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Teacher Development Workshops

Upcoming Workshops


The Goldberg Center regularly offers workshops and professional development opportunities for teachers in Ohio, the United States, and globally. We host these events in summer and during the school year, in person and virtually. They are designed for teachers from K to 12, but with a focus on High and Middle School teachers. Please watch this space for upcoming events, and we’d love for you to join us!

If you would like to receive emails about future teacher workshops, please subscribe to our mailing list here.


Past Workshops

 

Understanding the Culture and History of Ukraine

statue in Ukraine

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, we recognize that both educators and students want to learn more about Ukraine and its relationship with Russia. This two-session workshop will focused on furthering participants’ understanding of Ukrainian culture and history. The first session led by Nicholas Breyfogle (Ohio State U.) focused on Ukraine’s shared history with Russia, what is and what is not Ukrainian history, and nationalist interpretations of both histories. The second session led by Alisa Ballard Lin (Ohio State U.) focused on Ukrainian culture and how Ukrainians perceive their culture as being unique from Russian culture or perhaps how they see them as being similar. Participants received  background and resources on this topic so that they can teach and discuss this subject with students in their own classrooms.

This training was free and open to pre- and in-service K-12 and community college educators across the United States. Participants received:

  • A certificate for 6 contact hours
  • 4 free books that focus on the workshop topics
  • $50 stipend for attending both sessions
  • Free curriculum resources

This workshop was organized by the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies in partnership with The Harvey Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching.
 

Ideas of Race and Racism in American and World History

Two men, one white and one Black facing each other while a third Black man looks on - Red Summer Race Riots

The ideas of race and history of racism are difficult topics to discuss in the classroom, yet they are concepts and mentalities at the very core of current events. The Ohio State University's Harvey Goldberg Center for Excellence in Teaching hosted a professional workshop for educators (grades 7-12) during the summer of 2021.

Over the course of five days, the following topics were covered:

  • Science, Race, and Society
  • Race, Racism, and the African American Experience in the United States
  • Indigenous Peoples in North America
  • Nazi Racism and Antisemitism

Each day consisted of topic overviews led by scholarly experts, pedagogy methods facilitated by master teachers, resource sessions, and group discussions. Participants gained the skills and tools to successfully teach the “hard histories” of slavery, genocide, colonialism, and white supremacy. The Goldberg Center and College of Education and Human Ecology will provided CEUs and a stipend to those interested in developing teacher resources for publication.

Visit the workshop website and workshop teacher resources website for more information. View the workshop webinar here.

The workshop was generously funded by Ohio Humanities and the Stanton Foundation
 

Central Asia in World History

Central Asia - a Mosque

Central Asia in World History engaged teachers in a deeper understanding of how Central Asia has historically functioned as a crossroads of intercultural exchange, connecting the great civilizations on the Eurasian periphery, giving rise to world empires of its own in antiquity and the medieval era, and serving as the playing ground for the Anglo-Russian “Great Game” in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This was done through expert presentations, analysis of primary material, both narrative and documentary, screenings and discussion of relevant films, immersion in traditional food and music of the region, and the development of unit plans for classroom use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picturing History: Editorial Cartooning in America, 1754-2011

Puck Cartoon - Lady Liberty on a boat

Picturing History: Editorial Cartooning in America, 1754-2011 was a summer institute sponsored by Ohio State's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum for Middle and High School teachers. The last institute was held August 1-5, 2011, on the OSU main campus. Participants learned how to conduct close readings and gained a thorough grounding in the evolution of editorial cartoons, their purpose, and their intent. In addition, participants had the opportunity to conduct research and work with primary source material at the Cartoon Library and Museum. This program was funded by a generous grant from the Ohio Humanities Council.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Scientific Revolution

Copernicus

The Scientific Revolution was a summer institute for Middle and High School teachers from June 13 to 17, 2011, on the OSU main campus. Participants studied how the revolution in science and technology in the 16th and 17th centuries was directly linked to revolutions in religion, politics, and society. This program was funded by a generous grant from the Ohio Humanities Council.



Past Grant Programs
 

Teaching American History


Teaching American History was a grant project of the federal Department of Education from 2000 to 2012. The grants funded three-year long professional development programs for teachers of American history in elementary, middle, and high schools designed to increase teacher's content knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history. The History Teaching Institute partnered with the Ohio Historical Society, the Columbus Public Schools, the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center, the Educational Regional Service System (ERSS) Region 10, and the Tri-County Educational Service Center on  the grants. Program Content was related to Ohio's Academic Content Standards for social studies. Connecting to the Past and Back to History were two of those initiatives.
 

Connecting to the Past

Connecting to the Past was a professional development program designed to support and improve the teaching of American history. Participation was open to teachers in grades four to eight in Ashland, Holmes, Wayne, and Medina Counties. It combined the resources of the Tri-County Educational Service Center, the Ohio Historical Society, and the Ohio State University. Each year of the program, twenty-four teachers participated in an orientation seminar and three out of four offered content seminars. Participants will also took part in two historic site-based seminars, and attended a five-day Summer Institute at the Ohio State University in Columbus. Connecting to the Past was funded by a U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History grant.

Connecting to the Past seminars featured engaging content-focused presentations from Ohio State’s award-winning history faculty, as well as distinguished teachers and scholars from other colleges and universities. At each seminar the Project Curator introduced participants to primary sources (such as letters, photos, maps, and documents) related to the core theme, along with ways to take these sources back to the classroom. Lead Teachers helped participants apply what they have learned to their teaching. The Lead Teachers were experienced classroom teachers from area schools. They shared their experiences and techniques and facilitated peer learning.

As a result of the program, several lesson plans and tutorials were created. The teacher-created lesson plans revolve around three core themes: Peopling the New World: Immigration and Migration of Natives and Newcomers, Creating the New Nation: The Revolution and Constitutional Development and Growing the Nation: Technology, Industrialism, and Expansion.
 

Back to History

Back to History was a professional development program for K-12 teachers. The program served teachers  in Ohio's Educational Regional Service System (ERSS) Region 10, including Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Preble counties. This program combines the resources of The Ohio State University, the Ohio Historical Society, and the Clark County Educational Service Center to support and improve the teaching of traditional American history. Lesson plans and primary source activities from Back to History can be found on the History Teaching Institute website.