Teaching Immigration through Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

This immersive and interactive workshop, in collaboration with Sphere Education Initiatives, offers tools and resources for teachers to engage in meaningful exploration of immigration issues with their students. Investigate and discuss artwork in the Museum’s exhibition In Pursuit: Artists’ Perspectives on a Nation and engage with different perspectives and experiences of the immigration journey in the United States. Explore Sphere’s resources on immigration education, including their Green Card Game, an online experience that aims to educate Americans about the severe difficulties immigrants face in obtaining U.S. permanent residence. By simulating the legal immigration process with real rules and regulations, the game highlights the time, cost, and unpredictable factors that make the system nearly impossible to navigate. Educators will dig into the historical and contemporary status of immigration in America and leave with a suite of resources to create a classroom environment that respects different backgrounds and perspectives and encourages informed discussions about immigration.

This professional development workshop is available to teachers, school faculty, and educators of all kinds. Following the workshop, attendees are invited to stay for a panel discussion on People, Policy, and Rethinking America’s Immigration Landscape hosted at the National Liberty Museum. Tickets for the panel discussion are $5 for teachers and school faculty, with valid ID. For more information and to register to attend, visit the event page on our website. Separate registration is required.

Pennsylvania educators who attend the full PD session and panel discussion are eligible for 2.5 Act 48 credits.

About Sphere Education Initiatives

Sphere Education Initiatives is a nonpartisan organization that works with grades 5-12 educators and administrators to provide them with the knowledge, experience, professional development, and viewpoint diverse resources to bring difficult conversations on the most pressing issues to the classroom and equip our country’s students to engage in civil discourse.

Meet the Instructors

Allan Carey

Allan Carey is the Director of Sphere Education Initiatives at the Cato Institute where he leads the organization’s efforts to engage grades 5-12 educators, including the annual Sphere Summit, on civic education, civil discourse, and the institutions of civic culture. Prior to his time at the Cato Institute, Allan served as the Director of Education for the Charles Koch Institute, managing the organization’s suite of educational programs for early career professionals, led educational programming for a network of 1500 employees, and managed the Institute’s faculty. Allan holds a BA in political science, history, and philosophy from Ashland University and an MA in politics from the University of Dallas. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and son.

Allison Cepis

Allison Cepis is the Museum Educator and School Programs Associate at the National Liberty Museum. Before entering museum education, Allison spent a decade teaching in Philadelphia schools, earning master’s degrees in secondary education in English and literacy for all grades from Saint Joseph’s University and Rosemont College. Throughout her career, she has created engaging ELA curricula. Allison believes that museums and historic sites should be easily accessible, highly inclusive, and reflective of community input. She is dedicated to using education as a form of social justice and aims to help young learners make meaningful connections to the humanities during their visits to cultural institutions.