This course is designed to help give future history educators the confidence and skills to build effective, engaging and inclusive learning communities for their students. We will spend the semester exploring how we can help history students think critically about the world they live in. This course connects future instructors with resources for teaching in middle school, high school, and college-level history classrooms. Over the course of the semester, you will receive an introduction to crafting inclusive, culturally responsive, and evidence-based lesson plans. We will explore foundations in history pedagogy as well as lesson planning. We will hold workshops during class meetings that provide time to work toward the capstone assessments: a statement of teaching philosophy and detailed formal lesson plans. Outside of class, you will listen to history podcasts and view videos in order to brainstorm ways to integrate what you learn into lessons. Expect weekly readings and written reflections. Wide-ranging examples of history lesson plans will guide you to tailor lecture content, readings, primary sources, activities, and assessments according to the age level of the grade that you would ideally like to teach. Once during the semester you will visit a history classroom at Northampton High School.
- Instructor: Kate Todhunter