Reynolds College Blog

History department launches professional development series for history education students

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The Department of History launched the first in a series of professional development sessions for its history education students Oct. 2 in Strong Hall.

“Engaging with Educators” was a panel discussion featuring four of the history education program’s graduates. All four are now professional teachers working in the southwest Missouri region.

Clinical Instructor Heather Haynes and Associate Professor Dr. Michelle Morgan developed the series in collaboration with history education academic advisor Alyssa Debolt.

Along with several faculty members, more than 30 students attended the event, Morgan estimated. The number represents nearly one third of the program’s current history education majors.

This was the first event of the professional development series. According to Haynes, the history department hopes to schedule several more in the future.

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History Department’s Haynes and Morgan help land “Creative Campaigners” grant

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Clinical Instructor Heather Haynes and Associate Professor Dr. Michelle Morgan from the Department of History have co-written a winning grant proposal for the Missouri Council for History Education (MOCHE).

MOCHE received the Teaching with Primary Sources grant from the Library of Congress. Grant funds will support a workshop series for southwest Missouri’s history educators.

Collaborating with MOCHE Vice President Rob Good, Haynes and Morgan started writing the grant proposal in the summer of 2025. The trio submitted their proposal in August.

The proposed series, “Creative Campaigners: The Arts and Civic Engagement,” consists of three separate workshops scheduled for Jan. 31, Feb. 28 and March 28 in 2026. Two workshops will be on Missouri State’s Springfield campus. Another will be held at the History Museum on the Square in Springfield.

The workshop series is open to any secondary teacher or pre-service teacher in southwest Missouri, Haynes said. Participants will receive a stipend of $150 a day. The stipend will be paid after the series is completed.

Application deadline is Dec. 5.

Apply now

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Jessica Barnes named Missouri History Teacher of the Year

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Missouri State University’s Jessica Barnes, per course instructor in the Department of History, has been named Missouri’s 2024 History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

According to its website, the Gilder Lehrman program “recognizes excellence in the teaching of history at the K–12 level.”

In addition to teaching part-time at Missouri State, Barnes teaches full-time at St. Clair Middle School in St. Clair, Missouri. She has been teaching K-12 for 17 years.

Barnes said she was nominated for the award by a colleague from Kansas City, Missouri. She learned about the nomination in April, and in July she learned she had won.

“I remember feeling very overcome and happy at the news, especially because I had been nominated and chosen by my peers across the state, making it a truly meaningful award,” Barnes said.

“This is a prestigious award that reflects the care and hard work that Jessica puts into her craft,” said history department head Dr. Kathleen Kennedy. “We are excited that she has received the recognition she richly deserves.”

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Dr. Michelle Morgan honored with Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education

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Associate professor of history Dr. Michelle Morgan was recently honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education.

She was nominated for the award by Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, head of the Department of History.

Morgan first learned she had been selected for the Governor’s Award during the Faculty Awards reception, when she was also being recognized for her Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching.

“The committee selects the Governor’s Award from among the winners of the Foundation Award but does not tell the individual until the reception,” Morgan explained. “It was quite a surprise!”

The award does not have a monetary component, but Morgan received a plaque and attended a luncheon in Jefferson City, Missouri, that honored other Governor’s Award recipients.

Creating citizens and scholars through critical thinking

Morgan, who teaches American history with an emphasis on the American West and American empire, said her coursework spans both historical content and social studies education methodology.

“All of these courses engage my students with learning and teaching about both the laudable and the difficult moments of our country’s past,” Morgan explained. “Grounded in the scholarship of historical thinking and inclusive classroom practices, my teaching fosters students’ ability to ask rigorous historical questions, analyze sources and draw informed conclusions.”

Morgan believes her teaching, which she described as involving “an extensive amount of time digging into primary source materials,” cultivates important critical thinking skills that serve to help students develop as both citizens and scholars.

“[These skills] play a crucial role in preparing our pre-service social studies teachers for the challenges of teaching authentic history in our current environment,” she said.

Morgan cites her American West class as an example of her teaching method and strategy.

In this course, she requires her students to research a historical memorial or monument related to the American West.

Students analyze the commemorated event or person. They then analyze the creators of the memorial to identify and explore the meaning those creators wanted to convey.

From there, students write a proposal to add context, modify content or craft an addition to the memorial to provide a more nuanced interpretation of the past.

Classroom photo of teacher facing students
Dr. Michelle Morgan teaches a seminar class. Photo credit: Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University.

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“History on Tap” series provides support and guidance for local history teachers

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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. [Read more…] about “History on Tap” series provides support and guidance for local history teachers