Congress in the Classroom 2010

Posted by on March 01, 2010

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM 2010

Deadline: April 15, 2010

Congress in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program now in its 19th year. Developed and sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, the workshop is dedicated to the exchange of
ideas and information on teaching about Congress.

Congress in the Classroom is designed for high school or middle school teachers who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science, or social studies. Forty teachers will be selected to take
part in the program. All online applications must be received by no later than April 15, 2010. We will notify individuals of our decisions by April 30, 2010.

Although the workshop will feature a variety of sessions, the 2010 program will feature a broad overview of Congress with special attention to the mid-year elections of 2010. Tentative session titles are listed below. Additional sessions will be announced as presenters are confirmed. More information about the content of each session will be posted on our Web site as it becomes available shortly after February 15.

Throughout the program, you will work with subject matter experts as well as colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas, materials, and a professionally enriching experience.

“Until now so much of what I did in my class on Congress was straight theory-this is what the Constitution says, “noted one of our teachers.  “Now I can use these activities and illustrations to help get my students involved in the class and at the very least their community but hopefully in the federal government. This workshop has given me a way to help them see how relevant my class is and what they can do to help make changes in society.”

In sum, the workshop consists of two types of sessions: those that focus on recent research and scholarship about Congress (and don’t always have an immediate application in the classroom) and those
geared to specific ways to teach students about the federal legislature.

The 2010 workshop will be held Monday, July 26 – Thursday, July 29, at Embassy Suites, East Peoria, Illinois.

The program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for up to 22 Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Participants are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $125 registration fee (required to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2) transportation to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all or a portion of these costs.

The Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing a single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation, all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. The Center spends between $30,000 and $35,000 to host the program each year.

What follows are the sessions planned for the 2010 edition of Congress in the Classroom. Please re-visit the site for changes as the program develops.

Session Titles, 2010:

* The View from Capitol Hill
Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL, 18th District)  INVITED

* Congressional Insight
A team-oriented, highly interactive simulation of a Congress member’s first term CONFIRMED

* The Congressional Time Line Project
Frank Mackaman and Cindy Koeppel, The Dirksen Congressional Center CONFIRMED

* Can Congress Ever Be Popular?
Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, University of Nebraska-Lincoln CONFIRMED

* Memo to a New Congress Member: How to Set Up Your Office
Congressional Management Foundation INVITED

* Help for Teachers from the Office of History and Preservation
Kathleen Johnson, Historical Publications Specialist, Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives CONFIRMED

* Teaching with Primary Sources
Cindy Rich, Project Director, Teaching with Primary Sources, Eastern Illinois University CONFIRMED

* The Five Best New Books on Congress
Teacher Panel CONFIRMED

* Election 2010: Why Do Voters Vote the Way They Do?
Andrew Civettini, Department of Political Science, Knox College CONFIRMED

* A View of Congress from the White House:  What Do Presidential Tapes Reveal?
K.C. Johnson, Department of History, Brooklyn College  CONFIRMED

* A Reporter’s View of Congress
David Lightman, Congressional Correspondent, McClatchy News Service CONFIRMED

* The Ten Most Important Things to Know about Congress
Frank H. Mackaman, The Dirksen Congressional Center CONFIRMED

* How to Get Your Point Across to Congress Members
Stephanie Vance, Advocacy Associates, Washington, DC CONFIRMED

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site — http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm — to see what participants say about the program.

REGISTRATION

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom 2010 workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at:
http://www.dirksencenter.org/programs_CiCapplication.htm