Professional Development

Our professional development opportunities are tailored to meet the needs of social studies coordinators, classroom teachers, and university educators. At each workshop, the Maryland Center for History and Culture incorporates in-depth, topic-based discussion, primary sources from our collections, and curriculum-based lesson plans and activities.

Workshops may be conducted at MCHC, at your school, or virtually using live videoconferencing technology.

For more information and to schedule a professional development program, contact Vice President of Education & Engagement, David Armenti, at darmenti@mdhistory.org, or 410-685-3750, ext. 324.

The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is excited to host our annual teacher institute, “Liberty and Justice for All?: Freedom and Citizenship in the New Republic” (LJA). This institute is designed for upper elementary, middle, and high school educators from disciplines including Social Studies and ELA. Up to 25 participants will be accepted. 

Content focuses of the institute will encompass events taking place in Mid-Atlantic history from approximately 1775 to 1825, and will include discussion of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Early National period. Events in the Mid-Atlantic, particularly in Maryland, will be utilized as a case study for the larger American experience and illuminate how the region’s ideologies and progress reflect a nationwide reckoning with citizenship and freedom. Scholars and presenters will broach themes of enslavement, freedom, and citizenship for Black Marylanders and other politically marginalized groups such as women, Indigenous People, and the working class. Attendees will have extensive access to MCHC primary source collections , which will provide the foundation for development of instructional material. Participants will gain an understanding of the elements of successful historical investigations, including disciplinary literacy strategies, and will work in small groups to create effective historical investigations lesson seeds. Teachers will be required to develop their lesson seeds into full lessons following the conclusion of the institute. 

The Teacher Institute will be live, in-person, and synchronous throughout the week, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM each day. The Institute is FREE for all, and participants will receive 2 CPD credits from the Maryland State Department of Education upon completion of the course. 

Applications are now live! Educators from 4th grade through High School, within Social Studies, English Language Arts, or other related disciplines are welcome to participate. Click on the button below to join our cohort this summer. This is a competitive application process. The MCHC team will evaluate candidates based upon the institute’s relevance to their work with K-12 audiences and commitment to incorporating resources into classroom instruction. Candidates can apply through April 30th, and those accepted will be notified by May 15th.

Contact Vice President of Education & Engagement, David Armenti, darmenti@mdhistory.org, with any questions.

Explore stories featured in the new exhibition, The Unfinished Revolution: Maryland in the Wars for Independence. The Unfinished Revolution exhibition explores the turmoil of the United States’ emergence on the world stage between 1775 and 1815. What did independence mean with each passing conflict and each treaty, and to whom did it apply?

Alongside the stories of the war heroes, examine the experiences of everyday men turned into soldiers, Black and white, as well as those who did not fight, including enslaved people who fled with the British Army and women “camp followers” who accompanied their husbands to war.

Instructional resources and primary source materials from MCHC support the study of these topics in the classroom.

Primary source document packets for these themed workshops are available upon request, contact Director of Education David Armenti, darmenti@mdhistory.org.

K-12 educators face particular challenges when addressing the painful history of lynching and racially motivated violence with young learners. Together, MCHC Education Department staff and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum highlight instructional resources and primary source material to support these discussions in the classroom. The MCHC and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum are both designated members of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

In recent years, monuments, songs, and other efforts to commemorate the Confederacy have come under intense scrutiny. Perspectives vary about the meaning of these symbols and their role in public spaces. Many teachers struggle with addressing these issues in their classrooms—we are here to help. During this free workshop, MCHC’s Education Department highlights instructional resources and primary source material to support discussions on this topic.

Primary source document packets for these themed workshops are available upon request, contact Director of Education David Armenti, darmenti@mdhistory.org.

An introduction to using primary sources in the classroom, including activities and strategies to support students of varying interest and reading ability. Teachers handle original documents from the MCHC collection and practice modeling a historical investigation.

An introduction to the Historical Investigations Portal curriculum (HIP) and Virtual Field Trips. Teachers learn how these platforms utilize primary source material for instruction and receive demonstrations of the technology integration for classroom usage.

An introduction to the competition format, highlighting the year’s theme using sources and research topics related to Maryland history. Teachers learn how to guide their students in analyzing primary sources, locating reliable source material, and conducting oral history interviews.

Teachers learn about a variety of topics from the colonial and Revolutionary War eras, including the experiences of indentured servants, enslaved people, Native Americans, and Revolutionary War soldiers.

Teachers examine the experiences of African Americans from the colonial period, Reconstruction era, and the civil rights movement. Workshop model historical investigations, using diaries, runaway advertisements, photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, and published narratives.

Teachers learn about Maryland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, exploring how economics, government, and civics content intersect with history. The workshop emphasizes instruction that builds students’ media literacy, incorporating the analysis of multiple perspectives and propaganda.

A primary source-based lesson on a topic of your choice, using the resources from the MCHC archive. May include subjects such as Women’s History, Civil War Perspectives, World War II Era, Immigration and Labor. Requires advance notice of 4-6 weeks.

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