User Image

Philippa Rappoport

Lead, Education and Engagement
Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology
Smithsonian Staff

I work in education and engagement, teacher professional development, and outreach at the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology (OET), and have a particular interest in developing and producing trainings, programs, teaching techniques, and platforms that foster deep learning and contribute knowledge to improve practices in museum and preK-16 education and engagement. At OET over the last decade+, I created digital assets for schools, families, and new immigrant English Language learners to complement teacher professional development and pan-Smithsonian programming, including Learning Lab teaching collections, YouTube videos with tradition bearers, a handmade family stories book-making website, and online heritage tours.

Philippa Rappoport's collections

 

Activism and Change: Clara Lemlich and the New York Shirtwaist Strike of 1909

<p>This teaching collection asks students to consider photographs and documentation about early 20th-century Jewish immigrant activist Clara Lemlich (1886-1982, leader of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and founder of the Progressive Women’s Councils), in the larger context of New York's Garment Industry, the New York Shirtwaist Strike of 1909, and the 1911 Triangle Waist Factory fire. By pairing historical documentation with three thinking routines from Harvard's Project Zero Global Thinking and Agency by Design materials - "Step In, Step Out, Step Back," "Think, Feel, Care," and "Circles of Action," - the collection encourages students to explore complexity and perspective, and fosters a disposition to participate. </p> <p>Included here are photographs, documentation, and resources from the Jewish Women's Archive's Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives at Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School, the Tenement Museum, and the National Museum of American History. </p> <p>This collection pairs well with chapter 11 <em></em>("Jews are Pushed from Russia") of Ronald Takaki's <em>A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America, </em>and supports Unit 1: Intersectionality of Economics, Politics, and Policy, and Unit 3: Local History and Current Issues, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part B course. <br /></p> <p>#EthnicStudies<br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
17
 

Teaching for Community without a Classroom: Leveraging Digital Museum Resources for Distance Learning

<p>This collection serves as a companion resource for the Community Works Institute conference series, <em>Teaching for Community without a Classroom. </em></p> <p>The session will introduce participants to the Smithsonian Learning Lab, a free platform that gives users access to millions of digital resources from across the Smithsonian and beyond, as well as the tools to create interactive learning experiences with them. This session will also include an activity exploring Luis Cruz Azaceta's "Shifting States: Iraq" to help students think critically and globally, as well as techniques to consider personal experiences and their connection to museum resources.</p> <p>Included here are an image of the work from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an explanatory video with curator E. Carmen Ramos, two  Thinking Routines - "See, Think, Wonder" and "The 3 Y's" - from Harvard's Project Zero Visible Thinking and Global Thinking materials, examples of activities using museum objects and personal stories, and supporting materials. This collection is adapted from a larger teaching collection on the same theme (Luis Cruz Azaceta's "Shifting States: Iraq" ( <a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/mBWHa8fHUy9vJsE5">http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll...</a>), that includes extension activities. </p> <p>This collection was co-created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/30415">Matthew Decker</a>, <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/263">Jamie Gillan</a>, and  <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/9" target="_blank">Tess Porter</a>.  </p> <p>Keywords: #CommunityInVirtualEd, #LatinoHAC, Latinx, Latino, global competency, competencies, CWI, 3ys</p>
Philippa Rappoport
24
 

A Fusion of Culture and Identity: Joe Bataan’s Latin Boogaloo Music

<p>This teaching collection asks students to look closely and think critically about society and culture by examining a portrait of Joe Bataan, analyzing his lyrics, and considering the cultural forces that shaped him and his legacy.  Joe Bataan, a musician who was born to Filipino and African American parents, raised in Spanish Harlem, and identified with Puerto Rican culture, became one of the founders of Latin Boogaloo music in New York City. What started out as a local music by young folks has become a global phenomenon.</p><p>Included here are </p> <ul><li>the portrait from the National Portrait Gallery (NPG)</li><li>selected lyrics from the song, "Young, Gifted, & Brown"</li><li>three suggested Thinking Routines - "See, Think, Wonder," "What Makes You Say That?," and "The 3 Ys" - from Harvard's Project Zero Artful and Global Thinking materials</li><li>a bilingual video with Smithsonian National Museum of American History curator Theo Gonzalves</li><li>a podcast, "Bataan's Boogaloo," with NPG director Kim Sajet and Smithsonian Latino Center director Edouardo Diaz</li><li>a discussion/writing prompt</li></ul> <p>For use in Social Studies, Spanish, English, and American History classes<br></p> <p>#LatinoHAC #EthnicStudies<br></p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </em></p>
Philippa Rappoport
9
 

