Affordable Learning Grant helps teach future teachers

Theresa Jordan is challenging students in her Social Studies Methods courses to consider how they might shape open-source textbooks to fit their own curricula in the future. The majority of her students are aiming at teaching careers.

Jordan, clinical associate professor in the Department of History, adopted an open textbook for three courses this fall after receiving a WSU Affordable Learning Grant last spring. While the material isn’t flawless, it’s providing opportunities for important discussions for many future teachers.

“It’s a philosophical change, but I’ve told them the text is open for edits and correction,” Jordan said. “I think it can be a tremendous asset for them going forward and it’s been a great pedagogical practice to look at the book through that lens.”

Top image: Theresa Jordan

By Todd Mordhorst for WSU Insider