Would you like an opportunity to learn about active learning techniques and approaches specifically for teaching history? 
If so, we have a great opportunity for you!  Cowles Library is offering a course, “Making Presidential History Come Alive,” this summer that corresponds to two traveling exhibits that we will host later in 2009 and early 2010.  The course is available for continuing education credit through AEA 11 or as a graduate credit at Drake but it is otherwise free to those that are interested.  We have limited space so an RSVP is required.

More specifics about the course: 

Meeting days: 
* July 8 (9am-Noon) – learn about primary and secondary resources, how to incorporate information literacy into the classroom and reviewing ways to research different resources.
* July 15 (8:30am-4:30pm) – a guest speaker, James Percoco, will do a day long workshop on active learning approaches.  He is a history teacher from West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia.  He has won numerous education awards and has written several books.
* July 22 (9am-Noon) – a guest speaker, Matthew Pinsker, an American history scholar from Dickinson College, will offer a workshop on presidential history.  Dr. Pinsker will also present a lecture at 7pm that same night which is open to the public.  The topic:  “Abraham Lincoln: Private Man, Public Leader”
* July 23 (9am-11am) – Dr. Pinsker will join the class on a tour of the Jordan House in West Des Moines.

The traveling exhibits will be open and free to the public:

October 28 to December 11, 2009 - John Adams: Unbound 
January 11 to February 8, 2010 – Abraham Lincoln: A Man of his Time, A Man for All Times

If you are interested in attending the session, regardless of if it is for credit or not, please contact Claudia Frazer at claudia.frazer@drake.edu or 515-271-3776. For more information, see our Citizens Arise website (http://citizensarise.drake.edu/)