Educators and Interpreters
The Educators and Interpreters Community
AASLH’s Educators & Interpreters Community addresses the needs of educators and interpreters in history museums and history organizations as they seek to increase appreciation of community history.
The Educators and Interpreters Community is committed to helping paid and unpaid history professionals create quality educational programming and experiences. By promoting best practices, sharing resources, and providing opportunities to network, the community creates a foundation upon which all professionals can build and grow as they explore museum and informal learning, educational theory, and interpretive techniques.
The Educators & Interpreters Committee primary goals are to:
- Seek out and promote quality education and interpretation content for AASLH Annual Meetings, webinars, workshops, and resources.
- Promote education and interpretation best practices by using AASLH resources, including publications, books, and Technical Leaflets.
- Provide opportunities for networking and resource sharing through the use of social media and posts on the AASLH blog.
Educators and Interpreters Committee
Jenn Edginton, Chair (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2023)
Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL
jenn.edginton@illinoisstatemuseum.org
Samantha Alberts (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2023)
San Diego History Center, San Diego, CA
skwalberts@gmail.com
René A. Ballesteros (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg, TX
rballesteros@mosthistory.org
Matthew Blazek (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2024)
History Live! North East, Union, ME
execdirectorhistorylivene@gmail.com
Melanie Bowyer (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2022)
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
mbowyer@monticello.org
Heather Bruegl (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2023)
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
hbruegl2014@gmail.com
Chris Cook (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, LA
ccook@crt.la.gov
Rich Cooper (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2024)
Conner Prairie, Fishers, IN
cooper@connerprairie.org
Bethany Hrachovec (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN
bhrachovec@indianahistory.org
Samantha Hunter-Gibbs (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C.
huntersamanthae@gmail.com
Meredith Leonard (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2023)
Hamilton Civic Museums, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
meredith.leonard@hamilton.ca
Michele Longo (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Office of Historic Alexandria, VA
Michele.Longo@alexandriava.gov
Carla Mello (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2023)
Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH
cmello@ohiohistory.org
Sally Meyer (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2023)
Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, RI
smeyer@rihs.org
Elisabeth Nevins (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2023)
Seed Education Consulting, Boston, MA
enevins@seed-ed.com
AASLH Staff Contact
Aja Bain
abain@aaslh.org
615-320-3203
- Keep up with education and interpretation blogs on the AASLH blog.
- Browse education and interpretation resources in the AASLH Resource Center.
Recent E&I publications from AASLH:
Learning from Museums (2nd ed.)
By John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking
2018
101 Museum Programs Under $100: Proven Programs that Work on a Shoestring Budget
By Lauren E. Hunley
2018
Performing History: How to Research, Write, Act, and Coach Historical Performances
By Ann E. Birney and Joyce M. Thierer
2018
The Museum Educator’s Manual: Educators Share Successful Techniques (2nd ed.)
By Anna Johnson, Kimberly A. Huber, Nancy Cutler, Melissa Bingmann, and Tim Grove
2017
Other education and interpretation resources:
@MuseumEdChat Twitter chat Thursdays, 8-9pm. Follow at #MuseumEdChat.
Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums
DOCS Teach (National Archives)
Excellence and Equity: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums
How History Class Divides Us by Stephen Sawchuk
Journal of Interpretation Research
Smithsonian Institution’s For Educators
Stanford History Education Group
Teacher Twitter chats and hashtags: #sschat, #ssengchat, #histedchat, #historylearning, #edtech, #edtechchat
Theories of Childhood, Second Edition: An Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky by Carol Garhart Mooney