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What's New
Featured Materials for Teachers
Baltimore '68 Conference Includes CHE Participants
From left to right: Nicholas Ricks, Derek Winn, Cindy Hoyer, Kevin Kelly, Jennifer Meltzer, Dr. Barry Lanman, Jenny Decker, Dr. Elizabeth Nix, Jared Melrath, Herman Young, Joshua Kukowski, Teresa McGuire
“Baltimore 68: Riots and Rebirth” was a three day conference held April 3-5, 2008 at the University of Baltimore. The conference focused on the events and aftermath of the riots that tore apart Baltimore City in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968. Conference topics included discussions of gentrification, the convergence of the Civil Rights and anti-war movements, the role of the faith community in trying to heal the wounds of the riots, and oral history presentations from those who were present during the outbreak of violence.
Friday’s program featured a presentation on the 1968 Riots Project by area high school students. Saturday’s events opened with an educators’ roundtable, led by nine teachers from the “Making American History Master Teachers in Baltimore County” program, as well as Derek Winn from the "Teaching American History in Anne Arundel County" program. The panel discussed how to teach about controversial topics by examining the 1968 Baltimore riots in the larger historical context of political, social, and economic issues and trends of the 1960s. All ten participants did an excellent job and should be commended for their time and effort.
“Making American History Master Teachers in Baltimore County” is a partnership program between Baltimore County Public Schools and the UMBC Center for History Education, while "Teaching American History in Anne Arundel County" is a partnership program between Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the Center for History Education. Both professional-development programs are funded through the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching American History Grant Program.
“Baltimore 68: Riots and Rebirth” was sponsored by the University of Baltmore, WYPR, the Maryland Humanities Council, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the William G. Baker Memorial Fund.
Outstanding Teacher Honored
Bruce Allyn Lesh, Franklin High School, Reisterstown, Maryland, has received the Tachau Teacher of the Year Award, given annually for contributions made by precollegiate teachers to improve history education by the Organization of American Historians (OAH). On Saturday, March 29, OAH President Nell Irvin Painter and President-Elect Pete Daniel presented the award in New York City during the 101st Annual Meeting of the Organization.
Bruce is an outstanding classroom teacher whose colleagues and students praise his history instruction, professional leadership, and scholarship. Mr. Lesh not only inspires and excites students, he also challenges them to think critically and historically. One student writes of an especially rewarding project: “Students had to decipher through all of the evidence available, and deal with many of the ambiguities . . . . In order to develop a sound thesis, students had to understand the nuances of their case and the different interpretations.” Mr. Lesh involves students in the process of forming good questions, analyzing primary and secondary sources, determining cause and effect, developing historical argumentation and engaging in historiographic debate. As cofounder of the Center for History Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, he has demonstrated a commitment to bringing scholarship and quality professional development to classroom teachers. Mr. Lesh’s leadership positions at local, state, and national history education organizations, curriculum work, numerous presentations, and publications further highlight his tremendous contributions.
Founded in 1907, OAH is the largest learned society and professional organization dedicated to the teaching and study of the American past. OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, and encourages wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of all practitioners of history. Members in the U.S. and abroad include college and university professors; students; precollegiate teachers; archivists, museum curators, and other public historians employed in government and the private sector.
Bruce is one of the founding members of the UMBC Center for History Education, and has been a Master Teacher in the program for the last six years. We would like to extend our personal congratulations to this fine educator.
CHE Launches New K-12 Seminar Program in East Asian Studies in Spring 2008
The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia, in partnership with the Center for History Education, will hold a new program on Asian history and culture this Sprng for middle and high school teachers. Taught by experts in the field, including UMBC Professors Ka-che Yip and Constantine Vaporis, the program is designed for teachers of Asian history, art, literature, and culture. The sessions will take place at UMBC on eight Saturday mornings, from April 5 through May 24, with one session at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Two follow-up workshops will be held in Fall 2008.
Participants will receive free program materials and resources for their schools. For program information and an application, please follow the link to: http://www.umbc.edu/che/ncta/. Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2008.
Howard County Teachers Present at National Council for the Social Studies Conference
In Fall 2007 teachers from the Making American History Master Teachers in Howard County Program presented "Bridging the Gap: Historical Analysis Strategies for All Learners" at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference in San Diego, California. Focusing on ways to incorporate reading strategies in the social studies classroom, the presentation gave particular emphasis to how teachers can modify their instructions to aid students with different reading abilities. Susan Apple, Jeanette Lampron, and Bob Coffman should all be congratulated for their effort and the success of their presentation in expanding on the ideas that drive our programs.
For those who are interested in seeing just what they had to offer on this subject, follow this link:
http://www.howard.k12.md.us/Glenwood/SApple/SApple/TAH/TAH.htm
to Sue Apple's website for suggested reading strategies, instructional activities and a lesson plan on the Reconstruction Era.
What's New welcomes any classroom or professional news from all our program participants. Write us at che@umbc.edu and put "What's New" in the Subject line.
Keep checking "What's New" for future programs, announcements and events at the UMBC Center for History Education .
