Taylor Hamblin, Ph.D.
Scholar | Teacher | Community Leader
Taylor Hamblin, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. His teaching and research focus on inquiry-based learning, historical thinking, civic engagement, and interdisciplinary curriculum development in middle school and high school classrooms. His research investigates the facilitators and barriers teachers encounter when incorporating inquiry-based learning into their classrooms.
Before joining UW–La Crosse, Dr. Hamblin taught social studies methods at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and worked on several inquiry-based curriculum projects, including Protecting Nebraska Waters and Nebraska Stories of Humanity. Prior to his work in higher education, he taught eighth-grade U.S. History, American Civics, and Spanish in Pierre, South Dakota.
Dr. Hamblin’s scholarship examines how teachers design, adapt, and enact inquiry-based learning experiences that connect disciplinary knowledge to public issues. His work emphasizes collaboration among educators, communities, and students, particularly through projects that integrate social studies, science, environmental education, and civic action.
Protecting Nebraska Waters
This interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on developing youth civic engagement and spreads awareness of how poor water quality affects community health. Current disciplinary strands are agriculture science, biology, chemistry, civics, economics, English language arts, environmental science, and geography.
Other Projects
What I contribute to projects encompasses a wealth of knowledge and expertise in integrating various principles, including social studies, inquiry-based learning, civic action, project-based learning, and interdisciplinary curricular frameworks.
Currently, I am actively applying these abilities to initiatives centered on fostering civic engagement, raising awareness about the detrimental impacts of poor water quality on human health, promoting Holocaust education, integrating projects such as National History Day into secondary classrooms, and refining state social studies standards through editing processes.
