity. Incomplete if not accomplished.
After completing the above activities teachers must fill out a post education program survey summarizing their efforts.
(Note: If a teacher wishes to sign up for a 1 graduate credit course, they must complete all of the above. If they wish to sign up for the 3 credit program, they must complete the below requirements as well.)
Teachers participating in the 3-credit program are also responsible for spreading the word about their experience to their colleagues. This is a positive educational experience for the participant, forcing them to employ different skills than they would use ordinarily. It also furthers the mission of GEEO, to make teachers see travel as both a privilege and responsibility.
Participating educators are required to do the following assignments related to educator outreach:
1. Write an article about their experience and how they shared it with their students for a professional trade magazine. Examples: Union magazine, subject area magazine, etc. (Incomplete if not written, 2/3 letter grade deduction if not published. Must send in a copy of published article to GEEO.)
2. Write an article about their experience and how they shared it with their students for a local or online newspaper. (Incomplete if not written, 1/3 letter grade deduction if not published. Must send in a copy of published article to GEEO.)
3. Present to their school faculty a power point style presentation provided by GEEO. This presentation explains the GEEO program as well as other free travel programs run by other non-profit orgs. (Incomplete if the presentation is not given. Must submit a list of faculty members that wish to sign up for the GEEO listserv as proof presentation was made. Also submit a photo of participant giving presentation)
4. Present the presentation mentioned in step 3 to three other school’s faculties. These schools can be in the same school district. This presentation explains the GEEO program as well as other free travel programs run by other non-profit orgs. (1/3 grade deduction per missing school. Must submit a list of faculty members that wish to sign up for the GEEO listserv as proof presentation was made. Also submit a photo of participant giving presentation)
All of these activities should expose both teachers and students to the outside world. The participating educator must enroll in the program between March and July. All assignments must be completed by May of the following year. Grading will be completed once all assignments have been completed or at the May deadline.
