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This fall, Humanities Texas will hold free professional development programs for secondary-level social studies and English language arts teachers in addition to those announced last month.

Like all Humanities Texas teacher programs, these workshops will be content-based and teacher-centered, with an emphasis on teaching with primary sources and developing effective pedagogical strategies. All programs will align with the TEKS standards, and participants will receive CPE credit.

Using Chat GPT and AI in the Writing Classroom (Webinar)

"Using Chat GPT and AI in the Writing Classroom" will take place via Zoom from 5:00–6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, October 11. This online workshop for social studies and English language arts teachers will provide strategies to help teachers and students navigate the new technologies of Chat GPT and AI. The webinar will support students' development in the skills of digital and media literacy, critical thinking and analysis, and research and writing. Jason Crider (Texas A&M University) will lead the webinar.

Implementing Oral History Projects (Webinar)

"Implementing Oral History Projects" will take place via Zoom from 5:00–6:30 p.m. CT on Monday, October 30. Serving as a follow-up to our summer 2023 webinar "Using Oral History in the Classroom," this online workshop will explore in greater depth how to implement and guide students through oral history projects in the secondary-level classroom. New participants are welcome to attend this second session. The webinar will be led by J. Todd Moye, Fenton W. Robnett Professor of U.S. History at the University of North Texas and director of the UNT Oral History Program, and Liz Close, humanities academic coaching specialist for Austin ISD.

World War I: History, Literature, and Culture (In-Person Workshop)

"World War I: History, Literature, and Culture" will take place in Austin on Wednesday, November 1. The workshop will expand participants' understanding of the history of the conflict and its representation in poetry, prose, and visual cultures/print media. Workshop faculty includes Marian Eide (Texas A&M University), Pearl James (University of Kentucky), Geoff Wawro (University of North Texas), and Lora Vogt (National World War I Museum and Memorial).

Mexican Texas and the Road to the Revolution, 1825–1835 (In-Person Workshop)

"Mexican Texas and the Road to the Revolution, 1825–1835" will take place in Fort Worth on Wednesday, November 8. During this time period, Texas underwent a transformative shift, as competing interests from the United States, Mexico City, and within Texas itself destabilized the territory and sent it spiraling toward rebellion. To help teachers better understand that shift, this workshop will explore how four different groups—people in the United States, people in Mexico City, Mexicans living in Texas, and Americans living in Texas—each understood the evolving situation in Texas differently. Workshop faculty includes Gregg Cantrell (Texas Christian University), Jesús F. de la Teja (former Texas State historian), Sam Haynes (The University of Texas at Arlington), and Andrew Torget (University of North Texas).

Social Annotation Tools for Writing Instruction (Webinar)

"Social Annotation Tools for Writing Instruction" will take place via Zoom from 5:00–6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, November 8. This online workshop for social studies and English language arts teachers will provide strategies to help teachers and students use social annotation tools for collaborative notetaking, peer-to-peer discussion, and engaged interaction with texts. The webinar will support students' development in the skills of digital and media literacy, critical thinking and analysis, and research and writing. Amanda Licastro (Swarthmore College) will lead the webinar.

These one-day workshops and webinars are open to all middle and high school social studies, language arts, and humanities teachers but will focus on topics and skills central to the state's secondary-level U.S. history, Texas history, and English language arts curricula. Priority consideration will be given to early-career teachers in low-performing schools and districts.

More information about each program is available in the Education section of the Humanities Texas website. Teachers interested in attending should submit an online application as soon as possible, as admissions are rolling and space is limited.

Participants will receive CPE credit and a wealth of curricular materials. CPE hours will be based on attendance and adjusted if a participant misses any portion of the program.

Please note that due to space limitations, you must be a registered participant to attend any of the in-person workshops.

These programs are made possible with major funding from the State of Texas with ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Participants at the 2023 "Texans Who Shaped the Twentieth Century" summer teacher institute in Austin.
Participants at the 2023 "Teaching Writing" summer teacher institute in College Station.
Marian Eide, professor of English at Texas A&M University, offers teachers strategies for using the literature of World War I in their classes at the 2017 "The Two World Wars" institute in College Station.
Jesús F. de la Teja, former Texas State historian, delivers a lecture on the Pueblo Revolt at the 2013 "America at War: From the Colonial Era to 1877" institute in Austin.
Interior of dome in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, DC. Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.