Clark County Educational Service Center (CCESC), in partnership with The Ohio State University's Department of History (OSU) and the Ohio Historical Society (OHS), will present Back to History, a project designed to increase teachers' knowledge, understanding and appreciation of American history through an intensive, ongoing professional development program. Back to History will accomplish this goal with activities focused on the following objectives:
- Exposure to latest scholarship on American history topics
- Increase the degree to which teachers access, analyze and use primary sources
- Increase comfort using technology to enhance history education and create professional community of learners
- Increase teachers' ability to use new content knowledge and resources in their classrooms
As a result of the program teachers will better understand the depth, breadth and complexity of American history; therefore, instruction will improve and students will acquire a better understanding of history as a separate discipline and develop superior critical thinking skills.
The activities of Back to History are designed to serve school districts served by CCESC as well as those in Ohio Educational Regional Service System (ERSS) Region 10, including Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, and Preble counties. Region 10 has 238 buildings with student enrollment of over 160,000 students.
Each year, Back to History will provide an intensive summer institute, four content intensive seminars, three field trips to historic sites in Ohio, and a series of on-line forums on teaching strategy. Participants will also have the opportunity to spend time at the Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library and the State Archives of Ohio and on campus at The Ohio State University working with the faculty and using services such as the Goldberg Instructional Center, a learning center for technology that serves as a meeting place to discuss teaching and learning and to share resources and best practices for the classroom.Â
Teachers will earn three graduate credits at OSU from participation in Back to History. Two of these credits will be awarded for the school-year seminars and field trips, and the final one will be awarded after the summer institute.
This project will have a long-term impact on the teaching and learning of American history throughout the state of Ohio. The website offers access to a broad array of teaching materials, which will allow teachers to benefit from the project even after funding ends. The program will contribute to the professional development of teachers now under intensified federal and state encouragement to gain mastery of their specific teaching field.
Clark County Educational Service Center