Digital Museum Resources for the High School Ethnic Studies Classroom (City of Austin Parks & Recreation)

<p>This collection includes digital museum resources and replicable activities that will serve as a springboard for discussion during the <strong><em>Exploration of Ethnic Studies</em></strong><strong> workshop at the  City of Austin Parks &amp; Recreation Department on October 29-30, 2019. </strong>The collection models how digital museum resources can be leveraged to support critical thinking and deeper learning for high school Ethnic Studies curricula. The collection can be copied and adapted for use in your own classroom. </p> <p>This collection was co-created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/8" target="_blank">Ashley Naranjo</a>.  This program received Federal support from the Latino and Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pools, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.</p> <p>#EthnicStudies</p> <p><br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
52
 

Domingo Ulloa's "Braceros": and "Bittersweet Harvest": Using Art and Historical Documentation to Deepen Understanding

<p>This teaching collection helps students to look closely and think critically by examining <em></em>Domigo Ulloa's painting, <em>Braceros, </em>and historical documentation related to the bracero program, a series of short-term labor contracts from 1942-1964 in which an estimated two million Mexican men came to the US to work on farms and roads. The collection prompts students to consider the program from a variety of perspectives, including individual, collective, social, economic, and political.  </p> <p>Included here are the painting, a bilingual video with Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) curator E. Carmen Ramos, four suggested Thinking Routines - "See, Think, Wonder," "Step In, Step Out, Step Back," "The 3 Y's," and "Think, Feel, Care" - from Harvard's Project Zero Artful Thinking and Global Thinking materials, supporting digital content from the National Museum of American History, and a blogpost from SAAM of two DC student's written responses to the prompt, "What Domingo Ulloa's <em>Braceros </em>Means to Me." </p> <p>For use in Social Studies, Spanish, English, and American History classes</p> <p>#LatinoHAC #EthnicStudies</p> <p>This collection supports Unit 1: Intersectionality of Economics, Politics, and Policy, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part B course.</p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </em></p> <p><br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
10
 

Inquiry-Based Learning at Its Best Using Digital Museum Resources: A Presentation for NCSS2020 Conference "Advancing Social Justice"

<p>This collection includes digital museum resources and replicable activities that will serve as a springboard for discussion during the NCSS 2020 Online Conference, <strong><em>Advancing Social Justice </em></strong><strong>on December 5, 2020. </strong>The collection models how digital museum resources can be leveraged to support critical thinking and deeper learning, using promising transferable practices developed in a school/museum pilot program on Ethnic Studies.</p> <p>This power session supports educators in accessing and developing instructional materials relevant to middle/junior high grades 6-12 social studies and Ethnic Studies courses. Participants will explore the Smithsonian Learning Lab and find a wide range of multimedia resources from different times and places. They will have an opportunity to sample and consider several applicable Harvard Project Zero visual thinking and global thinking strategies that can help students access and understand primary sources, deepen their critical thinking skills, and learn to trust and articulate their ideas. Participants will leave with enough information to independently use the Smithsonian Learning Lab and implement new classroom ideas.<br><br>Participants will: <br>•       Try out inquiry-based looking strategies using digital museum resources that are suitable for middle and high school social studies and Ethnic Studies courses but applicable across curricula.<br>•    Learn the basics of Smithsonian Learning Lab, a Webby Award-winning platform for users to create and share digital resources with students and a growing national network of educators.<br>•    Explore instructional materials created by educators for Ethnic Studies courses that include digital museum resources and inquiry-based strategies, and are available on the Smithsonian Learning Lab.<br></p> <p>The collection can be copied and adapted for use in your own classroom. </p><p>To browse published Learning Lab content created from the <em>Supporting the Innovative Teaching of High School Level Ethnic Studies Courses in Texas</em> project, see <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/search/?f%5B_types%5D%5B%5D=ll_collection&st=%23EthnicStudies&s=&page=1">https://learninglab.si.edu/search/?f%5B_types%5D%5B%5D=ll_collection&st=%23EthnicStudies&s=&page=1</a>.  Click on each individual tile to explore its associated collection.<br></p> <p>This collection was co-created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/8" target="_blank">Ashley Naranjo</a>.  This program received Federal support from the Latino and Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pools, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.</p> <p>#EthnicStudies<br></p> <p></p> <p></p>
Philippa Rappoport
47
 

