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:
2015 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
-From the first tour to the last discussion, I thoroughly enjoyed the academic portion of the institute. I also enjoyed exploring Chicago with wonderful people.
-I loved how you all varied the activities so that we balanced field work with classroom discussion. I wonder if other NEH Institutes and Seminars are as hands on and engaging - this was just spectacularly planned and well executed.
-I really enjoyed how each speaker tackled a different element of the period (i.e. labor, gender issues, race relations, public spaces, etc.) This made it easier to really understand the period fully.
-One forgets how fun it is to be in a class and learn, and we covered such a broad expanse that there was so much to continue to explore and feel curious about. I was continually excited about the history and ideas discussed.
-All sessions led by Robert Johnston were just excellent. I couldn't get enough of them. The readings were always compelling, as were the films. I have a long list of favorites, but so many that I won't put them here. Overall, the thinking going into the Institute is very, very good.
-Tough question. I thought the composite breadth of topics was as significant as any one topic. If I had to choose, I would say I appreciated the Labor Tour most, since it reallly grounded us, followed by our work with primary documents (both at the Newberry and at the UI-C special collections).
-I really enjoyed the sense of camaraderie encouraged among all participants. It made learning about and exploring Chicago so much more enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the variety of scholars brought in to work with us.
-Most of the speakers were fabulous! They were incredibly knowledgeable and inspiring. I also enjoyed most of the readings. They were thought-provoking and were great resources. The group dialogue was excellent and the Facebook page was helpful for connecting with people and sharing ideas/thoughts.
-The onsite guided tours - what a magnificent city! The depth and breadth of topics and discussion. I will forever be "rethinking" GAPE and many other eras in US history especially the "unsung" s/heroes.
-The tours, the scholars, learning from my colleagues, the community of teachers that I learned from, the perspectives of the teachers from various states and countries. The passion of the leaders of our discussion was helpful and motivated me to look beyond the assigned readings to learn more about topics. The high degree of scholarship and variety of teaching experiences that colleagues offered was extremely helpful. I learned so much from the teachers here in addition to the directors and scholars. I also really enjoyed having nightly discussion with fellow teachers while we read together--I learned a lot from them about how they teach topics in their classrooms.
-I enjoyed the array of topics, and the division of the days into scholarship and teaching components. I enjoyed the weekly museum/library/tour trips. The primary sources were great!
-My favorite features of this institute were my opportunity to really explore the city for the first time and the readings on the effects of industrialization, particularly the section from "The Jungle."
- I also really liked Ben Johnson's presentation on the U.S.-Mexican border perhaps because of its timeliness and also because the readings were fascinating.
-I really enjoyed Mike Biondo's awesome suggestions about using technology in the classroom. He gave me a wealth of ideas that I am going to try out in the classroom next year! Robert was an excellent moderator. I was continually impressed with his ability to lead discussion in a way that promoted equality and engagement.
-Wow, everything was so well organized, everyone was so professional and friendly and interesting . . .
-It was the intellectual leadership of Robert and all the scholars that had the greatest impact on me and will help me become a more inspired educator.
-I'd like to say that Rachel did an outstanding job of organizing and meeting the demands of so many different personalities.
-I really enjoyed the overall experience to be frank. I liked reading some new books, I liked meeting everybody and sharing ideas, I liked most of the articles, the field trips were interesting, the movies led to interesting conversation and I really was able to push myself intellectually and academically. This has been a fulfilling month and I am glad I was able to have the opportunity to be a part of it!
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.
2015 Participants' Favorite Features of the Institute
-From the first tour to the last discussion, I thoroughly enjoyed the academic portion of the institute. I also enjoyed exploring Chicago with wonderful people.
-I loved how you all varied the activities so that we balanced field work with classroom discussion. I wonder if other NEH Institutes and Seminars are as hands on and engaging - this was just spectacularly planned and well executed.
-I really enjoyed how each speaker tackled a different element of the period (i.e. labor, gender issues, race relations, public spaces, etc.) This made it easier to really understand the period fully.
-One forgets how fun it is to be in a class and learn, and we covered such a broad expanse that there was so much to continue to explore and feel curious about. I was continually excited about the history and ideas discussed.
-All sessions led by Robert Johnston were just excellent. I couldn't get enough of them. The readings were always compelling, as were the films. I have a long list of favorites, but so many that I won't put them here. Overall, the thinking going into the Institute is very, very good.
-Tough question. I thought the composite breadth of topics was as significant as any one topic. If I had to choose, I would say I appreciated the Labor Tour most, since it reallly grounded us, followed by our work with primary documents (both at the Newberry and at the UI-C special collections).
-I really enjoyed the sense of camaraderie encouraged among all participants. It made learning about and exploring Chicago so much more enjoyable. I also really enjoyed the variety of scholars brought in to work with us.
-Most of the speakers were fabulous! They were incredibly knowledgeable and inspiring. I also enjoyed most of the readings. They were thought-provoking and were great resources. The group dialogue was excellent and the Facebook page was helpful for connecting with people and sharing ideas/thoughts.
-The onsite guided tours - what a magnificent city! The depth and breadth of topics and discussion. I will forever be "rethinking" GAPE and many other eras in US history especially the "unsung" s/heroes.
-The tours, the scholars, learning from my colleagues, the community of teachers that I learned from, the perspectives of the teachers from various states and countries. The passion of the leaders of our discussion was helpful and motivated me to look beyond the assigned readings to learn more about topics. The high degree of scholarship and variety of teaching experiences that colleagues offered was extremely helpful. I learned so much from the teachers here in addition to the directors and scholars. I also really enjoyed having nightly discussion with fellow teachers while we read together--I learned a lot from them about how they teach topics in their classrooms.
-I enjoyed the array of topics, and the division of the days into scholarship and teaching components. I enjoyed the weekly museum/library/tour trips. The primary sources were great!
-My favorite features of this institute were my opportunity to really explore the city for the first time and the readings on the effects of industrialization, particularly the section from "The Jungle."
- I also really liked Ben Johnson's presentation on the U.S.-Mexican border perhaps because of its timeliness and also because the readings were fascinating.
-I really enjoyed Mike Biondo's awesome suggestions about using technology in the classroom. He gave me a wealth of ideas that I am going to try out in the classroom next year! Robert was an excellent moderator. I was continually impressed with his ability to lead discussion in a way that promoted equality and engagement.
-Wow, everything was so well organized, everyone was so professional and friendly and interesting . . .
-It was the intellectual leadership of Robert and all the scholars that had the greatest impact on me and will help me become a more inspired educator.
-I'd like to say that Rachel did an outstanding job of organizing and meeting the demands of so many different personalities.
-I really enjoyed the overall experience to be frank. I liked reading some new books, I liked meeting everybody and sharing ideas, I liked most of the articles, the field trips were interesting, the movies led to interesting conversation and I really was able to push myself intellectually and academically. This has been a fulfilling month and I am glad I was able to have the opportunity to be a part of it!
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"Rethinking the Gilded Age & Progressivisms" -
An NEH Summer Institute for Teachers |