October 16, 2015

(Photo credits: Sarah Hughes/Center for Inspired Teaching)

“What was the best part about moving and why?”

“Could you tell me about your experience during the race riots in DC?”

These were two of the many questions hanging on the walls when partners and interested community members visited Center for Inspired Teaching’s Real World History program on October 15.

The questions were generated by Real World History students as they prepare for their upcoming oral history projects, in which each student will interview a local Washingtonian who participated in the Great Migration to gain a fuller understanding of the experience of those who migrated from the South during the earlier twentieth century. 

Visitors worked with Real World History students as they brainstormed and prepared to meet their interviewees. Guests also participated in a gallery walk with students as students read each other’s questions and recorded their favorites to use for their own interview.

Research, generating questions, and collaboration are just a few of the cornerstones to Real World History, a course designed to shift the student experience citywide. Real World History takes students on an interactive journey through history as students practice the skills of historians, develop critical thinking abilities, strengthen their writing skills, and build confidence.

Students shared with guests their project design and underlying research, taking ownership of their own learning. At the end of the visit, the inquiry turned to the visitors, as students engaged guests in a conversation about themselves, their own personal histories, and their path to visiting Real World History.

Learn more about Real World History and upcoming program visits.