The Teaching American History Project ─ Lessons for History Educators and Historians

The premise of the Teaching American History (TAH) project—a discretionary grant program funded under the U.S. Department of Education’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act— is that in order to teach history better, teachers need to know more history. Unique among professional development programs in emphasizing specific content to be taught over a particular pedagogical approach, TAH grants assist schools in implementing scientifically-based research methods for improving the quality of instruction, professional development, and teacher education in American history.

Illustrating the diversity of these programs as they have been implemented in local education agencies throughout the nation, this collection of essays and research reports from TAH participants provides models for historians, teachers, teacher educators, and others interested in the teaching and learning of American History, and presents examples of lessons learned from a cross-section of TAH projects. Each chapter presents a narrative of innovation, documenting collaboration between classroom, community, and the academy that gives immediate and obvious relevance to the teaching and learning process of American history. By sharing these narratives, this book expands the impact of emerging practices from individual TAH projects to reach a larger audience across the nation.

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Rachel G. Ragland is Assistant Professor of Education at Lake Forest College. She currently
serves as the Director of Clinical Partnerships for the Education Department and is a national co-editor for the H-NET Humanities and Social Sciences Online Discussion Network on Teaching American History. She was Assistant Academic Director for the Model Collaboration: Rethinking American History TAH grant from 2001-2004 and a TAH grant reviewer in 2007.

Kelly A. Woestman is Professor of History and History Education Director at Pittsburg (KS) State University. She has written or co-written twelve Teaching American History grants, and has served as Project Director for 5 grants in Kansas and as external evaluator for TAH grants in Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, and Maryland. A founding editor of the H-TAH list community, she was elected President of H-Net Humanities and Social Sciences Online (www.h-net.org) for 2009.

Foreword
Sam Wineburg, Stanford University
Preface
Part I: Emerging Practices for Historians
Part I Introduction


Teachers as Historians: A Historian’s Experiences with TAH Projects

Kelly A. Woestman, Pittsburg (KS) State University

A New Focus for the History Professoriate: Professional Development for History Teachers as Professional Development for Historians

Peter Knupfer, Michigan State University and H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online

Engaging At-Risks Students: Teaching American Military History

G. L. Seligman, University of North Texas

Lost in Translation: The Use of Primary Sources in Teaching History

Laura M. Westhoff, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Part II: Emerging Practices for Classroom Teachers
Part II Introduction

Through the Lens of Local History: Enriching Instruction UsingRegional Primary Sources

Donald D. Owen and Katherine Barbour, Urbana. IL School District #116,

Introducing Teachers to Archives and Archivists (and Vice Versa)

Tim Rives, Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
Teachers’ Voices in Teaching American History Projects
David Gerwin, Queens College/CUNY

History in Every Classroom: Setting a K-5 Precedent

Elise Fillpot, University of Iowa
Part III: Emerging Practices for Professional Development
Part III Introduction

Teaching American History Projects in Illinois: A Comparative Analysis of Professional Development ModelsRachel Ragland, Lake Forest College.


Finding Common Ground: Conditions for Effective Collaboration between Education and History Faculty in Teacher Professional Development

Dawn Abt-Perkins, Lake Forest College

Designing and Implementing Content-based Professiona Development for Teachers of American History

Ann Marie Ryan, Loyola University Chicago and Frank Valadez, Chicago Public Schools

Artifacts as Inspiration: Building Connections Between Museum Educators and Classroom Teachers

D. Lynn McRainey, Chicago History Museum and Heidi Moisan, Chicago Historical Society

How to Evaluate Teaching American History Projects

Julie Kearney, University of Iowa, Emily Lai, University of Iowa and Donald Yarbrough, University of Iowa
Part IV: Emerging Practices in a Larger Perspective
Part IV Introduction

Mirrors, Mutuality of Interest, and Opportunities to Learn: The TAH Program, Assessment, and Faculty

Robert Rook, Towson State University
Teaching American History: Observation from the Fringes
Cary D. Wintz, Texas Southern University
Contributors
Index