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The Wilderness Education Project is pleased to partner with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to offer educators dynamic professional development experiences—in person and through flexible, self-paced online options. Founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, the Institute has grown into the nation’s premier nonprofit for K–12 history education, engaging both teachers and the wider public. Dedicated to deepening knowledge and sparking curiosity about America’s past, the Gilder Lehrman Institute equips educators and students with innovative programs and resources that bring history to life. To register for GLI events, please submit your official project paperwork first. Once processed, you’ll receive an email from GLI with instructions and registration codes to waive all fees.
Gilder Lehrman Institute Teacher Symposium at Gettysburg College
The Teacher Institute takes place in historic Gettysburg on the Gettysburg College campus July 12th-15th. Participants choose a particular strand of interest that will be led by renowned historians and master teachers that includes lectures, teaching strategies, in-depth conversations, and networking with ~300 other educators from across the country. Opportunities to explore local historical sites and engage in focused book talks/films are a part of the experience as well.
As a part of the SPARK Project, we have dedicated spots for participation, but space is limited. Participation includes project hours earned, as well as a stipend. You may learn more via the link below, with the dedicated SPARK enrollment link immediately following. We recommend registering early to try to secure a spot.
Information: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/professional-development/summer/teacher-symposium
Dedicated WEP/NPE Registration form: https://forms.gle/Tp8V4uoSVbjwavNa7
One of our Wilderness Education Project on Education colleagues, Keith Lyons, participated last year, claiming it to be one of the “most intense, enlightening, and enthralling education experiences” in his lifetime.
SEMINAR SERIES
This year’s TRAILS programming brings history to life with three in-person seminars at Samford University. Each seminar dives deep into a defining era of American history. In the mornings, a university historian will guide participants through rich historical content, while the afternoons shift to hands-on learning as Master Teachers share powerful, research-based teaching strategies to bring that history into the classroom. The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will feature lectures and a Q&A with an eminent scholar and a pedagogy session. Coffee and pastries will be available in the morning, and lunch will also be provided at no cost.
Seminar #1: January 10, 2026
Colonial America
Colonial America
Presenter Dr. John Fea
Dr. John Fea is an American historian, professor, author, and public speaker whose work highlights the power of history to strengthen communities, promote civility, and support democratic life. He has written or edited six books, and was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize. He is also the Executive Editor of CURRENT (Currentpub.com), an online platform for commentary launched in 2021.
Dr. Fea has lectured at dozens of universities and cultural institutions—including Duke, Oxford, Georgetown, the University of Pennsylvania, Colonial Williamsburg, and George Washington’s Mount Vernon—and frequently speaks to churches, civic organizations, educators, and historical societies. He has appeared on major media outlets such as CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, C-SPAN, and National Public Radio.
More information: https://currentpub.com/way-of-improvement/vita
Pedagogy Topics:
Elementary school cohort: Tim Bailey-Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact, and Thanksgiving
Secondary school cohort: Rebecca Luebker-“A City Upon a Hill” from John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” 1630
Seminar #2: February 14, 2026
The american revolution
The american revolution
Susan Gaunt Stearns, Associate Professor of History, The University of Mississipppi
Dr. Susan Gaunt Stearns is an Assistant Professor of History who earned her PhD from the University of Chicago in 2011. Her research focuses on the incorporation of the trans-Appalachian West—particularly the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys—into the American Union during the late eighteenth century, with special attention to international trade, land purchases, and land speculation and their influence on early national politics and ideology. She is also interested in historical pedagogy and how history is taught and learned.
Publications
Empire of Commerce (under contract with University of Virginia Press)
Selected Articles
“The Sutler’s Empire: Frontier Merchants and Imperial Authority, 1790–1811,” in The Early Imperial Republic (University of Pennsylvania Press, forthcoming May 2023).
“Federalism on the Frontier: Secession and Loyalty in the Trans-Appalachian West,” in From Independence to the U.S. Constitution (University of Virginia Press, 2022).
“Diplomacy, or Treason?: The Spanish Conspiracy in Broader Context,” Register of the Kentucky Historical Society (2016).
