As history teachers in the twenty-first century, we all want our students to think critically and grapple with the complexity of the past while also seeing the relevance of historical education to today’s world. At the same time, we ourselves are wrestling with ongoing reevaluations of the past, including evolving conversations around equity and inclusion, and the question of what role the teaching of history plays in our students’ ability to make sense of the world around them. Meanwhile, we wonder how to best leverage a complex landscape of online teaching resources and technology.

This ongoing program will create a community of learners and teachers that will share, listen, and learn from each other as we explore tools to redesign curriculum and assessments in light of current scholarship, while also deepening cultural fluency in content and pedagogy to support all our students. We will draw on recent publications such as Sam Wineburg’s Why Learn History? (When it’s Already on Your Phone) as we consider what students need from their historical studies to be ready for the challenges they will face as adults. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with each other in Critical Friends Groups and use their own curricular materials in facilitator-led sessions. Collaboration is at the heart of this CATDC program, and the wisdom, experience, and perspectives of the participants will drive the learning.

Our professional learning community is designed to support all teachers, ranging from those who design their own curriculum to those whose curriculum is largely established, but are looking to develop more engaging approaches to some of their lessons. Though all history teachers are welcome, content will be oriented toward those teaching at the high school level.