Education Commons^™

"Learning By Doing, By Wondering, By Figuring Things Out:" A New Look At Contemporary Homeschooling And Pedagogical Progressivism, Jacques Klapisch

History Honors Theses

Pedagogical progressive education, as defined through the work of John Dewey, Helen Parkhurst, and Carleton Washburne was the precursor to the contemporary homeschooling movement in ideology, practice, and rhetoric as defined by the writing and pedagogy of John Holt. Their shared beliefs in community, student freedom, and good experience as pertinent to education marked the relationship between these two pedagogical methods. Despite Holt's departure from the classroom through his unschooling method, the ideological consistencies between the movement are undeniable, suggesting we rethink the relationship between progressive education and homeschooling and our basic assumptions about the legacy of both movements.

Mapping Renewal: How An Unexpected Interdisciplinary Collaboration Transformed A Digital Humanities Project, Elise Tanner, Geoffrey Joseph

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Funded by a National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant, the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s “Mapping Renewal” pilot project focused on creating access to and providing spatial context to archival materials related to racial segregation and urban renewal in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1954-1989. An unplanned interdisciplinary collaboration with the UA Little Rock Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) has proven to be an invaluable partnership. One team member from each department will demonstrate the Mapping Renewal website and discuss how the collaborative process has changed and shaped …

Teaching The Lessons Of The Vietnam War And Applying Them To The War In Afghanistan: Lesson Plans For A Sophomore Us History Class, Zoe Bond

Honors Projects

This project is a series of lesson plans for a 10^th grade US History class detailing the lessons of the Vietnam War and how they have and haven’t been used by President Obama in his decisions during the War in Afghanistan. The lesson plan uses Differentiation and Universal Design for Learning to accommodate every student in the class. The goal of this project was to teach original research in a way that promotes inquiry even if there is no correct answer at that time.

Mass Incarceration In Nebraska: Data And Historical Analysis Of Inmates From 1980-2020, Anna Krause

Honors Theses

This study examines Nebraska Department of Corrections inmate data from 1980-2020, looking specifically at inmate demographics and offense trends. State-of-the-art data analysis is conducted to collect, modify, and visualize the data sources. Inmates are organized by each decade they were incarcerated within. The current active prison population is also examined in their own research group. The demographic and offense trends are compared with previous local and national research. Historical context is given for evolving trends in offenses. Solutions for Nebraska prison overcrowding are presented from various interest groups. This study aims to enlighten all interested Nebraskans on who inhabits their …

Reflections On Being A Historian And Teaching History In The Midst Of Historic Times, Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

As a historian and coordinator of a secondary social studies licensure program, I have spent the last few months working with teachers and others to gather documentary evidence about the experience of COVID-19 in my state. I felt compelled to gather documents as a historian. Collecting written and digital materials made me think (and talk with teachers and their students) about the nature of historical documentary evidence, past and present. The sources that document a community’s experience of this global pandemic are diverse: video of a birthday parade, a photo of a yard sign recognizing that a high school graduate, …

His 103: United States History To 1865 Mock Trial Exercise, Jennifer M. Black

Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL)

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia's introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors.

This classroom exercise was developed by Jennifer Black (Misericordia University History Department) and is shared as part of the deliverables for the summer …

His 103: United States History To 1865 Syllabus, Jennifer M. Black, Allan W. Austin, Mary Kay Kimelewski

Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL)

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia's introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors.

This syllabus was created by Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department) in the summer of 2021. Support …

His 104: United States History Since 1865 Syllabus, Jennifer M. Black, Allan W. Austin, Mary Kay Kimelewski

Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL)

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia's introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors.

This syllabus was created by Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department) in the summer of 2021. Support …

His 103: United States History To 1865 Discussion Questions, Alyssa Chesek, Jennifer M. Black, Allan W. Austin, Mary Kay Kimelewski

Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL)

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia's introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors.

These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski …

His 104: United States History Since 1865 Discussion Questions, Alyssa Chesek, Jennifer M. Black, Allan W. Austin, Mary Kay Kimelewski

Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL)

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia's introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors.

These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski …

Whitewashed: A Look Into The Evolution Of Race Conversations In American Classrooms, Lily M. Walters

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper seeks to follow the evolution of race conversations in the classroom through generations of people after the Civil War. My thesis is that curriculum excluded positive mentions of Black people after the Civil War until the Civil Rights Movement, when Black individuals crafted a more accurate and impartial curriculum. American curriculum’s exclusion of positive Black representation left white people unable to have positive race conversations in general. Additionally, through a case study of my family, I examine how generations of people shaped their ideas on race through conversations. The written portion of my IS begins with curriculum from …