Workshops
We collaborate with schools, districts, BOCES, Teacher Centers and organizations to host highly effective, well received and engaging professional development. We customize our PD for specific audiences ranging from small grade level and department teams, to large and diverse audiences.
Master inquiry-based teaching practices that encourage all students to:
Share their perspectives
Reflect on their interpretations and beliefs
Demonstrate and deepen their understanding of subjects
Conduct evidence-based readings of multimodal texts
Expand their cultural competency
Hone their higher order thinking skills
All our offerings are:
Interactive
Deeply engaging and created with the specific participants in mind
Deeply engaging and created with the specific participants in mind
Led by Experts
Presented by internationally acclaimed educators with over 30 years of classroom experience
Presented by internationally acclaimed educators with over 30 years of classroom experience
Experience Driven
Designed to highlight and build from educators experiences and insights
Designed to highlight and build from educators experiences and insights
Data Driven
Research informed and continuously iterated to be relevant and thought-provoking
Research informed and continuously iterated to be relevant and thought-provoking
Offerings can be tailored to specific subjects and grade-levels, including:
Social Studies
Science
ELA
Health and Consumer Science
We accommodate varying grade levels and audiences as well:
Librarians
Early Elementary
Upper Elementary
Secondary
Over the past 15 years, educators who participated in our PD trainings responded with the following feedback:
92%
rated the overall quality of the PD as excellent
rated the overall quality of the PD as excellent
87%
said that the PD training met their needs as an educator with useful approaches and materials
said that the PD training met their needs as an educator with useful approaches and materials
91%
agreed that media literacy activities promote student engagement and student-centered learning
agreed that media literacy activities promote student engagement and student-centered learning
83%
said that media literacy approaches can be used to help teach more core content
said that media literacy approaches can be used to help teach more core content
93%
said that the handouts, resources and other materials provided by Project Look Sharp were excellent
said that the handouts, resources and other materials provided by Project Look Sharp were excellent
Full Day Workshops
Give educators the motivation, frameworks, models and resources to begin integrating media literacy into their teaching.
Analysis, Reason and Reflection: Integrating Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into the Curriculum
This foundational session introduces the core constructivist media decoding approach found throughout Project Look Sharp curriculum. It can be tailored to incorporate examples and specific teaching strategies best suited for particular grade levels and subjects. Free resources and example activities will be shared.
Healthy Strategies for Children and Teens in Today's Media Saturated World
This engaging and interactive workshop explores today’s concerns about media use and digital safety within the contexts of child/adolescent development and research on media effects. Drawing on robust media literacy strategies, educators will learn how to facilitate evidence-based, inquiry-driven conversations that encourage youth to critically reflect on the media messages they consume and create.
Truth, Lies and Metacognition: Integrating News Literacy into the Curriculum
Democracy requires an educated and literate citizenship. This workshop provides guidelines and strategies for training our students to not only assess the credibility, accuracy, and bias of various news sources, but also to reflect on their interpretations and build their capacity to meaningfully take action online and in their communities.
Addressing Challenging Topics through Media Literacy
This workshop, informed by the more extensive course described below, helps educators become more confident in addressing controversial issues with their students through media literacy, metacognition, and critical thinking.
| Duration | 6-8 Hours |
| Mode | In Person or online |
| Price | $1,725 |
| Max Participants | 35 |
NEW ONLINE PD OPPORTUNITIES
During the Covid-19 related shutdown – Project Look Sharp can work with PD hosts to adapt any of these workshops to online delivery at no additional cost.
We will leverage our experience with distance learning to deliver dynamic media literacy PD that models and teaches best practices for online instruction including:
- methods for engaging students in conversations using audio, video and chat tools
- strategies for online decoding of media messages in Synchronous and Asynchronous methods
- tools for interactivity such as bulletin boards, breakout rooms, and forums
For instance, our most popular full-day workshop – Analysis, Reason and Reflection: Integrating Media Literacy and Critical Thinking into the Curriculum – can be broken down into four 90-minute online sessions (within a single day, or across multiple days) that give educators:
- The research, theory, and classroom applications for the integration of question-based media analysis (Constructivist Media Decoding) into the core curriculum
- Modeling and materials for media decoding that teaches critical thinking, core knowledge and standards – with access to hundreds of free media literacy lessons targeting specific subject areas and grade levels.
