2026 Here & Now Place-Based Learning Summer Workshop Application @ the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Marceline, MO

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As part of its Educational Outreach Program, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum invites a select group of educators to join the 2026 cohort. This program offers a unique opportunity to build leadership and deepen interest in place-based learning. While the model is especially well suited for school teams of 2-4 teachers, we encourage you to apply even if you are the sole participant from your school.

Place-based learning centers authenticity, experience, and student interest as drivers of academic growth. Its immersive nature draws on students’ strengths and backgrounds. Inquiry-driven by design, place-based learning begins with students’ immediate surroundings and spirals outward to foster broader connections and deeper understanding. The workshop agenda includes short foundational readings, immersive on-site learning experiences, and dedicated planning time with tools to support the transfer of workshop concepts to participants’ local contexts. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of place-based learning, disciplinary literacy, team collaboration, and inquiry-based lesson design. Throughout the June workshop days, educators will adopt the dual stance of teacher and learner—first engaging in lessons and then stepping back to analyze the work alongside colleagues. Aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and the Missouri Assessment Program, this program supports teachers in planning rigorous, standards-based learning experiences.

To carry out this project, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum has partnered with the Missouri Writing Project at the University of Missouri–Columbia. A National Writing Project affiliate, MWP has provided sustained, high-quality professional development for educators from pre-K through graduate levels since 1977. Like other summer workshops, the WDHM Here & Now! Place-Based Learning Summer Workshop is designed to build a community of teachers and learners who support place-based learning across subject areas and grade levels. We look forward to developing this team of leaders around a topic that directly supports Missouri students, particularly those in rural communities.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact the lead facilitator, Julie Sheerman, via email at sheermanj@missouri.edu or phone (660) 413-2248. I look forward to learning and teaching with you!

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9 - In-Person Workshop based at the Walt Disney Hometown Museum Sharon D. Lund Education Center.

Registration Options and Fees:
Single Registration: $300
Two-Person Team: $500

If you choose to participate for optional graduate credit, please indicate this on the application form and we will be in touch about the process and price of graduate tuition and fees.

The nature of the outdoor learning activities make it necessary for participants to withstand typical Missouri weather and terrain. We will be doing a fair amount of walking. Participants will be asked to use a laptop or tablet during classroom portions of the work.

Email *

Name *

Home Address *

Preferred Contact Email *

School District Affiliation *

School Building *

School Address *

Level(s) and Subject(s) Taught *

Years Experience *

Degree(s) Earned, Institution, and Date *

Please indicate here if you request more information about the following topics related to the workshop:

Column 1

I would like information about graduate credit through MU, knowing that this expense would fall to me.

I would like information about individual lodging options to be funded through my school's professional development committee or my own budget (i.e., party of one).

I would like information about group lodging options to be funded through my school's professional development committee or my own budget (i.e., team lodging).

Column 1

I would like information about graduate credit through MU, knowing that this expense would fall to me.

I would like information about individual lodging options to be funded through my school's professional development committee or my own budget (i.e., party of one).

I would like information about group lodging options to be funded through my school's professional development committee or my own budget (i.e., team lodging).

I have the following dietary restrictions:

Describe your experiences with personal or professional learning. What PD experiences have been useful or frustrating? What kinds of leadership have you exhibited in PD settings? (If you are struggling to identify valuable experiences, please know you are not alone.) *

Describe a time that you felt very successful in the classroom. *

Describe any previous readings on or experience with place-based learning? What do you hope to take away from the workshop? *

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