Museum Educator, K–12 Student Experiences Students and Educators 丨Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Learning Center

As part of the area of Students and Educators, the Museum Educator facilitates instruction and administrative support for K-12 student learning experiences and supports teacher inquiries and outreach related to student tours. These activities reflect a pedagogical vision and impact framework for the museum’s K-12 offerings that prioritizes access for all teachers and students to high-quality arts experiences across learning contexts, through an inclusive, multi-sensory, and multimodal approach, with a priority for Chicago Public Schools. The Educator collaborates with colleagues in the Students and Educators division, the Ryan Learning Center, and throughout the museum to carry out their responsibilities. A member of Chicago’s education and arts ecosystems, the Museum Educator facilitates culturally responsive museum and community-based engagement on a weekly basis, collaborating with teachers, schools, and communities to deepen audience connections and position the museum as a valuable space for connection, learning, and meaning-making.

This contractual position begins September 14, 2022, and ends May 26, 2023. The museum educator leads programs as assigned three or more weekdays per week with the opportunity for occasional weekend and evening hours.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Facilitate K-12 student experiences that are hosted both in the museum and virtually; align with the museum’s pedagogical framework through the strategies of student-centered, inquiry-based museum teaching.
• Communicate directly with teachers of assigned programs in order to develop tours that best meet the needs of their classroom goals and strategies.
• Collaborate and have professional interactions with fellow educators and department staff.
• Support the development of materials and strategies that enable accessible and multi-modal student experiences.
• Support program evaluation and data collection through collaboration with staff. Participate in professional assessment and weekly reflection sessions.

Requirements

• Minimum of 2 years of experience working with K–12 audiences in informal or formal education environments, including museums, school classrooms, theaters, or other cultural institutional settings. Experience leading virtual learning experiences for K–12 audiences is strongly preferred.
• Experience teaching with works of art using student-centered, inclusive strategies and general knowledge of art history.
• Demonstrated ability to work with student and teacher audiences from across Chicago’s diverse communities.
• Exceptional email communication, written, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to complete and pass background check and fingerprinting at a Chicago-based, Chicago Public School approved facility which requires ​​a valid, government issued, picture ID (such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport).
• Eagerness to learn and ask questions, as well as willingness to apply feedback.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish is strongly preferred.
• Experience engaging and supporting students of diverse abilities is strongly preferred. This includes facilitating experiences for students who are blind or have low vision, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and/or students with sensory processing disorders.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Command of or a commitment to learning Microsoft Office Suite and Google suite including Gmail, Google Meets, Google Sheets and Documents, and Google Calendar in advance of beginning role as contractual educator.
• A desktop or laptop computer that is able to support software updates and has been updated recently.
• Sufficient bandwidth/internet connectivity available to sustain a consistent connection.
• Quiet space to conduct virtual experiences, with limited background distraction.

COMPENSATION

• $25 an hour for training and bi-weekly reflection sessions
• Virtual Student Experiences: $125 per 60-minute program lead facilitation and associated program administration; $75 per 60-minute program support.
• In-Museum Student Experiences: $150 per 60-minute program facilitation, on-site material preparation, and associated program administration.