One small idea to bring K-12 teachers and university scholars together in an informal setting has grown into the successful “History on Tap” series, and Missouri State University’s Dr. Michelle Morgan has helped pave the way.
Morgan, associate professor in the Department of History, became interested in the “History on Tap” event after learning of it through the Missouri Council for History Education (MOCHE). Morgan has been a member of MOCHE since 2011 and became a member of the board of directors in January 2022. She also serves on the program committee that coordinates the “History on Tap” series.
According to Morgan, the first “History on Tap” event was held in St. Louis when Debbie Schmidt, president of MOCHE, took inspiration for the event from a program she learned about through the National Council for History Education.
To achieve the desired informal atmosphere, the events started being held at local breweries.
“Hence ‘History on Tap,’” Morgan said.
Providing useful content for the classroom
Morgan explained that MOCHE has heard from K-12 teachers from across Missouri who desire more information about teaching materials and resources.
“Teachers have asked us for support with history content, paired with primary source materials that they can bring to their classrooms,” Morgan said. “Middle and high school teachers cover a wide range of time periods and geographical regions in their classes, and it can be very challenging for them to find the time to curate collections of primary source materials to really engage their students in the practice of doing history.”
Providing teachers with historical content and primary source materials is one of “History on Tap’s” goals. The other is to help develop professional, supportive networks between educators and university faculty.
“We design the events to encourage informal interaction to foster stronger relationships between university faculty, pre-service teachers and in-service teachers,” Morgan said. “At the bottom line, we want to bring these groups into good conversations and provide some useful content for the classroom.”
Meeting new needs and challenges
For its “History on Tap” events, MOCHE focuses on highlighting topics and speakers who can meet the immediate needs of K-12 teachers.
“The topics and speakers have varied widely, based on a combination of what we hear teachers would be interested in learning more about and which local experts have the skills to translate their expertise into material that offers classroom-friendly support,” Morgan explained.
Increased interest in world history topics
For example, MOCHE has witnessed a recent increase in requests for sources and topics related to world history, Morgan said.
“The Springfield Public Schools recently transitioned their middle school world history curriculum from one year to two years,” Morgan said. “This transition means that teachers are able to go a bit more in depth, and some teachers who were not teaching world history previously are now jumping back into it.”
In response, Morgan, along with Clinical Instructor in History Heather Haynes, produced a successful “History on Tap” event Oct. 10 at Wire Road Brewing Company.
Sponsored by MOCHE, the event brought together Springfield area K-12 educators, pre-service social studies teachers and MSU faculty to hear featured speaker Dr. Bryan Brinkman, assistant professor of classics and global studies at MSU.
Brinkman presented “Civic Engagement in Ancient Rome: Voting Practices and the Power of Popular Politics” and shared resources and teaching ideas to enhance educators’ understanding of how ancient Romans viewed and practiced political action.
“Our decision to focus on the ancient world emerged from conversations with teachers who asked for resources and support as they develop new lessons in response to this shift [to world history],” Morgan said.
Morgan emphasized Haynes’ importance to the success of the October “History on Tap” event.
“As Clinical Instructor, she is in ongoing contact with our teacher partners, and she did much of the heavy lifting in advertising and logistics,” Morgan said.
More events, further collaboration in store
With Morgan’s leadership, MOCHE will continue to maintain a strong presence in the Springfield area.
“We are in the process of planning another ‘History on Tap’ for Feb. 22, 2024, when K-12 teachers from across the state will be gathering in Springfield for the Missouri Council of the Social Studies‘ annual conference,” Morgan said.
“We plan to invite teachers not only from Springfield and the surrounding districts, but also encourage attendance by teachers from around the state who are in town for the conference,” she added.
“We will continue using feedback from the teachers to help guide our next steps,” Morgan said. “We also view this series as the beginning of other opportunities for ongoing collaboration and professional development.”