Thinking Historically About

In this episode, we are thinking historically with Dr. James Merrell, Professor of History Emeritus at Vassar College. Dr. Merrell helps us think about how trade influenced the relationship between American Indians and Europeans in Colonial North America. Dr. Merrell has been awarded multiple awards for his research in this field, including two Bancroft Prizes.

This episode is part of Thinking Nation's curriculum series, "Thinking Historically About." In each episode, a scholar helps us better understand the driving questions that students are engaging with in our curriculum.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about artificial intelligence at the intersection of education, democracy, and social cohesion. Today, July 16th, is AI Appreciation Day. But what does that mean? What should we appreciate? What should we ask further questions about? To explore this topic, Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, talks with Ace Parsi, Director of Coalition Engagement at iCivics. Ace oversees the engagement of the CivXNow coalition's over 340 members.

Back in the Fall of 2023, Ace led an AI Working Group, in partnership with the organization, the Listen First Project, which Zach was a member of. The group met for several months with the goal of providing guidance to the Civic education field on how to best think about Civics in the age of AI. In conjunction with Civic Learning Week, iCivics published the report, Uncharted Waters: Education, Democracy, and Social Cohesion in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In this conversation, Zach and Ace talk about that report, but also expand the conversation to talk about the intersection of AI, education, and democracy more broadly. Does "AI Appreciation Day" make sense? Does an appreciation day get at the complexity of AI's place in today's world? These are questions worth asking.

In April 2024, Zach joined the EdSurge podcast with Bill of Rights Institute's Rachel Davison Humphries in an episode titled, "Could AI give Civics Education a Boost?" If this episode of Thinking Historically About was interesting to you, go check that podcast out as well. Lastly, during this process, Zach met with graduate student, Hannah Cecilia Garcia at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who recently finished her MA Thesis on Civic Education in the Age of AI. Her findings will be helpful to anyone wanting more in this space (the above linked is best viewed on a computer!).

In this episode, we are thinking historically with Dr. Adam Seagrave, Associate Professor at the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. Dr. Seagrave helps us think about how the interpretation and application of concept of freedom developed from the time of America's founding through the Civil War. 

This episode is part of Thinking Nation's curriculum series, "Thinking Historically About." In each episode, a scholar helps us better understand the driving questions that students are engaging with in our curriculum.

In this episode, we are thinking historically (ok, actually politically) with Dr. Benjamin Gross, Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the General Education Program at the Jacksonville State University. Dr. Gross helps us think about citizenship, what that has meant to people in different times and places, and what the citizens's role is in a democracy.

This episode is part of Thinking Nation's curriculum series, "Thinking Historically About." In each episode, a scholar helps us better understand the driving questions that students are engaging with in our curriculum.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with  Shawn Healy, the Senior Director for Policy and Advocacy at iCivics. In this episode, Shawn helps us think to think about the policy implications around the state of social studies education and what steps toward stronger advocacy can be taken.

This is the 6th in the series where Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). Zach will talk to guests about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. On March 11th, Zach and Dr. Lawrence Paska of the National Council of Social Studies Education will cohost a webinar entitled, "The State of Social Studies Education: Collaboratively Moving Forward." 

We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with  Dr. Janet Tran, the Director of The Center for Civics, Education, and Opportunity for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Janet has consistently been so generous and kind to us at Thinking Nation and has cemented herself as a leader in the civic education space for many years. In this episode, she helps us think deeply about continuity and change over time in history education, the essential nature of history education (i.e. "eat your vegetables"), and a sense of hope for what we can accomplish together.

This is the 5th in the series where Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). Zach will talk to guests about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. On March 11th, Zach and Dr. Lawrence Paska of the National Council of Social Studies Education will cohost a webinar entitled, "The State of Social Studies Education: Collaboratively Moving Forward." 

We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with the Andrea Foggy-Paxton, the entrepreneur-in-residence and founder of Social Studies Accelerator at Education Leaders of Color as well as Los Angeles County Board of Education. Andrea dives into many aspects of her work in the podcast, but one thing to highlight here is her championing of the California State Seal of Civic Engagement through her work on the LACOE Board.

This is the 4th in the series where Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). Zach will talk to guests about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. On March 11th, Zach and Dr. Lawrence Paska of the National Council of Social Studies Education will cohost a webinar entitled, "The State of Social Studies Education: Collaboratively Moving Forward." 

We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with the Executive Director of the National Council for Social Studies, Dr. Lawrence Paska. For the next six weeks, Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). On March 11th, Zach and Larry will cohost a webinar entitled, "The State of Social Studies Education: Collaboratively Moving Forward." This episode will provide a sort of preview to that larger conversation.

In each episode, Zach will talk to the guest(s) about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with the Executive Director of the National Council for History Education, Jessica Ellison. For the next six weeks, Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). In each episode, Zach will talk to the guest(s) about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this episode, we are thinking historically about the state of social studies education with two leaders in the museum world. For the next six weeks, Thinking Nation's Executive Director, Zachary Cote, will interview various leaders in social studies education in the lead up to Civic Learning Week (March 11-15, 2024). In each episode, Zach will talk to the guest(s) about the state of social studies education broadly, while also looking specifically at the data found in a white paper published by Education Week in November 2023, which Thinking Nation commissioned. We hope that these conversations stir up ideas in the Civic Learning and Social Studies communities about how we can move forward and best support and sustain social studies education in the future in order to preserve and protect our constitutional democracy.

In this week's episode, we are joined by two museum experts. Elizabeth Grant is the Chief Program Officer for the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Sarah Jencks is Principal Consultant at Every Museum a Civic Museum. In addition to their decades of museum-focused expertise, Both Liz and Sarah serve on the Board of Directors for the National Council for History Education. Both of this week's guests give us a lot to think about in our conversation as we think about how to best move forward as a field.