Eight Teachers Are Participating in “Exploring Your City”

On Monday, March 21, teachers from Allegheny and Westmoreland County schools met for the first of four classes in “Exploring Your City: Pittsburgh’s Past and Present,” a one-credit, Act 48 professional development course offered by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Each of the four Monday evening classes, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., combines classroom activities and discussion with outside-the-classroom experiences to explore Pittsburgh from different perspectives. Through a ride on the incline to view the city from atop Mt. Washington, to a scavenger hunt around Station Square, and a walking tour of Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle, teachers are learning how to “read” the city’s built environment and understand how the city has grown and changed over time. During the final class, they will present their ideas for enriching a classroom unit by connecting it to a city exploration or real-world project with their students.

With instructors Karen Cahall, education coordinator at PHLF, and Georgia Petropoulos-Muir, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, teachers are discussing the qualities that make a city livable, urban renewal strategies that have and have not worked, and how Pittsburgh is continuing to redefine itself in the 21st century.

During the last two weeks of June, PHLF is offering a seven-day, three-credit course, “Community Connections: Pittsburgh Architecture and Resiliency Wellness.”

For more information, contact Karen Cahall: karen@phlf.org; 412-471-5808 ext. 537.

Click here for photos and general descriptions about PHLF’s professional development classes.