Citizen U is excited to announce that there are now 8 TPS micro-credentials available thanks to our collaboration with the National Education Association, TPS Consortium partners, and master teachers. 

Did you know that the TPS micro-credentials are asynchronous, meaning educators can complete them on their own time? Each micro-credential has teachers create or revise an activity/lesson and then either implement it with students or have their peers review it.

In addition to assembling digital portfolios and earning digital badges, educators typically can also receive local/state certification of professional development credit towards license renewal and graduate credit may be possible for a supplemental fee.

TPS micro-credentials are free for NEA members in every state and Citizen U has a number vouchers valued at $75 each for non-members (apply with a valid school email).

The new modules:

Connecting Primary Sources & Technology for Formative Assessment

Competency: Educator connects primary sources with technology for formative assessment to meet instructional goals and increase student engagement with course content.

Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson that uses technology for formative assessments of primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Connecting Primary Sources with Historic Places

Competency: Educator connects primary sources with an historic place to meet instructional goals and increase student engagement with course content.

Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson that connects primary sources with a historic place to teach about an event, person, or landscape.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Pairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books

Competency: Educator uses an inquiry approach to learning that utilizes primary sources and an historical picture book.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes an inquiry-based lesson that pairs an historical picture book with a curated set of related primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

The Question Formulation Technique & Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to engage learners in content by generating and analyzing questions about a primary source.

Key Method: Educator creates  or revises a lesson using the QFT with a primary source, directly connecting students’ questions to the next steps of their learning.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Additional modules:

Inquiry with Primary Sources*

Competency: Educator uses inquiry to engage learners in analysis of primary sources to promote student empathy, foster understanding of multiple perspectives, deepen content knowledge, and enhance critical thinking skills.

Key Method: Educator curates relevant and appropriate primary source sets to develop and analyze an inquiry-based primary source learning activity.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses primary sources and inquiry strategies to craft culturally relevant instruction.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a lesson that incorporates the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy with primary sources

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Multidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses inquiry learning with primary sources to enhance students’ civics knowledge, skills, and dispositions across one or more disciplines.

Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a multidisciplinary civics lesson using inquiry and primary sources.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Universal Design for Learning with Primary Sources

Competency: Educator uses UDL with primary sources to provide multiple means of engagement, representation of information, and opportunities for action and expression to increase universal accessibility of course content and skills.

Key Method: Educator customizes and augments a primary source learning activity by employing UDL principles to increase universal accessibility.

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

* Educators with no foundational training in teaching inquiry with primary sources from the Library of Congress may find it helpful to begin with the Inquiry with Primary Sources micro-credential before proceeding to subsequent ones.

  NEA    TPS    Micro-credentials    Professional Development    Professional Learning  

If you'd like to show off your knowledge or learn more about inquiry, multidisciplinary civics, culturally relevant pedagogy, or universal design for learning with primary sources, we've got just the thing--TPS Micro-credentials!

These micro-credentials were developed through a partnership with the National Education Association (NEA) and in collaboration with TPS Consortium partners, thanks to a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources TPS program grant. Not only will you earn the badge, we'll also send you certification of 15 hours of professional development credit. 

They're free to take if you are an NEA member. But if you're not, Citizen U now has a number of coupon codes available so that non-members can take them for free too! If you're interested, send an email to Julie Schaul. 

Inquiry with Primary Sources
Educator uses inquiry to engage learners in analysis of primary sources to promote student empathy, foster understanding of multiple perspectives, deepen content knowledge, and enhance critical thinking skills.
Types of Evidence Required: mini-lesson outline, primary source set review, activity plan, activity evidence and analysis

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Multidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources
Educator uses inquiry learning with primary sources to enhance students’ civics knowledge, skills, and dispositions across one or more disciplines.
Types of Evidence Required: lesson planning document, lesson plan, lesson evidence and analysis

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources
Educator uses primary sources and inquiry strategies to craft culturally relevant instruction.
Types of Evidence Required: beliefs charts, lesson review and lesson plan, lesson evidence and analysis

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

Universal Design for Learning with Primary Sources
Educator uses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with primary sources to provide multiple means of engagement, representation of information, and opportunities for action and expression to increase universal accessibility of course content and skills.
Types of Evidence Required: strategy organizer, activity review and plan, activity evidence and analysis

View PDF | Access the Micro-credential

  Micro-credentials    Inquiry    Civics    Culturally Relevant Pedagogy    Universal Design for Learning  

Citizen U is excited to announce the official launch of the TPS Micro-credential Library, an extension of the National Education Association Micro-credential Library. 

The first four micro-credentials, developed in collaboration with NEA educators and TPS Consortium members Emerging America, Collaborative for Educational Services and Inquiry in the Upper Midwest, Minnesota Historical Society will be available shortly (see below). Descriptions of each are available on the Citizen U website.

• Inquiry with Primary Sources
• Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources
• Multidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources
• Universal Design for Learning with Primary Sources

The TPS micro-credentials are free for NEA members and $75 for non-members. School districts interested in enrolling a large group of educators consisting of some or all non-NEA members should contact Citizen U.

While the micro-credentials are asynchronous, we have created this group as a support resource for educators. Please feel free to ask questions and share resources and learnings

  Pre K - 2    3 - 5    6 - 8    9 - 12    TPS MC