Mississippi State University faculty members are receiving a near $200,000 Library of Congress grant to aid in expanding the curricula in the Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
  From the College of Education and Department of Curriculum, instruction and special education, assistant professors, Paul E. Binford, Kenneth Anthony and Nicole Miller, will use this grant to enable Oktibbeha County teachers of grades 3-12, to receive specialized professional development training.
Paige Watson, communications specialist for the College of Education, explained further on the grant, saying MSU is one of 21 selected, while over 76 colleges and organizations applied for the grant.
   “We are super excited to utilize the funding from the grant and implement it into the Oktibbeha County School District,” Watson said.
        Secondary Social Studies Education professor, Paul E. Binford, said the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world with all sorts of primary sources, which are the building blocks of history.
 “In short, what we are hoping to do is work with teachers to get those primary sources as part of their instruction, making them more aware of the Library of Congress, to provide support and, perhaps, additional skill, so they can make full use of the Library of Congress and its resources,” Binford said.
    Binford said he will be working primarily with the high school while professors Miller and Anthony will work with the elementary schools. He added working with the Starkville Oktibbeha School District promises to be a very beneficial partnership.
   “In humanities, grant dollars are very scarce,” Binford said. “This, being a sizable grant opportunity, we decided to give it a try and submitted an application.”
     Binford said when students are able to get access to primary sources, they can be involved in the type of work historians are involved in, which, in a sense, enables them to become historians of their own, and they get to interpret documents, helping them to piece the stories together.
    “Students will be able to use the resources the grant will provide in professional development to become more in tune with and utilize the various sources available to them from the Library of Congress,” Binford said.
     The goal for teachers participating in this development will be for them to develop at least four lesson plans in which primary sources of information are the focus. The teachers will receive iPad minis for their classrooms as well as a Swivel and tripod to record the lessons, making it that much simpler to premier and reference the new curriculum.
   Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Assistant Superintendent Jody Woodram said  the school district is so appreciative of the strong relationship they share with MSU, as well as the opportunities afforded to their students and teachers.
    “Primary sources are the epitome of nonfiction, and anything we can do to help our students become more comfortable with reading nonfiction, looking for interesting and unusual information and drawing conclusions as they compare and contrast that information makes them stronger, more analytical readers and thinkers,” Woodram said.
    Woodram said the grant will provide 30 teachers who teach social studies and/or language arts, the opportunity to enhance their lessons on primary studies, and there is no doubt the result, in the end, will strengthen the students.
    “We were at the table during planning stages during grant writing, and we were able to make suggestions we felt would enhance the experience for the teachers,” Woodram said. “For example, two or three of them will hopefully have the opportunity to attend a national conference with the MSU grant team to present about the activities and results, which will be an exciting experience.”
     MSU professors and the school district are set to meet soon to kick off the beginning stages of their development.