FOR RELEASE: Thursday, January 11, 2018

CONTACT: Patrick Riccards | [email protected]  |  (703) 298-8283

WW HistoryQuest Fellowship Opens Nomination Period

Program Helps New England, Mid-Atlantic Teachers Bring Game-Based Learning to U.S. History Classrooms

Note: See 90-second video on the WW HistoryQuest program at http://bit.ly/2EZyJrm.
Additional video resources also available.

PRINCETON, NJ (Thursday, January 11, 2018) – The Woodrow Wilson HistoryQuest Fellowship is an expenses-paid professional development opportunity open to middle and high school American history and social studies teachers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York City, and Pennsylvania.

The WW HistoryQuest program blends games, play, and digital tools to transform both teacher practice and student engagement. Developed in partnership with the New York City-based Institute of Play, the WW HistoryQuest Fellowship helps teachers bring game-based learning into their classrooms, both making games and teaching students the principles of design thinking, strategy, resources, and variables that apply to historical situations as well as to games.

The 2018 program will take place the week of July 22 in Princeton, New Jersey. Nominations are open until February 2, 2018. More information on the nomination process can be found online at: woodrow.org/historyquest.

One 2016 WW HistoryQuest Fellow wrote, in an evaluation of the program, “This experience has encouraged and motivated me to remain in the profession longer… I regained my passion for and love of teaching.”

“Teachers consistently tell us that HistoryQuest both ups their game professionally and gives their students a fresh perspective on learning history,” said Stephanie J. Hull, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. “This program offers committed, creative teachers some new strategies for cultivating students’ sense of the forces and decisions that drive historic events and movements. Game-based learning draws students in.”

The key, Hull said, is not only teachers’ use of games in the classroom, but their learning to teach students to think like game designers.

The HistoryQuest Fellowship is built on a pedagogical foundation that features interactive learning through games and play, game design process and principles, systems thinking, and the purposeful integration of technology. Through participation in the program, educators will: 1) experience firsthand the playing, modification, and design of games mapped to content standards; 2) experiment with integrated games in classroom settings; 3) experiment with off-the-shelf commercial games for classroom use; 4) learn how to create assessment tools for use with games in the classroom; 5) integrate game-like frameworks into curricula; and 6) gain experience using the design process for game design and as a methodology for use with inquiry-based learning.

For more information on the Woodrow Wilson HistoryQuest Fellowship and the nomination process, please visit woodrow.org/historyquest.

About the Institute of Play
The Institute of Play is nationally known for its use of gaming and play—digital and otherwise—to develop teachers, engage students, and individualize learning. As the founding partner of the Quest to Learn school, the Institute has received national attention for pioneering a new model of learning with a significant impact on student gains in critical areas like communication and problem-solving. Through initiatives like the TeacherQuest professional development program, the Institute demonstrates its commitment to transforming schools and supporting teachers through gaming and play.

About the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges. The Foundation supports its Fellows as the next generation of leaders shaping American society.

###

---