Transcript Document

Presented by
Tina Storer - Pacific Northwest National Resource Center on Canada
Michelle Pearson - History Colorado
Marianne Kenney - Denver Public Schools
94th Annual National Council for the Social Studies Conference
November 21, 2014 – 2:05-3PM – Room 111
John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center
900 Boylston Street, Boston
THE SOURCE:
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (LOC)
The LOC collaborates with school districts, universities, libraries, and foundations to help
teachers use the Library's vast collection of digitized primary sources to enrich their classroom
instruction. The LOC has two types of institutional partners:
1) TPS educational consortium members (28 members in 17 states: CA, CO, FL, ID, IL, IN, LA, MA, MT,
NY, NC, OR, PA, TN, VA, WA, and WY); and 2) regional grantees (eg: the PNW NRC of Canada).
THE GRANTOR:
THE TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES PROGRAM (TPS)
TPS works with colleges and other educational organizations to deliver professional development
programs that help teachers use the LOC’s rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to
design challenging, high-quality instruction via workshops, online and graduate courses, and
mentoring that meet the same goals as the professional development offered in Washington, DC at
the Library of Congress.
THE EXAMPLE:
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NRC ON CANADA at WWU/UW (K-12 STUDY CANADA)
[NB: IT COULD BE
YOUR LOGO HERE]
Since 1988, the US Department of Education has designated the Center for Canadian-American
Studies at Western Washington University (WWU) and the Canadian Studies Center at the
University of Washington (UW) as a National Resource Center (NRC) on Canada in recognition of
their leading role as centers of excellence on Canada in the United States. K-12 STUDY CANADA
is the hallmark of their vital outreach to encourage inclusion of Canada in American curricula.

The LOC awards grants under the TPS Regional Program to: school districts,
universities, cultural institutions, library systems and other educational organizations
who wish to incorporate TPS materials and methods into their existing education and
professional development programs for pre and in-service teachers, librarians, media
specialists and other K-12 educators.

Regional grantees receive grants of up to $20,000 to incorporate TPS methods and
materials into existing programs for teachers.

To date, school districts, libraries, educational associations and cultural institutions in 43
states and the District of Columbia have used the TPS Regional program to strengthen
their professional development for teachers.
Contact your Regional Coordinator if interested in applying for a grant.
There are three regional coordinators who manage the grant program on behalf of the LOC.
Western Region
Midwest Region
Eastern Region
Coordinator: Peggy O’Neill-Jones
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Coordinator: Richard Satchwell
Illinois State University
Coordinator: Barbara Kirby
Waynesburg University
To access TPS Regional websites, visit: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/regional/contacts.html
Requesting a Grant




The TPS Regional program accepts proposals on a rolling basis for projects lasting up to 18 months.
Before applying, please review the website for your region and submit a Notice of Intent.
The regional coordinator will help you determine if your idea falls within funding guidelines. If not
awarded, they will still offer advice and assistance to incorporate TPS methods and materials.
TPS Regional Coordinators make granting decisions within six weeks of submission.
Evaluating Grant Applications

Successful applications include a thorough description of the project, its audience and content,
supported by a timeline of activities, a budget, and narrative.

Evaluators also look for management supports and sustainability plans.
Granting Criteria

Accesses geographic areas and populations not currently served by TPS Consortium members;

Project scope is impressive and likely to help teachers achieve TPS Level I learning objectives;

Professional development activities and partnerships proposed are worthwhile;

Proposed use of TPS content within their PD programs for teachers is sustainable;

Project displays sound planning, recruitment, implementation, evaluation and resource allocation.
Level I
Participants gain strategies for using primary sources to help students engage in learning, develop
critical thinking skills and build content knowledge.
Level II
Participants evaluate, create and teach topic-specific, content-informed lessons that integrate
primary sources from the Library of Congress and exemplify effective instructional practices.
Level III
Experienced educators advocate the use of primary sources and help disseminate the ideas, methods
and products of the TPS program.
Regional Grantees have used grant funds to undertake “Tier 1” projects such as:

including a TPS focus in current curriculum



creating new TPS-based teaching materials



Example 1: A university in Kentucky modified its undergraduate and graduate teaching methods courses to
include use of LOC primary sources.
Example 2: Museums have combined LOC digitized primary sources with their own collections to offer
teachers greater context, depth and access as they create lesson plans.
Example 1: A historical society created teaching materials and curriculum units based on primary sources from
their own collection as well as from “From Slavery to Freedom”, an LOC collection. Later, they offered a PD
program that showed teachers how to use the units effectively.
Example 2: Schools of education have used regional grants to pay faculty to update their teaching methods
courses to include LOC digitized collections and TPS pedagogy.
or conducting a TPS workshop or course.


Example 1: a Board of Cooperative Education Services in New York used a regional grant to offer TPS
workshops as part of their professional development program for school media specialists and librarians.
Example 2: A school district in Alaska included a TPS workshop in its annual professional development
program which showed teachers working under a Teaching American History grant how to navigate
www.loc.gov and strengthen their use of digitized primary sources.
Archives on the Arctic:

Connecting to Global Issues with Primary Sources
Project Rationale – It is vital that today’s students learn about current and future concerns via
appropriate historical inquiry. Engaging students with primary source documents to explore global
issues relating to the Arctic is an exemplary way to do so. This project will bring together experts to
train an audience of teachers about Arctic realities using TPS instruction methods and LOC resources.
Past participants of the STUDY CANADA Summer Institute with outreach experience will be invited.

Project Goals - This initiative “marries” K-12 STUDY CANADA and TPS Program goals for expanding
outreach within the western U.S. by using archival materials that connect to important global issues.

