Is "Rethinking GAPE" the institute for me?
Each year, the National Endowment for the Humanities asks participants to submit anonymous reviews of the Summer Institutes and Seminars that they attended. We provide selected excerpts from these detailed reviews not only to reassure you that you will be in competent hands but, more importantly, to give you insights into the kind of teacher who will most benefit from and enjoy "Rethinking GAPE." A close reading of these reviews will indicate that teachers who exhibit the following characteristics may benefit the most from the format of this institute:
2023 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
Honestly, it is hard to pick a favorite. The sum total of the experience was so valuable and cohesive. Obviously the first bus tour was great because it really put us inside the history of Haymarket and Pullman. I loved talking with each of the scholars and gaining their insights. Learning from my fellow educators and gaining their perspectives was incredible too.
I would have to say the daily interactions with the professors who came and gave generously with their time and expertise. I felt that I was back at graduate school being appreciated as an intellectual and that was invaluable. I was reminded every day that I am a scholar, a thinker, an intellectual and often in day-to-day teaching, we forget that about ourselves.
I really enjoyed how the lectures were informed by the field trips and the videos and talks related back to the overall themes and ideas. The Pullman site remains one of my favorite experiences. I think it is absolutely fascinating to see how different places memorialize their history. Chicago seems to build over its history and put a plaque up later, so seeing Pullman in the midst of restoration was a very cool experience.
As a person with a doctorate in history who is new to high school teaching it was very enlightening to learn new classroom pedagogical techniques and instructional ideas from a cohort (and leadership team) of MASTER teachers! What a deep collection of tools these people have!
I especially appreciated when visiting scholars worked in depth with primary sources. Primary source-focused sessions and reading assignments will be especially helpful to bring back to my classroom.
The site visits and bus tours were very helpful for contextualizing the many topics of the institute.
I think the themed and field trip days were really well done. Getting to focus on the environment and suffrage and then match that with a film worked well for my style of learning.
Both Johanna and Mike's genuine love for both history and teaching showed not only in their endless repertoire of scholarly and pop-culture reference material, and their fascination and savvy in the archives, but especially in the time and care they spent personalizing their engagement and recommendations to our particular interests and needs. For this reason, my highlights were the times I got to spend chatting one-on-one with both of them.
Leaving today is like the last day of summer camp. It's bittersweet as you are happy to go home and see your family, friends and pets, but sad because you will be missing your new peers and intellectual highs of the past three weeks. It had been a pleasure and I have no regrets about signing on for this adventure. I walk away more knowledgable about the history, more understanding of my classroom methods, and more proud than ever of my chosen profession. Spending three weeks with consummate professionals in the dynamic, welcoming city of Chicago was a gift. Thank you for all your hard work. Your dedication was obvious every moment and I realize now what my students notice about the dedication I give to them - your passion for the subject, your love of teaching and your care for us as peers.
2019 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
I loved this institute! I was very impressed by the group's organization, as well as their sincere interest in our (the students) feedback about the speakers and the curriculum. I have gained valuable information regarding the teaching of history and I anticipate it will energize and revolutionize my teaching practices.
The visiting faculty were extremely knowledgeable and mostly all engaging. I was blown away by the expertise of these scholars. The directors of the institute were also extremely knowledgeable. I also appreciated the time given for applications to our teaching. Other NEH programs have not included this time or staff support.
GAPE has done a great job inviting scholars who are urged to share how we would teach the information in our classes. The professors and assistants have done a great job conducting applications to teaching, showing us a variety of ways to teach history. I have gotten more useful resources here compared to resources at all the districts I’ve taught in. You should get them to show other NEH’s how to do this.
Overall I found this institute to be an amazing experience. We had a wide variety of instructors and topics, a wealth of resources, and a dedicated team that guided us throughout the institute. I have already made plans to update how I teach the Gilded Age and Progressive Era with all of the tools I have gained this month. As well as teaching this institute and the knowledge it has given me will be incredibly helpful in my graduate work in American History.
Overall Loyola was a beautiful and convenient location. It was nice to not be in the hustle and bustle of downtown, but to be a short train ride away to take advantage of it. The study buildings on campus were gorgeous and modern, and made for a productive work environment. Even though it was summer the campus was still busy with visiting groups and orientations, so it never felt like we were the only people around.
My overall assessment of Rethinking the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: Race, Capitalism, and Democracy was that it was a challenging intellectual experience. I was impressed with the caliber of scholars brought in on a daily basis to help us as educators "rethink," this important era in United States history. I also appreciate the pedagogy sessions in the afternoon which helped give us information that can be utilized in the classroom across differing areas of curriculum.
Overall the conference was a wonderful learning opportunity for educators. The program brought in numerous experts on the field and really enriched the basic knowledge I already had, while also exposing me to new ideas, concepts and topics. This conference will make a more effective teacher in both content and applications.
From day one, this institute was well organized and thoughtfully curated. I enjoyed the wide variety of professors we were able to interact with, as well as the many resources we were given to read and discuss. This experience provided me with multiple ways to use primary sources in the history classroom and connected events (i.e. immigration, Mexican revolution, conservation) to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in a way I had not previously considered. It complicated the "story" and will allow me to help my students realize that history is not as straightforward as we are so often told.
Each year, the National Endowment for the Humanities asks participants to submit anonymous reviews of the Summer Institutes and Seminars that they attended. We provide selected excerpts from these detailed reviews not only to reassure you that you will be in competent hands but, more importantly, to give you insights into the kind of teacher who will most benefit from and enjoy "Rethinking GAPE." A close reading of these reviews will indicate that teachers who exhibit the following characteristics may benefit the most from the format of this institute:
- A desire to learn, to probe, to question, to explore — both individually and in a collegial setting.