Pedagogy Topics:
Elementary school cohort: Saudah Collins- "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere: Literature v. History"
Secondary school cohort: Rebecca Luebker-"Black Women and the American Revolution"
Seminar #3: March 7th, 2026
A New Nation
A New Nation
Presenter Dr. John Fea
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Pedagogy Topics:
Elementary school cohort: Saudah Collins-"The US Constitution: The Preamble and Bill of Rights"
Secondary school cohort: Presenter Ryan Scheb-"Ratifying the Constitution: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists and the State Debates, 1787–1788"
Gilder Lerhman Master Teachers
Tim Bailey
Tim Bailey
Tim Bailey is currently the director of curriculum development and instructional design at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He is the developer of the Hamilton Education Program as well as the professional development programs Teaching Literacy through History and Teaching Civics through History. In addition, he authored the book series Easy Simulations for Scholastic Publishing. Prior to the Institute, he was a US history teacher at Northwest Middle School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and in his 20+ years in the classroom he has taught at all levels from elementary to college. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Utah. His distinctions include Utah State Teacher of the Year 2001, National History Teacher of the Year 2009, and University of Utah Classroom Teacher of the Year 2010.
Rebecca Luebker
Rebecca Luebker is the chair of social sciences at Haas Hall Academy, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She has been honored as the 2017 Arkansas History Teacher of the Year, and she was an inaugural Computer Science Teacher Association’s Equity Fellow. Her work is focused on increasing Native American representation in education. Rebecca created the first Arkansas Department of Education–approved Native American History and Culture course for high school students in Arkansas. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, an eighth-generation educator, and a proud fourth-generation graduate of the University of Arkansas.
Saudah N. T. Collins
Saudah N. T. Collins is a 29-year veteran educator in South Carolina whose work centers on equity in education. A National Board Certified teacher, she has taught pre-K through fifth grade and currently serves as an elementary African Studies instructor. Saudah has contributed to social studies curriculum development at the national, state, and district levels, taught early childhood courses as a university adjunct, and co-authored multiple professional publications. A Fulbright-Hays participant with study abroad experience in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Barbados, she has presented widely at conferences across the U.S. and abroad. Her honors include the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 2021 South Carolina History Teacher of the Year, national finalist recognition from the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and the 2021 NCSS Elementary Teacher of the Year. From 2017–2024, she served as a model teacher for the Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students.
Ryan Scheb
Ryan Scheb
Ryan Scheb, head of the Upper School at Augusta Preparatory Day School, previously worked at Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School in Brooklyn, New York. He started his educational career as a history teacher and five years later, he became the history department chair. In 2022, he became the school’s assistant principal, with responsibilities including designing research-based professional development, resulting in a 20 percent increase in AP pass rates and a 13 percent rise in standardized test scores, and implementing a coaching and evaluation model that improved instruction and increased faculty retention from 35 percent to 75 percent in two years.
SELF-PACED COURSES
Depending on the grade level you teach, you have access to two self-paced courses that concentrates on this year's content and have been selected by the program. You also have access to one course you choose yourself (not listed below). Self-Paced Courses offer graduate-level instruction in American history led by the nation’s top historians. Once you have turned in your 2025-2026 paperwork, a GLI representative will contact you to provide you with the information to access your courses.
Each Self-Paced Course includes:
Video lectures by a leading historian
Primary sources and in-depth readings
Short quizzes to review your knowledge
3 to 15 professional development contact hours
A certificate of completion
You will not be required to complete any written assignments. Short quizzes are the only required assessment activities.s.
Once you complete a course, you will receive a certificate. Download this certificate, click the certificate upload button, and store your certificate to the Google file. These courses will be available until September 1, 2026.
Elementary Cohort Courses
Middle and Secondary Courses
Summer Excursion to Philadelphia
Foundations of a Nation: Ideals, Independence, and Constitution (1607-1789)
Summer Seminar Scholar of the Week:
Dr. Serena Zabin
Serena Zabin is the Stephen R. Lewis, Jr. Professor of History and the Liberal Arts at Carleton College. She is the author of The Boston Massacre: A Family History (Houghton Mifflin, 2020), Dangerous Economies: Status and Commerce in Imperial New York (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009), and The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741: Daniel Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings (2004). She is also the co-designer of “Witness to the Revolution,” a video game about the Boston Massacre. She teaches courses on early American history, the American Revolution, and American legal history, and is the lead author of the NEH/National History Day Curriculum Guide, “Building a More Perfect Union” (2021).
Summer Seminar
Summer Seminar
Philadelphia Summer Seminar, July 19-24, 2026
Registration opens February 1, 2025
Forty teachers will attend a weeklong summer seminar.
Topics TBA
This is a walking-heavy seminar with daily historic site visits.
GLI will provide lodging, meals, and travel stipends.
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