Workshops
Current workshop offering:Free Act 48 Summer Institute (June 22-26). View the flyer.
To register online click here.
The Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) offers ACT 48 professional development opportunities for educators and librarians at the K-12 grade levels as well as Cal U faculty members.
These opportunities include workshops, seminars, Summer Institutes, on-site coaching, field testing, mentoring and ambassadorship.They are offered at no charge for teachers (including substitute teachers) and librarians of the following school districts in southwestern Pennsylvania: Bentworth, Bethlehem-Center, Brownsville, California, Canon-McMillan, Charleroi, Connellsville, Frazier, Ringgold, and Washington. Contact your district office and/or Cal U TPS office to register for the workshops or to request the workshops for your school district (available only to the listed districts).
Teachers have the option of taking courses under all or some of these levels, depending on their interests. Following are the broad objectives of each level of expertise.
Level One Goal
Participants become familiar with the breadth and organization of the Library of Congress’ digital primary sources, understand their value in instruction, and create basic, inquiry-based learning experiences.
Objectives:
- Orientation to using the Library of Congress Web site (purpose for going to the site, understanding the structure of the site, navigating the site, understanding and interacting with digital collections of primary sources)
- Introduction to primary sources (definition, purpose, value, instructional uses in curricula and the course of learning)
- Development of primary source-based, inquiry learning activities
Level Two Goal
Evaluate, create and teach subject-specific, standards-based learning experiences that integrate primary sources from the Library of Congress and exemplify instructional best practices
Objectives:
- Gain a thorough understanding of instructional best practices using primary sources and identify exemplary learning experiences
- Create standards-based learning experiences integrating primary sources from the Library of Congress that exemplify best practice
- Teach, assess and reflect on teacher experiences using primary sources in instruction
- Evaluate primary source-based learning experiences
- Interdisciplinary and/or subject-specific applications of digitized primary sources
- Investigate the effects of primary source-based instruction on student learning
Level Three Goal
Develop a network of experienced teachers who advocate the use of primary sources and widely disseminate the ideas, methods and products of the Teaching with Primary Sources program.
Objectives:
- Field-testing and publishing Library of Congress primary source-based inquiry learning experiences for a national audience
- Disseminating exemplary primary source-based learning experiences at local, state and/or national venues
- Serving at the school, school district, or state level with the TPS program or mentoring other teachers
- Presenting exemplary TPS products at educational conferences
- Reviewing additional content for the Library of Congress Web site for teachers
- Publishing in online and print journals