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PD Videos for History and Social Studies Teachers

You can’t be everywhere at once. Catch up with free, on-demand professional development for history and social studies teachers. Explore big ideas with leading historians and scholars, pick up practical strategies from fellow educators, and find fresh inspiration for your classroom. Ready to join the conversation live? See which PD Events are coming up.

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Latest Professional Development Videos

Launching a Year of Critical Thinking External link

Get ready to teach historical thinking skills through content with a deep dive into continuity and change over time.

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Big Ideas in History and Social Studies

A drawing of a large industrial forge with the words "Industrialization: How We Made the Modern World."

Industrial Revolution: How We Made the Modern World External link

Discover how industrialization shaped our lives! The National Museum of Industrial History brings you the stories of people, machines, and ideas that changed the world.
A Sumerian carving of a bearded man.

Rediscovering Ancient Ways External link

Try object-based learning with the University of Chicago and discover how artifacts help us connect past and present human experiences.
A stone etching of a winged Sumerian god.

Early Belief Systems: A Classroom Approach External link

Explore early belief systems from the Mediterranean and Near East in this session from the NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.
A female scuba diver breaching surface.

Exploring Slave Trade Shipwrecks External link

National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts shares uncovered shipwrecks from the transatlantic slave trade and reveals previously untold stories of enslaved Africans.
Text reads: OER Project Virtual Workshop, with a comics-style drawing on the right of a Polynesian navigator.

Society of Forgotten Explorers External link

Hear from accomplished members of the Explorers Club as they tell the tales of three of the greatest explorers in history.
A black Model T automobile.

Bringing the Past Forward: Breakthroughs in History External link

Build your innovator mindset with the Henry Ford Museum—explore inspiring stories of invention, and dig into the museum’s collections as you learn what it takes to change the world!

WWII’s Legacy: How the War Transformed the World External link

The National WWII Museum shares the American experience of the war that defined the modern era—and ways to bring it to life in the classroom!
De-Extinction: Are Extinct Species History?

De-Extinction—Are Extinct Species History? External link

Dr. Beth Shapiro, a pioneer in de-extinction, reveals how cutting-edge science could bring extinct species back—and what it might mean for our future!
A snippet of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Origin of Human Rights External link

Uncover the origins of human rights with Samuel Moyn, as he traces the evolution of this powerful idea and its impact on law, society, and our world today.

Future Stories: What’s Next in Big History External link

David Christian, the founder of Big History, takes us on a journey to the future of humanity—don’t miss his predictions.

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Teaching Moves and Classroom Ideas

Teaching Hidden Histories with Graphic Bios

Teaching Hidden Histories with Graphic Bios External link

Make history come alive! Explore OER Project’s graphic biographies and learn how to use these powerful visual stories of the underrepresented in your history classroom.
Primary-Source Power

Primary-Source Power External link

Try an approach for supporting student analysis that brings primary sources off of the page. OER Project historian Bridgette Byrd O’Connor shares her tips.
A historical painting of Napoleon, shadowed by an aura of high-tech energy.

History in the Age of AI: Teaching Critical Thinkers External link

Learn how to use AI in the classroom to strengthen—not shortcut—student thinking in historical inquiry, source analysis, and argumentation.
Teach the Future: Climate Education

Teach the Future: Climate Ed. in Every Classroom External link

Discover OER Project: Climate—a flexible, semester-long curriculum that empowers students with knowledge and skills to tackle climate change and shape our future.
A graphic showing war dead counts for Nazi Germany, the USSR, and USA during World War II, with the dead represented by crosses.

From Numbers to Narrative: Data in History External link

Transform your social studies classroom and make history “click” with data visualizations.