- An interest in exploring humanities topics not only through readings and discussions, but also in field trips, archives, and other settings.
- An openness and commitment to pedagogical learning, sharing, and creation, alongside content.
- A work ethic that ensures full preparation to contribute to collegial examination of the institute's topic, as well as individual exploration during the institute's independent study hours.
- A respectful attitude that demonstrates a willingness to engage thoughtfully with ideas posed by teachers of other grade levels, disciplines, and political/cultural opinions.
2023 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
Honestly, it is hard to pick a favorite. The sum total of the experience was so valuable and cohesive. Obviously the first bus tour was great because it really put us inside the history of Haymarket and Pullman. I loved talking with each of the scholars and gaining their insights. Learning from my fellow educators and gaining their perspectives was incredible too.
I would have to say the daily interactions with the professors who came and gave generously with their time and expertise. I felt that I was back at graduate school being appreciated as an intellectual and that was invaluable. I was reminded every day that I am a scholar, a thinker, an intellectual and often in day-to-day teaching, we forget that about ourselves.
I really enjoyed how the lectures were informed by the field trips and the videos and talks related back to the overall themes and ideas. The Pullman site remains one of my favorite experiences. I think it is absolutely fascinating to see how different places memorialize their history. Chicago seems to build over its history and put a plaque up later, so seeing Pullman in the midst of restoration was a very cool experience.
As a person with a doctorate in history who is new to high school teaching it was very enlightening to learn new classroom pedagogical techniques and instructional ideas from a cohort (and leadership team) of MASTER teachers! What a deep collection of tools these people have!
I especially appreciated when visiting scholars worked in depth with primary sources. Primary source-focused sessions and reading assignments will be especially helpful to bring back to my classroom.
The site visits and bus tours were very helpful for contextualizing the many topics of the institute.
I think the themed and field trip days were really well done. Getting to focus on the environment and suffrage and then match that with a film worked well for my style of learning.
Both Johanna and Mike's genuine love for both history and teaching showed not only in their endless repertoire of scholarly and pop-culture reference material, and their fascination and savvy in the archives, but especially in the time and care they spent personalizing their engagement and recommendations to our particular interests and needs. For this reason, my highlights were the times I got to spend chatting one-on-one with both of them.
Leaving today is like the last day of summer camp. It's bittersweet as you are happy to go home and see your family, friends and pets, but sad because you will be missing your new peers and intellectual highs of the past three weeks. It had been a pleasure and I have no regrets about signing on for this adventure. I walk away more knowledgable about the history, more understanding of my classroom methods, and more proud than ever of my chosen profession. Spending three weeks with consummate professionals in the dynamic, welcoming city of Chicago was a gift. Thank you for all your hard work. Your dedication was obvious every moment and I realize now what my students notice about the dedication I give to them - your passion for the subject, your love of teaching and your care for us as peers.
2019 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
I loved this institute! I was very impressed by the group's organization, as well as their sincere interest in our (the students) feedback about the speakers and the curriculum. I have gained valuable information regarding the teaching of history and I anticipate it will energize and revolutionize my teaching practices.
The visiting faculty were extremely knowledgeable and mostly all engaging. I was blown away by the expertise of these scholars. The directors of the institute were also extremely knowledgeable. I also appreciated the time given for applications to our teaching. Other NEH programs have not included this time or staff support.
GAPE has done a great job inviting scholars who are urged to share how we would teach the information in our classes. The professors and assistants have done a great job conducting applications to teaching, showing us a variety of ways to teach history. I have gotten more useful resources here compared to resources at all the districts I’ve taught in. You should get them to show other NEH’s how to do this.
Overall I found this institute to be an amazing experience. We had a wide variety of instructors and topics, a wealth of resources, and a dedicated team that guided us throughout the institute. I have already made plans to update how I teach the Gilded Age and Progressive Era with all of the tools I have gained this month. As well as teaching this institute and the knowledge it has given me will be incredibly helpful in my graduate work in American History.
Overall Loyola was a beautiful and convenient location. It was nice to not be in the hustle and bustle of downtown, but to be a short train ride away to take advantage of it. The study buildings on campus were gorgeous and modern, and made for a productive work environment. Even though it was summer the campus was still busy with visiting groups and orientations, so it never felt like we were the only people around.
My overall assessment of Rethinking the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: Race, Capitalism, and Democracy was that it was a challenging intellectual experience. I was impressed with the caliber of scholars brought in on a daily basis to help us as educators "rethink," this important era in United States history. I also appreciate the pedagogy sessions in the afternoon which helped give us information that can be utilized in the classroom across differing areas of curriculum.
Overall the conference was a wonderful learning opportunity for educators. The program brought in numerous experts on the field and really enriched the basic knowledge I already had, while also exposing me to new ideas, concepts and topics. This conference will make a more effective teacher in both content and applications.
From day one, this institute was well organized and thoughtfully curated. I enjoyed the wide variety of professors we were able to interact with, as well as the many resources we were given to read and discuss. This experience provided me with multiple ways to use primary sources in the history classroom and connected events (i.e. immigration, Mexican revolution, conservation) to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in a way I had not previously considered. It complicated the "story" and will allow me to help my students realize that history is not as straightforward as we are so often told.
|
The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
“Rethinking the Gilded Age and Progressivisms: Race, Capitalism, and Democracy, 1877 to 1920” has been made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute for K-12 Educators program. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
|