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As a result of its history, South Africa faces many structural issues, the most common of which is unemployment, which reinforces issues related to poverty and social and economic inequality within its borders. Organisations such as the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) provide a method of solving for this by convening a network of intermediaries who believe in their vision; to propel entrepreneurship in emerging markets to eradicate poverty. Organisations based in South Africa who are part of the ANDE network, share this sentiment and believe their contribution will be more impactful through collaborative methods that help entrepreneurs reach their highest potential. This chapter includes insights from four of these member organisations, namely Riversands Incubation Hub, Property Point, the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and Impact Hub Joburg. All organisations work to foster entrepreneurship. However, their interventions challenge ‘standard’ methods of business development, particularly because they place the entrepreneurs they support at the centre of their programme design. As this chapter demonstrates, there is no single way to foster entrepreneurship and break the cycle of poverty; however, interventions cannot be successful without truly placing the entrepreneur at the centre.

In the online media world, students are usually the consumers of media content. The advent of social media provides a wide variety of content that is streamed into their devices 24/7/365 much of which is unvetted and/or focused only upon the type of content that they have “liked.” While this content can be entertaining or disturbing, it remains within the realm of user absorption often without critical thinking or even a rudimentary screening as to the quality, accuracy, and authority of the content or its providers. The goal with the classroom uses of technology as it relates especially to the history classroom is to move the student from content consumer to content creator. Students who learn how to appropriately search for and vet relevant content in the process of creating a product that demonstrates learned knowledge on a given topic also learn what makes for high-quality production values in a setting that affords students the skills needed to more fully function within an online world. The concept of “Digital Natives” versus “Digital Immigrants” often separates students from teachers, but that, and in most circumstances, is not a truly dividing phenomenon that is seen in most classrooms today since the idea of lifelong learners has equaled the playing field. Success arrives when creative teachers and students are working together in a project-oriented study of American history that uses classroom-tested techniques that can assist educators and students in the management of technology applications to enhance learning.

The introduction presents the challenges of teaching history and social studies within a society that questions why we should learn about the past. It summarizes federal legislation and funding that have both expanded and limited history education at various times. It suggests that historical interpretation and performance are ways to engage students in their ability to make meaning of the past and engage in inquiry, at a time when student access to historical information and media is often overwhelming. The introduction concludes with a summary of all chapters as they advance a process for historical inquiry through storytelling and interpretation.

This chapter presents performance pedagogy as an interdisciplinary construct and potential bridge between history-based performance and classroom teaching. This chapter proposes Living History in the Classroom: Performance and Pedagogy's central theme: that storytelling and historical interpretation are effective teaching tools. These techniques are integral at many public history settings for on-site and outreach education; Freeman Tilden's foundational 1957 interpretive guidelines for America's national parks paired engagement with education and still influence the public history field. Yet, a review of related literature suggests that limited attention has been paid to translating these techniques for educators' use, whether as performers, as mentors for their students, or in collaborating with historic sites. The pedagogy inherent in storytelling and interpretive performance aligns with their potential instructional value, as has been documented for educator's performance pedagogy in the arts. Similarly, the continuing need to engage current and new audiences impacts how these organizations conduct educational programs and visitor attractions. In the same respect, PK-16 educators and administrators consistently seek best practices for engaging today's Generation Z students (born between 1997 and 2012) and the generation that follows, termed Generation Alpha (McCrindle, 2020). This chapter features a performance pedagogy model that combines historical and instructional objectives that draw from research and observation of first-person interpreters performing in teacher professional development workshops and the author's personal instructional and interpretive experience. This chapter contains a related interview with a noted historian-performer and for educators' use, a worksheet with guiding questions to create or analyze a historical character, educational content, related pedagogy, and key aspects of a performance.

This chapter discusses an innovative teaching method using an avatar to engage young learners in United States geographic studies. While this technique does not call for a teacher to perform in character, it is directly related to storytelling. The educator successfully personifies an inanimate object for engagement and education, linking it to learning objectives. In the author's case, “Moffat the Traveling Rabbit” accompanies first-grade Colorado students in their study of all 50 states. By endowing such an object with human qualities, the teacher draws students in to standards-based instruction presented in a new way. The use of an icon or figure is familiar to video gamers in representing themselves and other players. In education, presenting nonvisual concepts in character form is a familiar strategy and has multiple benefits for young students. As chapter examples demonstrate, teaching history, geography, and writing skills through an avatar encourages creativity and a sense of accessibility to those subjects for the young child. As the author also points out, students who experience discomfort in some situations may feel supported by a nonthreatening “companion” accepted within the class, enabling them to participate. By teaching with an avatar, students are drawn into experiential learning while practicing grade-level skills across multiple curricula. Such experiential learning promotes meaningful curiosity and creates a foundational base from which to make further connections. The author outlines how she has used a stuffed rabbit in her classroom to make these connections, inspiring her students to write their own geography- and history-based stories.

Professional storytelling and interpretive techniques can be successfully adapted for the classroom. For educators, character interpretation is an especially effective teaching tool. The author uses her extensive experience as an actress, storyteller, and educator to explain why character interpretation works so effectively to engage students and capture their attention. More than traditional methods of instruction, these established techniques put a “face” on history: They place people and events in a relatable, humanizing context that supports the teaching of controversial topics such as human rights and revolution. Using real-world examples, Tucker explains how character interpretation attracts people at all levels of ability and interest. Such presentations enable students to not only connect with historical figures' perspectives and motivations but also compare their own contemporary worldviews. Further, teachers can connect STEM education with history through their choice of people to portray, drawing from contemporary as well as historical figures to illustrate key learning concepts. This chapter outlines the educational value of framing a presentation within a socio/political/scientific context; doing so helps students to relate the presentation content to their own perceptions and to frame appropriate questions for the character if a Q&A takes place. The chapter further deconstructs the complexities of character interpretation into a series of manageable steps, explaining the sequence of storytelling from character conception to performance. Guiding questions at the end provide useful suggestions for dramatic presentations by teachers and students.