Teacher fellows

I am the Assistant Director of K-12 Education and Outreach at Virginia Tech’s European Union center, CEUTTSS (Center for European Union, Transatlantic and Trans-European Space Studies). He leads and develops CEUTTSS many K-12 programs involving Virginia and mid-Atlantic regional teachers, but I also lead an annual EU Council Debate at VT for local high school students, and coordinates several collaborative partnerships with European teachers, schools and organizations.  I have  been collaborating with the EU Jean Monnet network since 2016.

I earned an M.A. Honours in Politiacs and Modern History at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and an M.Sc.Ed, (Secondary Education) at Old Dominion University, Virginia. I recently served as Co-Chair of the College Board’s AP European History National Development Committee helping lead the development of the course in the US. I am also an Exam Leader leading the scoring of the AP European History exam.

A native of Scotland, I have been involved in a number of US grant-funded EU/modern European research trips/grants, conferences and studies. As the US Editor for Parallel Histories, I am is looking forward to continuing supporting the vital US-European Transatlantic relationship by helping provide support for innovative educational materials and strategies for teachers on both sides of the Atlantic.

I am a historian of early modern Ireland and Britain teaching at Maynooth University. I am fascinated by the reflexes of our pre-modern past in the present day. Having published on the 1641 rebellion and the Cromwellian conquest in Ireland, I am interested in how people remember (or forget!) these events and how they are taught at first level and second level across Ireland and the UK. I particularly enjoy facilitating student-led investigations of these contentious issues, one key strength of the Parallel histories programme.

I am a teacher of history and geography at GO! K. Atheneum Antwerp (BE) and I am translating the Parallel Histories approach on ‘Israël-Palestine’ into Dutch and introducing it as good practice in Flanders, and then I hope, the Netherlands:

Teaching history is not about that ‘one story’; the interpretation of historical facts has always led to a canvas of perspectives. To use these and bring them to life, creating empathy for different narratives is a keystone to modern multicultural life and should be implemented in the history lessons at school. The Parallel Histories approach does just that and more! It provides insight in how narratives are being formed, which, in my humble opinion, is elementary to be able to function and understand our wonderful and complex world.

As the French Editor for Parallel Histories responsible for the expansion of the programme in French speaking countries I have been delighted by the reaction of French students and teachers to this new approach.

As an academic trainer, our network of user schools is growing rapidly as we provide regular training for teachers and the classroom for online and in-class discussions.

I teach History in a lycée in Lyon in France and was regularly challenged by my students’ views, passion and sensitivities whilst teaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Traditional history textbooks have proved unsatisfactory as they aim to achieve an external “balanced view”, leaving out the historically-rooted perceptions underlying the protagonists’ actions in the process. Furthermore, teachers may lack the training and tools to tackle this contentious topic.

Therefore, I am convinced of the need to foster an innovative educational approach, both interactive and inclusive, towards this difficult nub of international relations.

To date, several dozen schools in France and in the network of French high schools abroad have used our videos and our pedagogical proposals to address key issues in the secondary school curriculum and prepare for the Grand Oral exam.

I have graduated from two master’s programs, one in International Relations at the University of Lyon, the other in Geopolitics at the French Institute of Geopolitics in Paris and completed part of my studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. I wrote my master’s thesis on the challenges and prospects of the Israeli Jordanian relations.

My name is Pauline Chaloff and I live and teach in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. I taught Modern World History and AP World History in the public schools for 13 years and now work as a freelance writer and educational consultant. My focus is World History and making global history meaningful, accessible and engaging for students of diverse backgrounds and abilities. I enjoy creating relevant content that can be used by teachers to expose students to diverse perspectives to encourage critical thinking and growth through inquiry based learning. Parallel Histories is an excellent platform for educators that mirrors my philosophical approach to teaching and learning.