- Work time for individuals or school-based teams to develop Media Literacy Integration Plans - with coaching by Project Look Sharp directors Chris Sperry and Cyndy Scheibe.
- Opportunities to share their integration plans, next steps and synthesis of learning.
"Project Look Sharp has far exceeded my expectations with concrete materials that I can start using right away in my classroom. It's the best PD I've taken so far in my 8-year career." - High School Social Studies Teacher
Are you ready to transform learning at your school?
Request a Workshop
Courses
Fully support educators in implementing a media literacy lesson with ongoing support to create, execute and reflect on their classroom integration with feedback and revisions from trainers and peers along the way.
Challenging Topics
This robust course helps educators become more confident in addressing controversial issues with their students through media literacy, metacognition, and critical thinking.
By participating in this course, educators will learn how to:
- Align trending topics with larger learning goals to increase relevance and student engagement
- Draw upon diverse media texts to portray expansive representations and perspectives
- Scaffold discussions and lead document analysis activities to enhance critical thinking and empathy
- Prevent and address emotional pain and unhealthy conflict through nonviolence techniques
- Cultivate a safe learning environment where everyone feels heard and comfortable contributing
Analysis, Reason and Reflection: Teaching Students to Think in a Media-Saturated World
This engaging course provides the theory, models, materials, practice, and support needed to make inquiry-based media decoding a core component of the curriculum.
By participating in this course, educators will learn how to:
- Make teaching more engaging, relevant, and accessible for all students
- Repurpose rich media documents to teach both core content and new literacy standards
- Effectively use questioning and discussion strategies that foster habits of critical thinking
- Facilitate self-reflection and civil discourse on conflicting truths about challenging topics
- Become more student-centered, outcome-driven, creative and thoughtful educators
| Duration | 6 sessions (1.5hrs each) |
| Mode | Hybrid or fully online |
| Price | Please inquire for custom cost dependent on delivery mode, duration and participants |
| Max Participants | 35 |
ONLINE PD OPPORTUNITIES
We have had great success delivering these courses fully online using both Synchronous and Asynchronous methodologies. Throughout the workshop participants will reflect on best strategies for online instruction as they are modeled.
"I have been gifted with new strategies for teaching with tenderness, and how to address bias. I have also learned new and effective ways to ensure that every student actively participates. Rigor, relevance, and student buy in! This course has reaffirmed for me that I create a safe, collaborative learning environment. I now have new, vibrant methods that are immediately applicable. I have faith in my own teaching abilities and strategies again - No more self-doubt!" - High School Teacher, Challenging Topics Course
Are you ready to transform learning at your school?
Inquire About a Course
Keynotes
Inform and inspire a wide audience on the importance of media literacy for preparing learners to take part in today's world.
NEW ONLINE PD OPPORTUNITIES:
We can present our inspirational, informative and useful keynotes virtually.
| Duration | 30 - 90 minutes |
| Mode | In Person |
| Price | $1,150 |
| Max Participants | 500 |
"Project Look Sharp created a wonderful & engaging learning experience. Our participants from all grade levels were involved in decoding media in ways that they will be able to incorporate into their teaching practice whether it is in-person, remote or hybrid." - School Library Supervisor
Are you ready to kick off your event with us?
Request a Keynote
Institutes
Ensure educators are confident in the new skills they learn by providing them time to create engaging media literacy activities and an integration plan, practice with peers, and receive feedback from trainers (may include a media production component).
NEW ONLINE PD OPPORTUNITIES:
Can be delivered fully online with participants reflecting on best strategies for online instruction as they are modeled.
| Duration | 3-5 days |
| Mode | In Person and / or Hybrid |
| Price | Please inquire for custom cost dependent on delivery mode, duration and participants |
| Max Participants | N/A |
“It was fantastic! Both Chris and Cyndy made the application of media literacy education real and plausible. The sample videos, the class discussions, and the kits were all very useful in demonstrating media literacy education, and it made me feel more confident in applying these methods in my own classes.” - Middle School Teacher, Summer Institute
Are you ready to transform learning at your school?
Inquire About an Institute