Wilmington High School history teacher Zachary Black says a scholarship from Ohio’s Society of Colonial Wars has changed his approach to his classroom. The scholarship sponsored him in the Teacher Institute at Colonial Williamsburg, where he learned about experiential approaches to teaching history.
“Experiential learning provides a valuable connection,” Black told Society members at their annual Governor’s Reception. “Experiencing something is so much more impactful than reading about it in a book.”
A Colonial Williamsburg experience for Black involved touching a handrail touched hundreds of years ago by George Washington.
The Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute “was nothing short of amazing,” Black told the group. “It’s the most influential experience I’ve had as a young teacher.”
Not only is Black using techniques learned at Colonial Williamsburg in his classroom, but he also is keeping in touch with teachers he met there.
“They have a plethora of knowledge, ideas and enthusiasm,” he said.
The Society of Colonial Wars, which promotes history study, sponsors area teachers for the Teacher Institute via its scholarship program. Teachers live and take part in specially tailored programs for a week in Colonial Williamsburg, the restored capital city of 18th-century Virginia.
Men who trace their ancestry to civic and military leaders in America’s Colonial era can join the Society of Colonial Wars. For membership information, contact William Montgomery at [email protected].
