Using Primary Sources to Support Student-Centered Pedagogy
Submission Type
75-minute Hands-on Workshop
Abstract
In this hands-on workshop, attendees will navigate the Digital Public Library of America and its instructor-vetted Primary Source Sets, which draw on diverse resources—from newsreel footage to oral histories—held by libraries, archives, and museums across the US. Presenters will lead an interactive exploration of these free resources; share student-centered implementation strategies including guided questioning, class openers, and media analysis; and collaborate with participants to develop approaches to incorporating primary sources that are optimized for their students and curricula. Laptops/devices highly recommended.
Start Date
5-24-2018 2:45 PM
Description
The objective of this workshop is to introduce participating educators to new primary source-rich resources for instruction and demonstrate a variety of proven strategies for inquiry-based analysis to support students’ critical thinking skills. During the session, attendees will navigate the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and its Primary Source Sets, collections of instructor-vetted primary sources on topics in history, literature, and more, drawing on diverse resources found in DPLA—from newsreel footage to oral histories. Presenters will lead an interactive exploration of these free resources; share student-centered implementation strategies including guided questioning, class openers, and media analysis; and collaborate with participants to develop approaches to incorporating primary sources that are optimized for their students and curricula.
The Digital Public Library of America is a free, national digital library that provides access to millions of materials from libraries, archives, and museums across the US. DPLA Primary Source Sets were designed and created in collaboration with DPLA’s Education Advisory Committee, a team of educators representing humanities disciplines across higher education. As curated, topic-based “highlight reels” of multimedia primary sources, the sets are designed as resources for both students and instructors to support inquiry-based analysis and evidence-based critical thinking. Alongside topics representing core curricula such as the causes of the American Revolution or The Scarlet Letter, the Primary Source Sets project endeavors to represent stories of underrepresented groups in traditional curriculum, including African Americans, immigrants, LGBT communities, and women.
By the end of the session, attendees will be able to navigate the core components and features of the DPLA Primary Source Sets and have an opportunity to collaborate with peers and presenters to generate specific ideas for how to identify and use a DPLA Primary Source Set or individual primary source in an upcoming course or assignment.
Outline:
Analyze a Primary Source (10 mins)
Presenters will model interactive strategies for engaging students around a single primary source, including close reading, asking questions, and visual thinking skills.
Using DPLA Primary Source Sets (10 mins)
Participants will take an interactive tour of DPLA’s Primary Source Sets to discover key features, use filters to find sets relevant to their interests, and think-pair-share to focus on an individual source or discussion question.
Implementation Ideas (30 mins)
Presenters will offer implementation ideas for the sets gathered from educators, and invite attendees to share previous experiences and challenges integrating primary sources into their teaching. Participants will collaboratively brainstorm ideas, then work in small groups to develop an instructional idea that uses the Primary Source Sets and applies to their current classroom.
Finding Primary Sources (10 mins)
Participants will learn how to discover new primary sources not included in the Primary Source Sets. Presenters will share searching strategies and demonstrate sample searches with input from participants.
Wrap-Up (5 min)
Participants reflect on what they have learned. Presenters will also distribute a survey to collect participant feedback.
Using Primary Sources to Support Student-Centered Pedagogy
In this hands-on workshop, attendees will navigate the Digital Public Library of America and its instructor-vetted Primary Source Sets, which draw on diverse resources—from newsreel footage to oral histories—held by libraries, archives, and museums across the US. Presenters will lead an interactive exploration of these free resources; share student-centered implementation strategies including guided questioning, class openers, and media analysis; and collaborate with participants to develop approaches to incorporating primary sources that are optimized for their students and curricula. Laptops/devices highly recommended.
Comments
If possible, participants should bring laptops or devices for the best interactive experience.