Where is WISSIT 2025 taking place?

WISSIT will take place at WIS’s Primary School campus in Georgetown: 1690 36th Street NW, Washington DC 20007

The Day at the Museums will take place on the National Mall, starting at the National Gallery of Art (4th St. & Constitution Ave. NW), East Building.

It’s an intense week–you’ll be digesting a lot of new ideas and questions. But you won't be alone! You’ll meet with your learning group each day of the institute (except for Wednesday, for in-person participants), where an experienced WISSIT faculty member will lead your group in processing everything you’re learning and thinking about. 

It’s also a lot of fun–like summer camp for teachers! We incorporate opportunities for participants to tap into their creativity and to socialize with each other with Art Happenings and optional lunchtime meet-ups.

All the portions of the week are important pieces of the whole experience and you are expected to attend each day and each session. If something comes up, and you are unable to attend a session, please contact someone on the WISSIT leadership team and/or your Learning Group leader to let them know.   

If you are new to Project Zero ideas, you should take some time to explore their website HERE. In particular, familiarize yourself with the Visible Thinking and Creating Cultures of Thinking projects, as these will be at the core of what our opening keynote speaker, Ron Ritchhart, will be discussing.

We’ve also compiled a list of links for Foundational Project Zero Resources HERE.

Here’s some advice that past WISSIT attendees have said they’d give to a colleague attending WISSIT for the first time:

• “Be prepared to learn a lot!”

• “I really think that the mental attitude was important for me. I reminded myself to be present and take in the experience as best I could.”

• “Arrive early to enjoy the social coffee before plenary sessions…make contacts to stay in touch with all year, and…bookmark resources along the way.” 

You should have received an email from wissit@casieonline.org with your registration confirmation number (if you have not, please email us right away). 

In June, you will receive a welcome email from WISSIT Director, Elise Heil, with logistical information about the institute and instructions for selecting your WISSIT courses. You will use your email and confirmation number to log into the registration site and select your courses. 

An email will be sent confirming your agenda. If you do not receive an email confirming your agenda, please contact Sarah Wells, our registration manager, at wissit@casieonline.org.

You can change your courses at any point, including during the institute week, as long as the one you desire is not at capacity. 

All of our courses have been carefully designed to correspond to one or more of our WISSIT themes. Most are designed to be broadly applicable, across subject areas and grade levels.

Read the titles and descriptions to see what each one is about–the descriptions will also tell you if a course is aimed at a particular grade level or subject area. 

We tag each course with the throughline(s) it touches on, so if you’d like to focus on civic agency, you can look for the “CA” tag next to the description.

Many of our courses repeat during the week, so you’ll have more than one chance to take it. If you’re still unsure, you can reach out to anyone on the WISSIT leadership team, and we’d be happy to recommend courses based on what topics you are particularly interested in.

You will receive a welcome kit that includes a WISSIT tote bag, water bottle, pen, sketchbook, and a folder with helpful informational print-outs. 

We encourage you to dress comfortably and in layers (hot August DC weather outside, cold air-conditioning inside), particularly on Wednesday, the Day at the Museums, when we will be downtown and walking between sites.

From the Cambridge English Dictionary: “A plenary meeting is one at which all the members of a group or organization are present, especially at a conference.”

Each day, we will gather to hear from a Project Zero researcher or local educator. The formats and topics change from day to day, but the goal remains the same: to learn from the experiences of education experts and to set the thematic tone for the day, whether it’s diving into cultures of thinking, learning deeply with museum resources, or fostering civic agency.

All registered participants will be assigned to a learning group, which will meet once a day (except for Wednesday) to help each other digest everything you are learning and experiencing throughout the week. 

Each group will be facilitated by 1-2 expert WISSIT faculty members and assisted by a WISSIT Fellow. 

The composition of the groups is carefully arranged by the leadership team to provide opportunities to connect over common ground and to hear from a diverse range of voices. 

Many past participants have cited the learning group experience as being a crucial part of the week. 

On Tuesday and Thursday, Art Happenings are exciting, playful, hands-on experiences of art and art-making that explore our WISSIT throughlines and our experience of community. Expert artist- and maker-educators draw us together for an immersive 45-minutes of reflection, creativity, and deep learning! Choose an Art Happening that stretches your comfort zone or one that makes you feel at home; join with colleagues or new friends; drop in on the fly and feel free to move around.  

Art Happenings started several years ago as an optional activity at the end of the day. They quickly became a highlight of the week and an important opportunity for relaxing and approaching learning from a different angle. Art Happenings now happen in the middle of the day and have expanded to two days of the institute instead of just one.

The Day at the Museums will take place on the Wednesday of the institute week. 

We spend all day immersed in museum-based learning, often getting to experience what our students do on field trips. This day is often described as participants’ favorite part of the entire week!

We will meet at the National Gallery of Art for the day’s plenary session. Afterwards, you’ll disperse across the National Mall/Downtown to your assigned course with a museum educator.  Since we’ll be off campus all day, lunch is not provided on this day. 

We will have a bus option in the morning and at the end of the day for anyone who would prefer to park at WIS.

Our faculty and participants come from a full range of teaching and facilitation contexts, including but not limited to: traditional public and public charter schools; Title I schools or equivalent; religious schools; independent schools; day care centers;  multigenerational and adult learning environments; museums; arts and other community organizations. 

We know that testing requirements in schools, targeted funding for organizations, and the current political and/or socio-cultural climate can make trying new ideas in your context feel challenging. Our goal isn’t to brush over that. We do believe that our key themes are integral to cultivating deep thinkers and capable citizens who can thrive in and outside of the classroom. 

If you are struggling with reconciling what you’re learning with the expectations you face at your school, please reach out to your Learning Group leaders and we can find someone in a similar context for you to chat through your questions and puzzles with. 

For those who are unfamiliar with WISSIT, here are some brief explanations that we hope can serve as conversation starters (click on the links for relevant blog posts written by educators): 

• The Quick, Under-60-Seconds Overview: WISSIT is a week-long immersive, hands-on professional development experience grounded in the Harvard Project Zero pedagogy of using inquiry-based learning to create a culture of thinking in our learning communities. 

• For Colleagues Familiar with Educational Pedagogies: This week we explored how to Build a Culture of Thinking using tools and strategies that support all learners! I'm still curious about...

• For Colleagues Interested in STEM/STEAM/Maker Experiences: This week we explored  Encouraging Playful Learning, Creativity & a “Maker” Mindset by actively examining how play, creativity, and making re-ignite joy in learning. Here is what I'm planning to try this year...

• For Colleagues Interested in Primary Sources and/or Experiential Learning: This week we were Learning Deeply With Museum Resources on-site in museums (or online). We experienced how we can use our learning from objects, artworks, and archival materials to deepen our understanding of, and engagement with, the curriculum.  Here is my favorite takeaway...

• For Colleagues Interested in Civic Engagement, Cultural Competency, and/or Service Learning: This week I explored tools and strategies to lift up young people’s voices and ideas, and support students to develop the capacity and desire to act in positive ways to improve the world around them. This really got me thinking about...

If you attend the whole week (your Learning Group leader will take attendance), you will receive a certificate of completion from us! 

Each morning at the Primary School Campus we will have a light fruit/pastry/hot beverage service in the morning.

Lunch is provided Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Wednesday, the Day at the Museums, lunch is on your own.