Benjamin Barbour

Featured in: Favicon

edweek.org Favicon

edutopia.org Favicon

writersdigest.com

Articles

Place-Based History Lessons for High School

Jan 22, 2025 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour |Becky Lee |Michael Fuchs |Diego Delso

Are you thinking of teaching about local history to your high school students, but not sure where to begin? Look no further than out your window, or keep your eyes peeled when driving to work. We often forget that history is all around us.
Teaching Students Research Skills in Middle and High School

Sep 18, 2024 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

Teaching research skills to students is one of the most important jobs of an educator, as it allows young people to take a much more proactive role in their own learning. Good researchers know how to learn, a skill they can use in school and beyond. It is essential that studentsbecome adept at finding and evaluating sources, vetting arguments, and learning how to navigate both print and digital media.
Making the Most of Guest Speakers

Jul 25, 2024 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

Many teachers invite guest speakers into their classrooms to augment curriculum or make real-world connections between a topic and the greater community. A lot of time and effort can go into arranging for a guest speaker, so how can educators make the most out of having someone come in to talk to students? Here are some tips that have worked for me to help maximize the impact of speakers in the classroom.
What Students Can Learn From Studying Urban Legends

Jul 12, 2024 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

Urban legends, featuring ghost stories, unsolved mysteries, and the like—every community has them. They might be fun for students to learn about, but do such incredible tales have any authentic educational value for history students? I discovered recently when I taught a lesson on our hometown’s urban legends in a local history course that these tales of the fantastic and macabre do indeed offer students something more than just fun stories—they can provide a variety of important lessons.
Organizing a Faculty Summer Book Club

Jun 25, 2024 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

A summer book club can be a way to foster communication among teachers over break, enhance professional knowledge, and raise important pedagogical issues for educators to discuss. Teachers can be atomized during the school year, living in their own silos. A book club, centering on one book, gives teachers the chance to talk, discuss, even debate, in a safe and fun environment. It’s not too late to get started now for a midsummer option.
Using Field Trips to Enliven Local History Classes

Nov 21, 2023 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

The internet and social media allow classrooms to follow newsworthy events around the world, often in real time. Sometimes, however, educators get so wrapped up in teaching about events thousands of miles away, we forget about our own backyards. We need to remember it’s critically important for young people to be aware of, and make meaningful connections in, their own towns and cities. Here are some field trips that I’ve found connect students to their neighbors, community, and hometown.
Tips for Teaching the Declaration of Independence

Jan 27, 2023 | edutopia.org | Benjamin Barbour

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It provides the political and legal foundations for the United States, as well the philosophy of government intended to guide our elected representatives. Teachers thus understandably focus more on the Constitution than on the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The Declaration, however, is important in its own right and presents many important learning opportunities for students.