Project Objectives are to post newly-developed curricula on both TPS Western Region and K-12
STUDY CANADA websites and establish a strong network of teachers who will not only use the
knowledge and skills for their own classrooms but also perform additional outreach on behalf of both
TPS and the Pacific Northwest NRC on Canada.

Expected Outcomes – A solid cadre of social studies educators in the American West will serve as
TPS Program and K-12 STUDY CANADA Teacher Associates and new curricula and outreach will extend
learning impacts across the western U.S.
Pacific Northwest NRC
on Canada
A
SPECIAL INVITATION
JUST FOR YOU!
Archives on the Arctic:
Connecting to Global Issues with Primary Sources
In order to meet global challenges being faced in the circumpolar north, it is vital that today’s students learn
more about issues at play in the Arctic.
You are one of approximately twenty educators from fifteen western states
invited to learn about the complex historical, cultural, environmental and geopolitical issues of the Far North while also discovering a rich reservoir of digitized
primary source materials and instructional tools for actively engaging students in
historical inquiry. Some key details are provided below but a more detailed
invitation is attached as well as other information that you will find helpful.
Title: Archives on the Arctic: Connecting to Global Issues with Primary Sources
What: Professional Development Workshop for Social Studies/Science Teachers
When: Monday, June 24 - Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Where: Metropolitan State University of Denver (downtown Denver, CO)
Registration Cost: No Charge (includes classroom instruction, 2 nights lodging,
most meals, and $100-$500 travel award)
If able to participate, please complete the registration form and mail/fax it back
to me ASAP since a second round of invitations to others may follow.
Enclosures: Invite, Agenda, Registration Form, Curriculum Guide, Hotel Info
Project Description
Approximately 20 social studies and science educators with an outstanding record of regional outreach
in the western U.S. will participate in a 2-½ day P.D. program with instruction by NRC/TPS Program Staff
so that participants will:

Earn 16 clock hours while learning from the following workshop sessions:

“A History of the Inuit in Canada and the Circumpolar North”

“Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue in the Arctic”

“Using the LOC Website and Resources”

“Primary Source Strategies”

“International Relations and Indigenous Diplomacies in the Arctic”

“Curriculum Design and Development ”

“Advanced LOC Resources & Teacher Associate Program”

Become part of a professional network of outreach specialists in the Western U.S.

Return home with ready-to-go lesson plans (such as an Annotated Resource Set on the Arctic);
Design new primary source-based curricula for posting online;
Offer presentations related to NRC and TPS resources to educators in their school, district, or state.


Grant Allowances The $20,000 award allowed free registration for the 2-1/2 day program, including:




classroom sessions on the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSUD) campus
2 nights’ shared lodging at the nearby Spring Hill Suites Downtown Denver (w/ breakfast & Internet)
2 lunches and 2 dinners
travel awards of $100-$500 (dependent on distance traveled) - provided by check on arrival at the
reception/orientation session.
Project Evaluation and Impact



An online TPS evaluation (specific info re LOC standards/objectives gathered by the regional team);
A paper evaluation incorporated NRC measures to assess the quality of the training experience,
usefulness for classroom teaching, and recommendations for future collaborative outreach projects.
To strengthen participants’ roles as Teacher Associates, follow-up communication by TPS and the
NRC was performed and is ongoing.
Sharing Outcomes



A final report on the grant project was submitted to the TPS Western Region (and later to the US
Department of Education as part of the NRC’s outreach reporting protocol).
Announcements were included in TPS and K-12 STUDY CANADA electronic newsletters in the fall.
Curricula submitted by participants, once jointly approved, was posted online at
http://www.k12studycanada.org/arctic_lesson_plans.html
Project Timeline




3-1/2 months for planning
2-1/2 days for workshop implementation
6 months’ follow-up (though outcomes notably stretch far beyond the project’s conclusion)
A “Final Report” to TPS Western Region was submitted 2-1/2 months after the workshop
Planning, Invitations, Contracts, Hotel/Transportation, Travel
Project
Timeline
Key:
Welcome Reception (Registration and Distribution of Stipends)
Workshop Implementation
Evaluation and Curriculum Design & Submissions and Ongoing Dissemination of Project via
Online Posting and Outreach Presentations
Project Report (Sept 15, 2013) and Participant Follow-Up
MAR APR
MAY
JUN
Jun 24
Jun 25
Ju
n
26
JULY
AUG
SEPT
OCT
NOV
DEC
Curricula development and ongoing dissemination.
Report & ongoing e-news connections.
NOTE: Grantees must submit brief financial and program reports on a quarterly basis. Funds are
disbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation of expenditures.
Michelle Pearson, TPS Teacher Associate (standing center-left), provides instruction as some of the
program’s teacher-participants research LOC and WDL primary sources about Canada’s Arctic.

Library of Congress Teacher Page: http://www.loc.gov/teachers

TPS Western Region: http://www.msudenver.edu/tps

TPS Inquiry and 21st-Century Learning Wiki:
https://tpsi21.pbworks.com/w/page/45287424/TPSI21

K-12 STUDY CANADA / Pacific Northwest National Resource Center on Canada:
www.k12studycanada.org
Note: The “TPSI21” wiki is used to:
1) explore various tech tools that can be integrated into teaching and learning with primary
sources. All are Web-based and free for educators to use.
2) access mobile learning tools using iPads & the Waldseemuller World Map.
3) provide educators with links to useful resources, toolkits, maps, models, worksheets, etc.,
for teaching and learning with digital primary sources—including those available from the
Library of Congress, National Archives, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the National
History Day program.
4) share detailed information about the Stripling Model of Inquiry so that educators can better
understand why the inquiry process is a pedagogically-preferred approach to teaching.