The Forgottonia Project: Using Local History & Storytelling in the Classroom
Joey Brewer, Dean of Students, Spoon River Valley Schools, London Mills Member of Illinois Humanities’ Foreground Rural Advisory Committee, Teach Plus, and Smithsonian’s Democracy in Dialogue Virtual Exchange (DiDVE)M-204
What happens when students see their own community’s history as the center of their learning? The Forgottonia Project uses podcasting, creative writing, art, and oral history to connect students with local stories—from Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology to the legacy of Free Frank McWorter. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how rural voices and overlooked histories can engage Gen Z learners, empower teachers as practitioners, and showcase authentic, performative assessments. Together we’ll examine research on student disengagement, the power of performative assessments, and the role of humanities-centered education in difficult times. Participants will experiment with strategies like the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and leave with adaptable tools to create learner-centered environments that amplify student and teacher voices while using stories, past and present, to grow more engaging classrooms.