Education
In October 2010, more than two hundred teachers attended a series of one-day teacher workshops held by Humanities Texas throughout the state focusing on the U.S. Constitution.
The institutes covered topics central to courses in U.S. history and government, such as teaching the Constitution, the Civil War and the Constitution, the Constitution and judicial adaptations, and teaching the Bill of Rights. Content was aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), with particular emphasis on newly added or revised standards.
The workshops emphasized close interaction with scholars, the examination of primary sources, and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. The programs were designed ultimately to enhance teachers' mastery of the subjects they teach and to improve students' performance on state assessments. Teachers received books and other instructional materials.
Faculty included Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack N. Rakove (Stanford University), Steven R. Boyd (The University of Texas at San Antonio), Keith Erekson (The University of Texas at El Paso), Charles Flanagan (National Archives and Records Administration), Lorri Glover (St. Louis University), Monica Perales (University of Houston), Linda K. Salvucci (Trinity University), and Mary L. Volcansek (Texas Christian University).
Educational specialists from the National Archives and Records Administration also served on the workshops’ faculty, providing participants with facsimiles of historic documents that support the teaching of U.S. history.
The workshop overviews detail each program's schedule and participants.
Fort Worth | October 7 | Fort Worth Museum of Science and History | Overview |
San Antonio | October 8 | Our Lady of the Lake University | Overview |
Houston | October 9 | Univeristy of Houston | Overview |
Laredo | October 11 | Texas A&M International University | Overview |
El Paso | October 20 | The University of Texas at El Paso | Overview |
These workshops were made possible with major funding from the state of Texas and a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Call 512.440.1991 or email institutes@humanitiestexas.org.