Shaler Area Middle School teachers Thomas Gray and Lynn Haffely were selected to participate in the Smithsonian Learning Lab Workshops presented by the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access.

The new online Learning Lab will give educators access to all of the Smithsonian’s digital collections along with tools to create their own teaching resources. The project hopes to enhance teachers’ instruction and engage students by incorporating museum digital collections into lessons.

Mr. Gray and Ms. Haffely will be two of the first educators to work with the Smithsonian Learning Lab before officially launches in 2016. Mr. Gray is a social studies teacher, and Ms. Haffely teaches special education classes.

Being accepted into the program will allow the Shaler Area teachers to attend four, full-day workshops; participate in three online video conferences; work with a Smithsonian coach who will demonstrate lessons and provide feedback; and produce collections of resources designed for teaching Pennsylvania standards.

The workshops are possible through a grant from the Grable Foundation with support from the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and the Senator John Heinz History Center.