Commonwealth Speakers:Participatory Presentations

Audiences become part of the program in singer/songwriter Ed McDade's interactive presentations on American folk music. Photo courtesy of Rossa William Cole.
While all Commonwealth Speaker presentations are participatory through a question-and-answer session or discussion period, we are pleased to offer interactive programs which encourage audience participation and engage a greater variety of learners. One of the best ways to learn is to take part, and we are proud to feature presentations that appeal to multiple intelligences and accommodate different learning styles. They give audiences, especially nontraditional learners, opportunities to better enjoy humanities programs.
For example:
- Linda Goss shows audiences techniques to animate their stories and bring them to life in It's Storytelling Time!
- Bradley Litwin encourages participants to try their hand at songwriting in Writing a Blues Song.
- Sandee Gertz Umbach inspires audiences to write poetry inspired by a sense of place in My Own Backyard or Yours!
- Keith Brintzenhoff teaches participants how to hoe-down and the fancy footwork of jigging in The Music, Dance and Instruments of the Pennsylvania Germans.
Commonwealth Speakers' participatory and family presentations were developed in collaboration with experts in education and informal learning, including Minda Borun, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Franklin Institute and lead developer for Kid Science, a project focusing on family learning at museums, and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology at Temple University and author of Einstein Never Used Flash Cards.
Look for
, which indicates presentations that offer opportunities for enhanced participation.
- Goals
- Presentations by Category
- Presentations by Title [39K PDF]
- Presentations by Speaker [47K PDF]
- Speakers' Bios
- Participatory Presentations
- Family Learning Opportunities
- Programming Suggestions
- Costs & Eligibility
- Restrictions
- Applicant Responsibilities
- Application Process
- Application Form [PDF] or [Word] format
- Evaluation Forms & Publicity Guide (coming soon)
- Frequently Asked Questions (coming soon)
