Chris Sperry
Director of Curriculum and Staff Development, Project Look Sharp
Phone: (607) 274-3471
Email: csperry@ithaca.edu
Office: 1119 Williams Hall, Ithaca, NY 14850
Degrees: Harvard University, Human Development
Ithaca College, Planned Studies (Media Literacy)
Chris Sperry is the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development for Project Look Sharp, a media literacy initiative at Ithaca College. Since 1979 Chris has been a social studies, English and media teacher at the Lehman Alternative Community School in Ithaca New York where he is now the Instructional Coach.
Through his work with Project Look Sharp Chris has authored, co-authored and edited more than a dozen published curriculum kits including Media Construction of... Presidential Campaigns, the Middle East, Soviet History, Martin Luther King, Africa, Global Warming, and Chemicals in the Environment, all available free online at www.projectlooksharp.org. In addition he has collaborated with educators throughout New York State to produce hundreds of lessons that integrate media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum.
Chris has delivered numerous workshops, trainings and keynote addresses to thousands of educators across the nation focusing on integrating critical thinking and media decoding, youth culture and new media, constructivist education, moral and democratic education, and alternative assessment. His many published article include “Seeking Truth in the Social Studies Classroom,” “The Epistemological Equation,” “Teaching Civic Literacy” and “Integrating Media Literacy into Secondary Science.” More recently Chris has taught media literacy and critical thinking to educators in Bhutan, Iran, Kenya and India.
In recognition of his teaching and his pioneering work with Project Look Sharp Chris was awarded the 2005 Cable Leaders in Learning Award for Media Literacy and the 2008 Award for Global Understanding from the National Council for the Social Studies.