Training Seminars Conducted Online for Continual Learning and Skills Enhancement
The National Archives offers a variety of interactive webinars for educators, designed to enhance teaching and learning experiences. These webinars, available Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-6:00 PM ET, cover a range of topics, from analyzing political cartoons to exploring the founding documents of the United States.
One of the most popular offerings is the "Teaching about Elections Using Political Cartoons" program. This interactive virtual session introduces participants to the process and issues of elections using historical primary sources, including political cartoons. Participants will learn techniques for analyzing these cartoons in the classroom and discover additional resources from the National Archives.
Another notable offering is the "Civics for All of US" professional development workshops. These workshops explore the use of primary sources to delve into the big ideas of the founding documents of the United States, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Participants will take a look at these documents through different lenses and access primary sources that can help students connect these foundational texts to their own lives.
For those interested in National History Day projects, the National Archives offers workshops that provide resources for primary source research from the National Archives and partner organizations. These workshops are highly interactive, featuring collaborative group work and discussion.
The National Archives also offers self-serve mini-webinars called DocsTeach Mini-Webinars, which cover DocsTeach basics and tips for online teaching. Topics covered in these mini-webinars include getting started with DocsTeach, using DocsTeach for online learning, and creating and sharing primary source sets on DocsTeach. Participants will also discover methods for searching NHD topics on DocsTeach.org and explore historical documents from their region of the country.
In addition to these offerings, the National Archives provides previously recorded webinars for educators featuring primary sources and teaching strategies. Titles of previously recorded webinars include "Petitions, Protest, and Persuasion: Women's Voices in the Records of the National Archives", "Teaching with the Records of Congress", "Teaching the Constitution with Political Cartoons", "Remembering Vietnam: the Road to War-Webinar for Educators", and "Remembering Vietnam: The Road Through War-Webinar for Educators".
All webinars are free of charge, but advance registration is required. Requests should be submitted at least one month in advance of the desired date. For more current National Archives educator webinars, the official National Archives website or their education outreach pages would be the best direct sources outside the scope of these results.
In addition to the National Archives, related archival entities offer webinars that may be relevant for educators. For example, the Archives Revealed Consortium Grants Webinar, scheduled for August 19, 2025, includes eligibility and assessment criteria for grants relevant to archives (not specifically for educators but relevant for archival projects). Registration is typically done via Eventbrite.
For more information or to register for these and potentially National Archives webinars, visit the specific webinar registration page as listed. For DHPSNY (Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York) webinars, complete the registration on their website to receive access instructions via email. Generally, registration involves submitting your details online and receiving an invitation with joining instructions before the event.
Live captioning is available by request for all webinars. Participants must submit a request for live captioning services at least two weeks in advance of the webinar. Webinars are for schools or districts and require a minimum of 10 participants and a maximum of 250 individual connections per webinar.
Contact [email protected] for registration and questions.
Participants can delve into the world of online education and self-development by exploring the National Archives' "DocsTeach Mini-Webinars", which offers tips and resources for primary source research and online teaching. Additionally, educators can enhance their learning experiences by registering for the National Archives' "Teaching about Elections Using Political Cartoons" program, an interactive session focusing on analyzing historical primary sources, including political cartoons.
