“September 11: Teaching Contemporary History” was a completely online conference that took place live on the web August 3-4, 2011. Participants interacted in real time with our panelists and other teachers logged in from around the world. Recordings of all eight sessions are now available below.
Day 1 Session Recordings
Roundtable: The Past, Present, and Future of September 11
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 10:00 am EDT
Duration: 75 minutes
Panelists included:
- Sharon Leon, Director of Public Projects at the George Mason Center for History and New Media
- James Gardner, Senior Scholar, National Museum of American History
- James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me
- Joan Brodsky Schur, educator
Panelist Questions May Include:
- How has our understanding of the 9/11 attacks changed over the last ten years?
- Are there lessons learned from the teaching of past events that can inform our teaching of this one?
- What issues should we think about when teaching about September 11?
- How might we help students evaluate information they see and hear about this event?
Story of the Memorial
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 11:30 am EDT
Cliff Chanin, Director of Education, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
Elementary, Middle and high school teachers, administrators
Description:
The 9/11 Memorial is opening on September 11, 2011 – the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The 9/11 Memorial Museum is opening a year later on the 11th anniversary. These entities are both the result of robust, and often public, discussions around how the site should be rebuilt. However, despite the public profile of the project, many people are unaware of what is being built and developed. This session walks through the current plans of the Memorial and Museum, offering exclusive looks at their designs, exhibitions, and education offerings.
Introduction to Resources from the Pentagon Memorial
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 1:00 pm EDT
Andrew Ammerman, Senior Executive Advisor to the Board of Directors, Pentagon Memorial Fund
Neisha Taylor, Special Programs & Operations Coordinator, CAA Consulting, LLC
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
Middle and high school teachers
Description:
An introduction to the Pentagon Memorial Fund’s new online educational resources, including lesson plans, interactive timelines, and an audio tour, developed for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. These educational resources can be used to teach students about the significance of 9/11, the events that took place at the Pentagon on 9/11, and the story of the design and construction of the Pentagon Memorial.
Writing the First Draft of History
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 2:15 pm EDT
Barbara Black, Chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resources, Flight 93 National Memorial
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
Elementary, middle, and high school teachers and administrators
Description:
Oral histories are a rich resource to learn the details of a person’s life or an event from different perspectives, and to get a first impression of the impact on others. Nearly 700 people have been interviewed about the events surrounding the crash of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Participants will listen to short clips from oral histories to hear the direct experiences of family members, first responders, and those who had close association with the event. This session will examine how oral histories can play an important role in understanding history through the voices of those who lived it.
Day 2 Session Recordings
Roundtable: Conducting Difficult Conversations with Young People
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 10:00 am EDT
This session explores how to talk to children about tragedy.
Duration: 75 minutes
Panelists included:
- Elaine Donovan
Pentagon Memorial Fund, Director
Lost her husband CDR William H. Donovan in the Pentagon - Mary Fetchet
Voices of September 11th, Founding Director
Mother of Brad Fetchet, 24 - Roberta L. Schomburg, PhD
Associate Dean and Director
Carlow University, School of Education - Hedda Sharapan
Director of Early Childhood Initiatives
The Fred Rogers Company
Discussion Questions:
- When the news broke in May of Osama bin Laden’s death, Yahoo reported that searches for “Who is Osama bin Laden?” skyrocketed. Sixty-six percent of those searches came from 13- to 17-year-olds. (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/10/schools-struggle-to-teach-911-to-students-too-youn/print/) How do you explain to students who Osama bin Laden was?
- How do you provide safe, validating spaces for your class to share their thoughts, feelings and concerns when students hold multiple, often contrasting view points?
- Why were the Pentagon and World Trade Centers targeted?
- Are we safer now? Will this happen again?
Small Children, Tough Topics: A Literature-Based Strategy
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 11:30 am EDT
Jenny Wei, Education Specialist, National Museum of American History
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
Elementary teachers and parents
Description:
For over ten years, the National Museum of American History has helped young learners engage with history in the classroom, at home, and in the museum by starting with outstanding children’s books. Go behind the scenes with a museum educator to explore prewritten activities about September 11, slavery, or the Civil Rights Movement, and envision how you could apply the same strategy with other topics.
Memorial as Storyteller
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 1:00 pm EDT
Noah Rauch, Manager of School and Family Programs, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
Middle and high school teachers
Description:
Participants will approach memorials as storytellers. Taking an object-based approach, we will explore: What is a memorial? Why do we create them? Why do they look the way they do? How can they help us understand an event? This interactive session will examine various 9/11 memorials, including notable objects in our collection, and offer lesson plans around this theme.
The Curator’s Challenge
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 2:15 pm EDT
Cedric Yeh, Deputy Chair and Associate Curator Division of Armed Forces History
Naomi Coquillon, Education Specialist, National Museum of American History
Duration: 50 minutes
Audience:
High school teachers, administrators
Description:
Hear how curators decide what becomes part of the collection of the National Museum of American History, with special emphasis on collecting materials related to recent events. Then, participate in activities from a new lesson for high school students that invites students to become curators by collecting stories and artifacts that represent a post-9/11 world.
