Education
2008 Docent Training Course
Preservation Worcester’s Docent Training Course will focus on Worcester's architecture and history. We explore the development of Worcester from a small agrarian village in the 18th century, to the second largest city in New England, as seen through our unique architecture. This college level course will have no tests or term papers, so you will enjoy the learning process as you increase your knowledge of the history of architecture. We will focus on Worcester’s history, architecture, sites and structures, in addition to delving into research methodology and presentation techniques. Illustrated slide presentations, local resources, and a variety of speakers all add up to an exciting new view of the city we thought we knew so well.
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Tentative Schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, September 16 or Thursday, September 18, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (meet at Salisbury Mansion, 40 Highland Street)
- Introduction to Architectural Concepts
- Style: Colonial, Georgian and Federal
- Tour of Salisbury Mansion
Tuesday, September 23, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Styles: Early Victorian (Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire
- Walking tour of Crown Hill
Tuesday, September 30, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Styles: Late Victorian (Stick, Queen Anne, High Victorian, Gothic Revival, Shingle, Colonial Revival
- Walking tour of Elm & Cedar Street area
Tuesday, October 7, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Styles: 20th Century (Bungalow, Tudor Revival, Spanish Revival, Four Square, Post War
- Walking Tour of Beeching Street
Tuesday, October 14, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Style: Three Deckers
- Walking tour of Vernon Hill or Elm Park
(Note day change) Thursday, October 23, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street and walk to WHM)
- Industrial Worcester Exhibit at Worcester Historical Museum- Curator of Collections
- WHM library resources- Librarian
Tuesday, October 29, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (meet at Worcester Public Library, conclude at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Worcester Public Library Local History
- Research methods and techniques
- 2008 Docent Class Project Discussion
Tuesday, November 4, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- PW programs, Endangered Properties
- Survey of Historic Resources, NRD, LHD, MHC,WHC
- PW on-site resources
- Presentation Techniques
- role play – All
Tuesday, November 11, 5:30-7:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- Bird’s Eye View of Worcester Power Point Presentation
- Project Selection
- Schedule of research projects and presentations
- Summary and Evaluation
Saturday, November 15, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (at PW Headquarters, 10 Cedar Street)
- “Set Your Sights on Worcester” Bus Tour (dependent on transportation options)
The Docent Training Course is offered for nine consecutive Tuesday evenings from September 16th - November 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at Preservation Worcester’s headquarters, 10 Cedar Street. The Docent Training Course, books, and additional materials are supplied for a fee of $200, $100 of which will be refunded after completion of one year of docent activity.
Interested in signing up? Please contact Lynda Faye, Education Director at 508-754-8760 or info@preservationworcester.org.
Preservation Worcester Presentations
Take a good look at local condos and you will sense thousands of young women
constructing corsets at the Royal Worcester Corset Factory. Drive along Major
Taylor Boulevard and you are at the former headwaters of the Blackstone Canal.
Eat a meal at a Shrewsbury Street restaurant and you may be seated at a 19th
century Italian bank or a former car dealership. Walk past City Hall and suddenly
you’re in Florence, Italy. These are a few of the unusual and informative
views of the city that Preservation Worcester will unfold.
Preservation Worcester’s well-researched and entertaining illustrated presentations
contain a unique story of Worcester. We invite you to schedule our experienced
docents to entertain and enlighten your group, your guests, your condo association,
your class, your friends, and your neighbors.
Topics include Additional presentations available upon request. For information please call 508-754-8760 or info@preservationworcester.org. |
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EXPLORE and IGNITE: Surveying Neighborhood Architecture
To impart to our youth the significance of
architecture in their lives, Preservation Worcester has designed EXPLORE and
IGNITE, a professional development training program for Worcester Public School
teachers. The instruction and resulting curriculum is based on the Massachusetts
History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks.
EXPLORE and IGNITE builds upon Preservation Worcester’s popular and highly
respected third grade All America City Program. It provides teachers with a model
and the associated knowledge to reuse and refine their own program. It is a model
that can be tailored to architecture in any neighborhood and to different grade
levels. Through this program teachers will gain the knowledge, resources, tools
and materials to develop and implement a unique architectural learning experience
for their students.
EXPLORE and IGNITE is offered for Professional Development Credits in the Fall
of 2007. Please call 508-754-8760 or email info@preservationworcester.org for
further information.
Third Grade All America City Program
Sponsored in part by The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation, Inc.
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Preservation Worcester’s premier education
program for the third grade, the All America City Program, is an illustrated
presentation which uses local architecture to draw students through the history
of Worcester. Two-classroom preparatory visits culminate with a field trip to
the heart of Worcester where the students experience the built environment of
Worcester and the visual elements of our unique heritage.
The All America City Program meets Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum
Frameworks for grade three in history and geography concepts and skills, in civics
and government, and in economics. The program, based on the concepts of transportation,
industrialization and immigration, captures the imagination of children and provides
an understanding of the leading role Worcester played in the history of the Commonwealth.
Preservation Worcester developed the program to enrich history and social science
classroom education by providing site-based learning. Through the program children
are encouraged to take ownership of the history of the city and develop pride
of their place in their community. Knowledge gained creates informed and involved
citizens of the city, the Commonwealth and the country.
The program nurtures young citizens who experience the civic process; who understand
Worcester’s role in the history; who appreciate the historic architecture
and monuments of Worcester; and who enthusiastically share that information with
families, neighbors, and community. By gaining an appreciation of Worcester’s
history and architecture, students develop a strong sense of pride in their city.
Landmark Postcard Program
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The Preservation Worcester’s Landmark Postcard Program is in its second year of being presented in the third and fifth grades. Through this program which meets the Massachusetts Curriculum Guidelines, Preservation Worcester partners with classroom teachers and art teachers to introduce an architectural vocabulary in conjunction with Worcester history and architecture through two classroom presentations and a half-day field trip. Cameras are provided for use on the field trip as we explore several Worcester landmark sites. The students photograph unique architectural elements that define each structure. This program results in carefully observed and rendered postcards, reflecting each individual student’s experience of the landmark sites and structures. Through this process we lay the basis for our young future preservations, those who will be responsible for maintaining Worcester’s resources in years to come. |
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