Mode of Program Participation
Community Organizing and Educational Programming
Participation Type
Workshop
Session Title
Extreme Oral History: Engaging Students in Historical Practices in the Land the SOLs Forgot
Session Abstract or Summary
I spent much of the summer of 2015 in the small, Southwest Virginia town of Appalachia, interviewing former and longtime residents about what it was like to grow up in the area. Their stories wove together themes of hard work and resilience, community and compassion, struggle and a sense of place. Sadly, that sense of place is in many ways denied the current generation growing up in Appalachia. For example, the Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia Studies disregard the struggles faced by residents of this region that confronts chronic economic hardship. References to Virginia’s transition from a “rural” to a more “urban, industrialized society” and a wholesale acceptance of “Virginia’s prosperity” all but ignore the southwest corner of the state. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn about the history of your home state that bears no resemblance to your personal experiences there.
This professional development workshop seeks to challenge that. Specifically designed for teachers in Southwest Virginia (but welcoming of anyone who is interested), this workshop introduces teachers to a local history unit that draws on the methodologies of oral history to support students in establishing their sense of place and understanding how their region’s history relates to the broader history of the state. Through the oral history unit, students assume the role of local historians and create a resource—connecting the history of their community to the Virginia Studies curriculum—which could be available for both local students and students across the Commonwealth.
Presentation #1 Title
Extreme Oral History: Engaging Students in Historical Practices in the Land the SOLs Forgot
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
I spent much of the summer of 2015 in the small, Southwest Virginia town of Appalachia, interviewing former and longtime residents about what it was like to grow up in the area. Their stories wove together themes of hard work and resilience, community and compassion, struggle and a sense of place. Sadly, that sense of place is in many ways denied the current generation growing up in Appalachia. For example, the Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia Studies disregard the struggles faced by residents of this region that confronts chronic economic hardship. References to Virginia’s transition from a “rural” to a more “urban, industrialized society” and a wholesale acceptance of “Virginia’s prosperity” all but ignore the southwest corner of the state. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn about the history of your home state that bears no resemblance to your personal experiences there. This professional development workshop seeks to challenge that. Specifically designed for teachers in Southwest Virginia (but welcoming of anyone who is interested), this workshop introduces teachers to a local history unit that draws on the methodologies of oral history to support students in establishing their sense of place and understanding how their region’s history relates to the broader history of the state. Through the oral history unit, students assume the role of local historians and create a resource—connecting the history of their community to the Virginia Studies curriculum—which could be available for both local students and students across the Commonwealth.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Meredith is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum & Instruction at the Curry School of Education. Her academic interests include place-based service learning, oral history, and preparing teachers for rural contexts.
Extreme Oral History: Engaging Students in Historical Practices in the Land the SOLs Forgot
I spent much of the summer of 2015 in the small, Southwest Virginia town of Appalachia, interviewing former and longtime residents about what it was like to grow up in the area. Their stories wove together themes of hard work and resilience, community and compassion, struggle and a sense of place. Sadly, that sense of place is in many ways denied the current generation growing up in Appalachia. For example, the Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia Studies disregard the struggles faced by residents of this region that confronts chronic economic hardship. References to Virginia’s transition from a “rural” to a more “urban, industrialized society” and a wholesale acceptance of “Virginia’s prosperity” all but ignore the southwest corner of the state. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn about the history of your home state that bears no resemblance to your personal experiences there. This professional development workshop seeks to challenge that. Specifically designed for teachers in Southwest Virginia (but welcoming of anyone who is interested), this workshop introduces teachers to a local history unit that draws on the methodologies of oral history to support students in establishing their sense of place and understanding how their region’s history relates to the broader history of the state. Through the oral history unit, students assume the role of local historians and create a resource—connecting the history of their community to the Virginia Studies curriculum—which could be available for both local students and students across the Commonwealth.
