Tenth Graders Participate in Half-Day Research Symposium

Tenth Graders Participate in Half-Day Research Symposium

Tenth graders participated in a half-day research symposium on Monday, May 1, which celebrated their work over the course of the school year.

Kicking off the symposium were keynote remarks from two Rutgers University-Camden professors: Associate Professor of History Dr. Kate Epstein and Assistant Professor of History Dr. Emily Marker. Both discussed their research and work on imperialism to coincide with the students’ work in their 19th Century History classes. Dr. Epstein’s area of research includes government secrecy, defense contracting, intellectual property, and more. Dr. Marker’s areas of research are in imperial and postcolonial Europe, francophone Africa, race, religion, youth, and global history. 

After keynote remarks, students moved to Van Meter Hall and Hartman Hall for two Socratic-style discussions led by students. The first discussions were based on shared and similar lenses and research questions and covered wide subject matter all related to the concept of empire. The second round of discussions were based on geographic region of study. 

History Department Chair Mary Anne Henderson coordinated the event and lauded the benefits of the Socratic-style discussions which are also used periodically during the school year. “Teaching kids how to have civil discourse is an incredibly important skill and this was a great opportunity to demonstrate this skill,” she said. “Students take ownership for the discussion. They have to come in with ideas and questions, as opposed to waiting to prove someone wrong. Socratic-style discussions are a place to encourage discourse. There is no winner. Success comes from tapping into the power of the group and creating a learning community where multiple ideas and meanings come into conversation with each other.

The symposium was organized by the 10th grade history teaching team of Mary Anne Henderson, Clark Thomson, and Dan Zemaitis.