Supporting Problem-Based Historical Inquiry with Digital Resources
The 1st Annual Persistent Issues in History Workshop: The Civil Rights Movement
July 14-25, 2003
Auburn University, Alabama

Major Funding Provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities

The purpose of the Persistent Issues in History (PIH) Workshop is to develop and support a community of master teachers who are skilled in engaging their students in problem-based historical inquiry. The PIH Workshop uses technology tools to enhance and support the inquiry process.

Twelve teachers from around the nation will participate this summer in our inaugural two-week Workshop seminar that introduces PIH strategies and technology-based tools for exploring fundamental, persisting issues of history. Our teaching example for this first seminar will be the African-American civil rights movement. The civil rights movement forced America to confront directly some enduring questions: What does it mean to be free? What is equality? What actions are justified and necessary to attain social justice? PIH Fellows will explore the complexity of the conflicting ideas and personalities within the movement and within the country during this time period. As a result of Workshop experiences, Fellows will become skilled in using problem-based learning strategies and a technology-supported learning environment to help learners use historical documents in reasoning about complex historical issues. Summer 2003 Workshop Seminar activities will include:

• Deep exploration of civil rights content with civil rights scholars and movement figures
• Visits to Montgomery, Alabama civil rights sites
• Introduction to Decision Point!, an interactive Internet-based leaning environment that supports problem-based historical inquiry
• Participation in technology-supported, problem-based learning activities
• Digital History Workshops to create technology-supported, problem-based curriculum materials
• Founding membership in a support network of teaching mentors and peers engaged in problem-based historical inquiry

  All Workshop Fellows will receive a $500 stipend for the Summer Seminar and an additional $250 for implementing PIH activities in their classrooms in the 2003-2004 academic year. A limited number of travel stipends of up to $1,250 each are available to encourage national participation. Travel stipend awards will be based upon traveling distance from the Auburn site.

  For more information and application forms please visit our website.