I am so impressed with the new cohort of teachers who will begin the American Dream Teacher Leadership Program this spring. From your applications and from talking with some of you, I can see that this group is dedicated, articulate, passionate and smart. I am really looking forward to working with you all and crafting the program based on your strengths and interests as well as your needs. Welcome everyone!
Last week, eight teacher leaders and I headed off for Atlanta for the NCSS conference (www.socialstudies.org). Bonnie, Beth, Kathleen, Angela, Jennifer, Matt, Loretta, Carolyn, and I had a great time attending sessions, lectures, and tours. We also enjoyed some great food and had fun exploring the beautiful city of Atlanta.
Nellie Perera and Lauren Appel (Henry Street Settlement) and I ran a hands-on session on tableau that had everyone up on their feet laughing and learning at the early hour of 8:00AM. It was a lot of fun, and we were joined by Carolyn, Angela, Beth and Matt who came to lend their support.
The absolute highlight for me was the talk by Greg Mortenson, the subject and author of “Three Cups of Tea.” He came to the conference straight from the ICU in Montana (against his doctor’s advice).
Mr. Mortenson was engaging, humble and sincere as he recounted the story of the first school he helped build in Korphe, Pakistan (with funds he raised by selling everything he owned as well as funds raied by school children and others) and the over 300 more schools he has built in Pakistan and Afghanistan since. It is an amazing story. To learn more about it or to get a Pennies for Peace fundraising project going in your school, visit www.penniesforpeace.org/ or https://www.ikat.org/.
I was very fortunate to attend the National Middle School Association Conference in Indianapolis from November 4-7 (www.nmsa.org/). This is a fabulous conference. I heard some amazing speakers and attended great sessions. Here are some of the highlights:
Talk by Daniel Pink: This was amazing! Mr. Pink spoke about the economic imperative of helping students develop the right brain. While the left brain activities which focus on linear thinking, are still important, they are no longer enough. Most tasks that require such thinking can either be outsourced or computerized. What is more important now is the creative thinking afforded by the right brain. This includes things like understanding context, feeling empathy, identifying problems, and thinking outside the box for many possible solutions. It made so much sense and also scared everyone in the audience to hear how our education system tends to favor left brain over right.
Talk by Alan November (go to www.novemberlearning.com): Mr. November, who focuses on the internet and ways to use it well, spoke about the need to explore the globabl perspective in all we do. He shared how to look for foreign websites when we research a topic to see what people around the world think of that topic. For example, reading an article by a British historian on the American Revolution.
I also attended workshops on topics ranging from understanding the adolescent brain to setting up an effective advisory program.
Nellie Perera (Henry Street Settlement) and I ran a session, “Demystifying Historical Documents With Drama” that was very well-attended with people ready and willing to participate in our tableau activity. It was a lot of fun.
This is maybe the best conference going. I encourage everyone to go to their conference in Baltimore next year!
The Opper Project website (http://hti.osu.edu/opper/) provides instructors with the information necessary to introduce students to using editorial cartoons as primary sources. Named after Ohioan Frederick Burr Opper, the first great American-born cartoonist, the Opper Project is an on-line collection of historic editorial cartoons. The cartoons, which span over one-hundred years of American history, are organized topically with associated lesson plans.
The cartoons are from the collection of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. Most are American, but some reflect the views of international cartoonists on the America. There are some famous cartoons here, but most of the images are not the ones typically reproduced in text books and instructional materials.
All the cartoons are evocative and teachable, and the topics available include a wide variety of central historical events and periods, including Reconstruction, American Imperialism, Immigration, several reform and rights movements, and American involvement in international conflicts.
Templates for curriculum writing
New York City has a wealth of field trip opportunties, especially for the teaching of American history. There are advantages and challenges to field trips. The LAH teacher leaders weighed in on this issue during their January session at the New-York Historical Society. Please add a comment.
Brooklyn Historical Society
The Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS), founded in 1863, is dedicated to the exploration and preservation of documents, artwork and artifacts representative of Brooklyn’s past and present. Its extensive education programs include museum/teacher partnerships, professional development workshops, curriculum materials for classroom use drawn from the collections, and student workshops on a range of historical topics. BHS is currently involved in several Teaching American History grants.
www.brooklynhistory.org
City Lore: The New York Center for Urban Folk Culture
City Lore is a cultural center for the arts and humanities dedicated to the documentation, preservation and presentation of New York City and America’s cultural heritage. Recent accomplishments include major National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants for their Place Matters initiative on preserving sites of history and tradition, and its education initiative, Local Learning. City Lore serves as an umbrella for filmmakers working on projects about the cultural heritage of New York and on subjects relating to American folklore and history. It was the fiscal sponsor for Ric Burns’ five-part series New York that recently aired on PBS, as well as his award-winning documentary, Coney Island. City Lore has received numerous grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, Lila Wallace, and the Ford Foundation. It served as the lead partner with the Gotham Center and the NYC Board of Education on three previous TAH grants.
www.citylore.org
Gotham Center for New York City History
Founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Mike Wallace, the Gotham Center facilitates cooperation among institutions and individuals writing, producing, and teaching history. The Center’s education initiative aims to enhance students’ knowledge and appreciation of history, and raise student achievement by working with teachers to improve instruction citywide. The Gotham Center was a lead partner in the Teaching American History grant program History First Hand with Community School District One on the Lower East Side and in two previous citywide TAH grants.
www.gothamcenter.org
www.gothamed.org
Henry Street Settlement
Henry Street Settlement was founded in 1893 to serve the immigrant population of the Lower East Side of New York City. Its Arts-in-Education program serves more than 15,000 children in Kindergarten through 12th grade every year. It was recently awarded the “Coming Up Taller Award” by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Henry Street partnered with PS 20 in Manhattan on an NEH Schools for the New Millennium project, bringing history and humanities scholars into the schools and linking activities with technology and classroom learning. Henry Street Settlement is involved in several Teaching American History grants, including two citywide grants, and will be an asset to the Teacher Leadership program.
www.henrystreet.org
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society (N-YHS), founded in 1804, is the city’s oldest museum. Its vast collections of materials relating to the city, state and nation are unparalleled. The mission of the Society is to use its collections to help visitors of all ages understand the complex and diverse past behind the world we know today. The N-YHS Education Department works collaboratively with teachers to make its resources an extension of the classroom and the curriculum. The N-YHS school programs introduce research skills to teachers and students using documents such as maps, photographs, newspapers and artifacts.
www.nyhistory.org
The Historic House Trust of New York City
The Historic House Trust of New York City is the not-for-profit steward of twenty-one house museums located on New York City parkland. Although the majority of the museums are owned and operated by independent non-profit organizations, the Trust guides their curatorial and educational programming to ensure that the collection as a whole tells the history of our city and country. A grant from the New York Community Trust in 2001 enabled the Historic House Trust to implement its strategic education plan to strengthen the educational offerings in each of the historic houses and to provide the house staffs with basic information about the New York City public school system and the New York State Learning Standards. With participation in previous citywide Teaching American History grants, The Historic House Trust will be an excellent partner.
www.historichousetrust.org
The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio)
The Paley Center for Media is uniquely positioned to provide the archival and instructional services needed for the American History Film Club. The Center has a collection of over 120,000 radio and television programs, news footage, and advertisements from around the world that can complement the many eras and leaders portrayed in film throughout American History.
www.paleycenter.org
· Eventually, a printed curriculum will be produced to be distributed free of charge to one thousand teachers in New York State.
VISIT NOW: http://maap.columbia.edu/
image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace
