Connecting Houston to Harvard
The HLN promotes transformative professional development opportunities for Houston-area teachers. We have two ways for teachers to learn: Here in Houston and on campus at Harvard.Â
Here's how it works:
Groups of teachers from Houston-area elementary schools enroll as a team in virtual professional development programs at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. These teachers work together to complete these weeks-long or months-long learning experiences. Then, they continue their collaboration through ongoing meetings during the school day. Their school leaders support this ongoing collaboration by arranging for substitute teachers during these meetings so that teachers can take time during their work day to work together to improve their practice.
After completing at least one virtual course, groups of teachers can register for Project Zero Classroom, a week-long, in-person conference at Project Zero on the Harvard Graduate School of Education campus. Teams of teachers travel together for this immersive, transformative professional development experience.
Explore the pages below to learn more about these programs.
Learning in Houston
Funding support for educators attending virtual courses and collaborating in Houston.
Learning at Harvard
Funding support for teachers attending in-person professional development at Harvard.
HLN Speaker Series
Here in Houston, attend talks and workshops from educators from Harvard and beyond.
Testimonials from Past Participants
Â
"I enjoy finding ways to connect the Project Zero Classroom to my own classroom and go through the same thought-provoking activities I saw at Harvard such as analyzing artwork, seeking multiple perspectives, and understanding digital media. I have seen a positive transformation in my classroom where my students gain awareness of their thinking and place in and outside the classroom."
Steve Ghorbanian
T.H. Rogers School, Study Group Fellow, Project Zero Harvard Graduate School of Education
"Project Zero has provided the practical foundation for developing a culture of thinking at Oak Forest. When I see first grade students regularly analyzing what they see before they express what they think or third grade students connecting what they’ve explored in science with their understanding of a character in a book, I know we are on the right path towards developing students who can make the thinking moves necessary for success."
Dave Church
Oak Forest Elementary, Study Group Fellow, Project Zero Harvard Graduate School of Education
"For T.H. Rogers School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero Classroom is much more than a typical professional development program.Â
"Along with new practices, the educators return filled with wonder, curiosity, and excitement. Just as students are frequently taught to memorize and recite answers, much of traditional professional development presents a litany of concepts to apply or learning protocols to follow. Project Zero starts by changing what learning is for educators."
Up Close: The Transformation of T.H. Rogers School
As one teacher at TH Rogers said, “The trip to Harvard was invaluable. We spent time being in the shoes of our students, wondering about wonder, and wondering about learning."
"As the educators engage with their own learning in a new way, the same happens in their classrooms. Through thinking routines, students are given the opportunity and skills to wonder and engage in their own learning. As a result of attending HGSE’s Project Zero course, students and educators at T.H. Rogers School are learning together, side-by-side, in a new way."