Fifty years after it began in the north Georgia mountains, Foxfire is hosting a national Education Conference at Rabun Gap–Nacoochee School this week.
While best known as a magazine, book series, and a museum documenting Appalachian culture, Foxfire is also an approach to teaching that involves students in their own education. For 30 years, the Foxfire Fund has conducted training classes for teachers to incorporate student choice as a foundation for better learning. During this time, more than 4,000 Foxfire-trained teachers have taught everything from language skills to math and social studies in 23 states and two foreign countries.
Foxfire courses and summer training sessions are currently conducted by Piedmont College, where they are directed by Dr. Hilton Smith.
“The Foxfire 50th anniversary is the perfect opportunity for former Foxfire teachers and teachers who want to learn more about Foxfire to get together and compare notes,” Smith said. “This four-day conference will give teachers an opportunity to share their Foxfire experiences, while helping to shape the future of The Foxfire Approach.”
The conference is presented by Foxfire, Piedmont College, and the University of Georgia College of Education. In addition to Smith, conference speakers will include Jack Parish, associate dean for outreach and engagement at UGA School of Education; Carl Glickman, president of the Institute for Schools, Education, and Democracy; George Thompson, president of the Schlechty Center in Louisville, Kentucky; George Wood, executive director of The Forum for Education and Democracy in Stewart, Ohio; and current Foxfire teachers and students.
For more information about all of Foxfire’s 50th Anniversary events, and to register for the Foxfire Education Conference, visitwww.foxfire.org or contact Wilma Hutcheson-Williams, conference coordinator, at [email protected] or 706-788-8500, ext. 8013.