Classroom Activity Using Images of Immigration and Identity from the National Portrait Gallery, the New York Times, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum

<p>Students can use the "What makes you say that?" and the "3 Ys" thinking routines to explore two modern portraits about identity and immigration from the National Portrait Gallery. The first thinking strategy asks students to look at a work of art for several minutes before answering two questions: "What's going on?" and "What do you see that makes you say that?" (See <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/1056334/search">https://learninglab.si.edu/res...</a> for more information.)</p> <p>To further and deepen the discussion, I've included a link to a September 2016 New York Times Op-Doc entitled "4.1 Miles," about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea. (If it doesn't show up easily, you can view the original video on Times Video at https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004674545/41-miles.html.) I've also included two sculptures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, an interview with Lisa Sasaki, head of the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center, and resources from the University of Minnesota  Libraries Publishing's Immigration Syllabus - Americans / Immigrants, Weeks 1-4.</p> <p>You may wish to use the "3 Y's" thinking routine here as well, which asks students to consider the following questions:<br /></p> <p>1. Why might this [topic, question] matter to me?</p> <p>2. Why might it matter to people around me [family, friends, city, nation]?</p> <p>3. Why might it matter to the world?<br /></p> <p>(See <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/1321155/search">https://learninglab.si.edu/res...</a> for more information.)</p> <p>#APA2018, #LatinoHAC, #EthnicStudies </p> <p>This collection supports Unit 1: Precious Knowledge - Exploring notions of identity and community, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part A course.</p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </em></p> <p><br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
14
 

Puerto Rico’s Fragile Modernity: An Exploration of Francisco Rodón's Portrait of Luis Muñoz Marín, using Global Thinking Routines

<p>This teaching collections aims to help students to think critically about Puerto Rico's past and present, as portrayed in the media and through close looking at a portrait. The collection explores Francisco Rodón's monumental portrait of Luis Muñoz Marín, the first democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico, known as “the Father of Modern Puerto Rico.” Although the portrait and supporting video with National Portrait Gallery curator Taína Caragol were created before Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, a close examination of the portrait itself lends a deeper understanding not only of Francisco Rodón, but of the history of Puerto Rico itself, both pre- and post-Hurricane Maria.</p> <p>Included here are the portrait from the National Portrait Gallery, a video with the curator, two suggested Global Thinking Routines - "See, Think, Wonder" and "The 3 Y's" - from Harvard's Project Zero materials, a lesson plan from PBS Media on Puerto Rican Perspectives, and three news articles (from Vox and the New York Times) about Hurricane Maria, at the time in 2017 and almost one year later.</p> <p>For use in Social Studies, Spanish, English, American History, Art History classes</p> <p>#LatinoHAC, #EthnicStudies </p> <p>This collection supports Unit 3: Critical Geography and Current Issues, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part A course ("In this unit, students will identify historical patterns to understand how past events influence current policies, ideas and practices.") and Unit 1: Intersectionality of Economics, Politics, and Policy, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part B course ("How do government policies and the judicial system in a democratic society impact diverse groups and communities?").</p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </em></p>
Philippa Rappoport
12
 

