I have loved sharing tips and tricks about teaching history here on the internet for the last ten years. It’s been so great to connect with people from all over the world and to find other history educators with a similar passion. As much as I love creating YouTube videos, writing blog posts and posting on Instagram, I wanted to also find a way to connect with people in real time (and spend more than a few minutes in a disappearing Instagram story!) going deeper into history pedagogy and strategies. So, I partnered up with a few fellow history teachers (Tiffany Marlow from @historywithtiffany, Lauren Piraro from @teachtoblossom, and Alejandro Johnson from @hunkalearninlove) and we are so excited for the first ever Brave History Conference!
Here’s what’s in store on Saturday, June 17th:
Opening Session: We are going to start by taking questions from YOU! In the spirit of those YouTube/Instagram Q&A videos, we are inviting all attendees to submit any questions that they have for our presenters, and we will answer them live. Between the four of us, we have a group of people who have taught middle school, high school, world history, US History, Honors courses, and who have taught in California, Korea, Texas, Guatemala and beyond! We can’t wait for this interactive kick-off session!
Dr. Tiffany Marlow: Next, our resident scholar, Dr. Tiffany Marlow will present research from her newly submitted dissertation about women’s representation in history curricula. Tiffany has taught high school and middle school history, and her recent graduate work in the field of history curricula will be incredibly valuable to history teachers at both levels.
Megan DuVarney Forbes, M.A. “Engagement without the Gimmicks”: In my session, we will be re-examining three common strategies for student engagement in middle school history classrooms. This is my 11th year teaching middle school history, and my philosophy of pedagogy has evolved since my first few years in the classroom. We will discuss simulations, DBQ’s and art projects, and how we can utilize them in a more culturally responsive (and more engaging!) way.
Lauren Piraro, M.A.: We are so fortunate to have the 2021 California Council for Social Studies Rookie of the Year awardee presenting for us! Lauren is a high school history teacher in Northern California, and she is going to share a super engaging strategy that combines primary sources with true crime. As an adjunct professor for history credential students, she has strategies and templates that will benefit all secondary history teachers.
Alejandro Johnson, M.A.: Alejandro’s story was recently featured on Texas Public Radio in a segment about the high school Mexican American history course that he teaches. He has experience teaching both middle and high school history in the U.S. and South Korea. Alejandro is going to share strategies and resources for incorporating Mexican American history at all grade levels, and discuss the importance of ethnic studies in history.
Collaborative Workrooms: We don’t want to close the conference without providing attendees with an opportunity to connect with each other, to share their own expertise, and to ask follow up questions of our presenters. Each presenter will host a collaborative workroom where you will be able to chat with other educators who teach your content, and share your best practices. We can’t wait to meet you!
If you’d like to join us, register here!