In a partnership with the National Education Association and thanks to the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources TPS program grant, Citizen U has developed a new series of micro-credentials. This professional learning offering aims to help educators better integrate inquiry learning with primary sources into instruction across grades and disciplines using a variety of frameworks and strategies. The first four micro-credentials, developed in collaboration with NEA educators and TPS Consortium members Emerging America, Collaborative for Educational Services and Inquiry in the Upper Midwest, Minnesota Historical Society, are available via the TPS Micro-credential Library.

The TPS micro-credentials are free for NEA members and $75 for non-members. School districts interested in enrolling a large group of educators consisting of some or all non-NEA members should contact us. While the micro-credentials are asynchronous, we have created a TPS Micro-credentials group on the TPS Teachers Network to offer support for educators.

 

Inquiry with Primary Sources*

Competency: Educator uses inquiry to engage learners in analysis of primary sources to promote student empathy, foster understanding of multiple perspectives, deepen content knowledge, and enhance critical thinking skills.

Key Method: Educator curates relevant and appropriate primary source sets to develop and analyze an inquiry-based primary source learning activity.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Connecting Primary Sources & Technology for Formative Assessment

Competency: Educator connects primary sources with technology for formative assessment to meet instructional goals and increase student engagement with course content.

Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson that uses technology for formative assessments of primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Connecting Primary Sources with Historic Places

Competency: Educator connects primary sources with an historic place to meet instructional goals and increase student engagement with course content.

Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson that connects primary sources with a historic place to teach about an event, person, or landscape.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses primary sources and inquiry strategies to craft culturally relevant instruction.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a lesson that incorporates the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy with primary sources

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Multidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses inquiry learning with primary sources to enhance students’ civics knowledge, skills, and dispositions across one or more disciplines.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a multidisciplinary civics lesson using inquiry and primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Pairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books

Competency: Educator uses an inquiry approach to learning that utilizes primary sources and an historical picture book.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes an inquiry-based lesson that pairs an historical picture book with a curated set of related primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

The Question Formulation Technique & Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to engage learners in content by generating and analyzing questions about a primary source.

Key Method: Educator creates  or revises a lesson using the QFT with a primary source, directly connecting students’ questions to the next steps of their learning.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

 

Universal Design for Learning with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses UDL with primary sources to provide multiple means of engagement, representation of information, and opportunities for action and expression to increase universal accessibility of course content and skills.

Key Method: Educator customizes and augments a primary source learning activity by employing UDL principles to increase universal accessibility.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

* Educators with no foundational training in teaching inquiry with primary sources from the Library of Congress may find it helpful to begin with the Inquiry with Primary Sources micro-credential before proceeding to subsequent ones.

 

Teaching Resources

RISE TPS Equity and Empowerment Program for Teachers and Students

Teachers are invited to earn free continuing education units and a micro-credential from DePaul University by participating in the RISE Racial Equity and Empowerment Project.  This program builds upon the success of the RISE micro-credential for teachers and is a collaboration between the Barat Education Foundation and DePaul University.

The RISE TPS Equity and Empowerment program is a unique learning experience designed to engage middle school teachers and students with Library of Congress primary sources. It provides teachers the framework from which to create learning experiences that use primary sources from the Library of Congress to engage students in reflection, inquiry, self-awareness, and empathy and serves as a tool to give school communities a project that will support positive connections within the school and community.  To learn more contact DePaul University.

Professional Development Archives

• RISE for Racial Equity Webinars & Micro-credential
• RISE for Educators Reflection, Inquiry, Self-awareness, and Empathy: Strategies to Integrate Racial Equity in Teaching
• C.A.R.E. Listening & Learning for Teachers 
• C.A.R.E. Teaching & Learning Certificate Program

Questions? Contact us.