Dr. Lisa Rathje: Teaching with folk sources builds students' critical inquiry
At the Library of Congress Botkin Lecture, Dr. Lisa Rathje argued that grounding classrooms in local primary sources—oral histories, photos, songs—gives students tools to observe, inventory assumptions, and develop inquiry-based learning that respects cultural complexity.
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Dr. Lisa Rathje, executive director of Local Learning, told an audience at the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center that teaching with folk sources gives students opportunities to build critical thinking and “practice unmediated experiences.” She said classroom work that begins with local folk materials helps students move beyond test-driven answers to nuanced interpretation and civic understanding. "It is through teaching with folk sources," Rathje said, stressing that these materials let learners analyze cultural complexity rather than default to right-or-wrong judgments.
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