BreakFree Teacher Fellowship

How can students be empowered to have voice and choice within their learning environment? How can assessments be designed so that students show mastery by creating meaningful products that are reviewed by authentic audiences? How might designing lessons with purpose and intention allow for engaging experiences that set up all students to succeed?

 

As part of this paid, virtual and in-person Fellowship, a cohort of teachers will explore these questions over the course of the 2022-2023 school year in a community with other passionate Fellows and the BreakFree Education team.

 

Our cohort will explore the theme of Educating Beyond Curriculum.

 

From January through May, Fellows will participate in five evening virtual workshops to explore purposeful design and planning approaches to lesson building. As part of these workshops, each teacher will develop a short educational initiative (3-10 class periods) designed to foster student curiosity, improve student academic and problem-solving skills, and ensure that students master concepts within a core content area. Each initiative will be designed using BreakFree Education’s initiative framework and will include a culminating project. 

 

In June Fellows will meet for an in-person, overnight 1-2 day retreat. At this retreat Fellows will workshop and

finalize their initiative designs. Fellows will then be able to publish their initiative through BreakFree’s teacher resources website. One or more Fellows’ initiative(s) will be chosen as an upcoming BreakFree sponsored initiative for the 23-24 school year.
 

 

Applications are due Sunday, December 4, 2022.

 

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Upon successful completion of the program, Fellows will be provided with:

• $750 stipend (made in two payments of $375 disbursed in January 2023 and $375 June 2023)

• Paid-for travel expenses to attend in-person retreat in June 2023

• BreakFree Education Teacher Fellow digital badge

• Publication on BreakFree Education’s website

 

If you have questions after reading the eligibility requirements and Fellowship details below, please reach out to Kaylah Holland at kholland@breakfree-ed.org.

 

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Eligibility Requirements
 

This Fellowship is open to all classroom teachers working in juvenile justice facilities (pre- and post-adjudication). Teachers in any core subject area are 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 2023–24 school year. Teachers who have worked in facilities for 3+ years are encouraged to apply.

 

Because monthly workshops will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone. 

 

As workshops will be scheduled during evening hours (EST), applicants must have availability to join during evening hours on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

 

Fellowship Description
 

Through interactive activities, technology explorations, and group discussions, Fellows will practice key design strategies for building engaging, relevant, and meaningful classroom projects. Fellows will learn from experts who have successfully led these types of projects within classrooms in juvenile justice spaces.

 

Participants will strengthen their skills in creating intentional lesson plans and objectives, and generating experiences that empower students, allowing them to succeed and be affirmed. Ultimately, teachers will design standards-aligned initiatives that guide students in discovering, practicing, and mastering concepts through short lessons and a culminating project.  The designed initiatives will help students to examine the juvenile justice system or their current situations.
 

 

Fellowship Requirements
 

Fellows will join five Tuesday evening (EST) sessions from January 2023 through May 2023. Each evening session will be 1.5 hours long. The sessions will take the format of a workshop and will focus on strategies and resources to engage students, unit brainstorming and development, and opportunities for peer discussion. All sessions will be held live via Zoom.

 

With the support of the BreakFree Education team, all Fellows will then draft and revise an educational initiative (3-10 lessons, including a culminating project) with detailed lesson plans. 

 

Fellows will attend the 1-2 day retreat in June 2023 to workshop and finalize their initiative design. Fellows’ work will be shared on the BreakFree Education website. Fellows may also have their initiative selected as a BreakFree sponsored initiative for the 2023-2024 school year.

 

The Fellowship will launch on January 24, 2023, and conclude in June 2023. While the exact amount of time spent by each Fellow will depend on their initiative projects, we anticipate the Fellowship time commitment to be approximately 45 hours. This includes participation in virtual workshops, project design, and in-person retreat.

 

Key Dates

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• Sunday December 4, 2022: Applications Due

• Week of December 12, 2022: Interviews Held

• Week of January 3, 2023: Notifications of Fellow Acceptances

• Tuesday January 24, 2022: Workshop Session 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST

• Tuesday February 28, 2022: Workshop Session 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST

• Tuesday March 28, 2022: Workshop Session 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST

• Tuesday April 25, 2022: Workshop Session 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST

• Tuesday May 23, 2022: Workshop Session 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST

• Mid-June 2023: In-person 1-2 day retreat

 

Applying for the Fellowship

If you are interested in applying to participate in the Fellowship, click on the link below.  Applications are due on December 4, 2022.