Nicholasa Mohr and New York's Puerto Rican Migration

<p>This topical collection explores Antonio Martorell's portrait of prolific Latina author Nicholasa Mohr, and is displayed with a range of resources that offer a view, through art, portraiture, and literature, into the lives of Puerto Rican migrants to the continental United States in the early to mid-twentieth century. The images and resources can be used as discussion or writing prompts in a variety of courses, including history, culture, literature, and language.</p> <p>The portrait itself,  one of a series of 45-minute portraits that Martorell made of his artist friends, captures Mohr's spirit, much in the way that Mohr's writing brings to life the people, sounds, and activities of New York's Puerto Rican migrants in the twentieth century. The collection also includes a bilingual video with National Portrait Gallery curator Taína Caragol, as well as the first page and a review of "Nilda," one of Mohr's most well-known novels, about a Puerto Rican girl coming of age in New York during World War II. This book was selected as an "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the New York Times, and a "Best Book of 1973" by the American Library Association.</p> <p>The collection includes images and a bilingual podcast by Martorell speaking about a different work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, "La Playa Negra" ("Tar Beach"), which is the term used by Puerto Rican migrants for the rooftops of tenement buildings. As the label describes, in this painting, "a fashionable woman wears a fur-collared coat and sits in front of a New York City skyline. Her hardworking double on the left sits behind a sewing machine. In his "Playa Negra" ("Tar Beach") series, Martorell juxtaposed migrants' prosperous self-image with a glimpse of their tiring labor."</p> <p>The collection also includes a series of photographs from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, by Hiram Maristany, a resident and photographer of the El Barrio neighborhood. Maristany grew up with eight siblings on East 111th Street. In addition, the collection includes links from PBS Learning Media on Puerto Rican history and migration.</p> <p>#LatinoHAC #BecauseOfHerStory #EthnicStudies </p> <p>This collection supports Unit 2: Culture and Resistance, Expressions of culture and values, of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part B course. "How do expressions of culture reflect assimilation and resistance to assimilation? How do distinct expressions of culture reflect specific values for various ethnic groups?" </p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. </em></p> <p><br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
24
 

Culture and Aesthetics Meet Physics: Why Soviet and American Spacesuits Look Different

<p>This collection serves as a preview for the fifth of six seminar sessions in the 2019 Smithsonian-Montgomery College Faculty Fellowship Program. This year's theme is “The Search for an American Identity: Building a Nation Together.”</p> <p>National Air and Space Museum curator Cathleen Lewis will discuss objects from the Space Race gallery, in particular how spacesuits from the USSR and the United States indicate differing cultural and aesthetic answers to similar engineering challenges. </p> <p>Resources included in this collection have been recommended by the presenter for participants to explore before the seminar itself.<br /></p> <p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Philippa Rappoport
16
 

Migrations in American History: The Making of "Many Voices, One Nation"

This collection serves as a preview for the fourth of six seminar sessions in the 2019 Smithsonian-Montgomery College Faculty Fellowship Program. This year's theme is “The Search for an American Identity: Building a Nation Together.”<br /><br /> National Museum of American History colleagues Steve Velasquez and Lauren Safranek will discuss the making of the exhibition, "Many Voices, One Nation," and its accompanying educational website, "Becoming US." Together the exhibition and educational website aim to explore not only how the many voices of people in America have shaped our nation, but also to guide high school teachers and students in learning immigration and migration history in a more accurate and inclusive way.<br /><br /> Resources included in this collection have been chosen by the presenters for participants to explore before the seminar itself.<br /><br /> #MCteach
Philippa Rappoport
7
 

Curating Digital Museum Resources for the Classroom (Texas ASCD Ignite 19 Conference Session)

<p>This collection includes digital museum resources and replicable activities that will serve as a springboard for discussion during the presentation. The collection models how digital museum resources can be leveraged to support critical thinking and deeper learning for high school Ethnic Studies curricula. The collection can be copied and adapted for use in your own classroom. </p><hr /><p><a href="https://ignite19.sched.com/event/Oscu/curating-digital-museum-resources-for-the-classroom" target="_blank">Curating Digital Museum Resources for the Classroom</a>  </p> <p>Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Ignite 19 Conference: Transforming Curriculum with Technology (June 2019)</p><p><em>Smithsonian educators are initiating a collaborative education program with Texas curriculum developers and local museums to develop instructional materials relevant to K-12 Humanities and Ethnic Studies. The Smithsonian Learning Lab platform allows users to create and share locally relevant digital resources both in classrooms and with a growing network of educators across the country. Learn more about how you can leverage digital resources from the Smithsonian and your local museums for increased access and impact.</em></p><hr /><p>This collection was co-created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/8" target="_blank">Ashley Naranjo</a>.  This program received Federal support from the Latino and Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pools, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.<br /></p><p>#EthnicStudies</p> <p><a href="https://ignite19.sched.com/event/Oscu/curating-digital-museum-resources-for-the-classroom" target="_blank"></a><br /></p> <p><a href="https://ignite19.sched.com/event/Oscu/curating-digital-museum-resources-for-the-classroom" target="_blank"></a></p>
Philippa Rappoport
18