Southeastern Louisiana University

Lab School art teacher profiled in national newsletter's ‘Teacher Spotlight’

Contact: Rene Abadie

9/23/11

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Teaching with primary resources – Southeastern Louisiana University Lab School art teacher Denise Tullier-Holly instructs her students using digital photographs and other resources from the Library of Congress that show early 20th century child labor conditions in preparation for an art project the class is working on. She was profiled in the most recent edition of the Teaching with Primary Sources national newsletter.

     HAMMOND – Denise Tullier-Holly, art teacher at Southeastern Louisiana University Laboratory School, has been profiled in the fall national newsletter “Teaching with Primary Sources Quarterly” published by the Library of Congress.
     Tullier-Holly, who has taught art at the school for 16 years, was selected for the profile based on her effective classroom use of primary sources in a variety of formats.
     The Teaching with Primary Sources program at Southeastern is funded by a $300,000 grant from the Library of Congress and is designed to instruct teachers how to effectively use the digital resources of photographs, maps, documents and other materials available through the library’s website. The program – started in 2008 – is directed by Cynthia Elliott, head of the Department of Teaching and Learning, and coordinated by Laura Hancock.
     “Using Library of Congress primary sources with students links them to the past in a concrete way,” Tullier-Holly said, “and different primary source formats do this by awakening almost all of the senses. Both art and history can tap into the affective domain to help students become more feeling people.”
     She recently used photographs from the National Child Labor Committee Collection to highlight child labor in the nation’s textile industry and encouraged students to analyze the photographs, many which depicted children of their same age.
     “Most students were unfamiliar with this time period, and the labor conditions endured by many children in the early 20th century surprised them.”
     Tullier-Holly said teaching with the Library of Congress digital resources also helps students learn to investigate and hunt for knowledge.
     “This joyful inquisitiveness can stay with them for the rest of their lives,” she explained. “My hope for my students is that these activities will build empathy and tolerance for others and generate in them a curiosity for learning and desire to be creative.”
     Last summer she taught several workshops for that were designed to show area teachers how to best use the vast resources that are available free through the Library of Congress.
     “Your first visit to the website (loc.gov) can be daunting with so much information and so many choices,” she said. “I suggest to teachers that they consider researching a topic in their content area that they are personally interested in investigating. They can enjoy the search and consider how they can use their findings in the classroom. The teachers’ enthusiasm for the topic will be contagious and hopefully will inspire students to use the Library of Congress in their lifelong quest for learning.”
     For more information about the program, contact Laura.Hancock@selu.edu or visit the website http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/depts/teach_lrn/loc/.