Looking Harder: Inspiring Close Observation
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
How can students be inspired to look closely--and think carefully--while they observe?
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Teaching Tools
Category: Teaching Strategies
Top Ten Tips for Facilitating an Effective Primary Source Analysis
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
The first time I tried facilitating a primary source activity during my post-graduate museum education studies, I only had to guide my peers’ analysis of a single artifact for five minutes. Yet so much of what I learned from this experience later proved invaluable to me when teaching with primary sources “for real.”
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Teaching Tools
Practicing Close Observation: Spying on the Past
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Primary sources from the online collections of the Library of Congress can be powerful instructional tools. Analyzing these photos, films, maps, and audio recordings can help students engage with content, build their critical thinking skills, and construct knowledge.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Teaching Tools
Selecting Questions to Increase Student Engagement
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
What’s the most frustrating part of teaching with primary sources? They’re often incomplete and have little context. What’s the most rewarding part of teaching with primary sources? They’re often incomplete and have little context.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Teaching Tools
Share Your Experiences: Teaching about September 11 with Library of Congress Materials
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
As the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks draws near, we'd like to hear from any educator who has used the Library's materials to teach about this topic.
Posted in: Contemporary United States (1945-present), Teaching Strategies
Look Again: Challenging Students to Develop Close Observation Skills
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
How can we help students develop close observation skills?
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Teaching Tools