Matthew Hitchen

AP & Honors Social Studies Teacher • Travel Photographer • Education Innovator

NYS Certified (Social Studies & Special Education) • Dual M.A. in Education & History

Matthew Hitchen professional headshot

About & Teaching Philosophy

Matthew Hitchen portrait

Hi — I’m Matthew Hitchen. I teach AP and Honors Social Studies with a student-centered approach that emphasizes curiosity, discourse, and real-world connections. I hold dual master’s degrees in Education and History and New York State certifications in Social Studies and Special Education.

My classroom is open and non-traditional. Students engage in Socratic seminars, debates, and activities like Historical Pictionary to practice critical thinking in a welcoming space where every student feels comfortable participating.

Results Despite serving a rural, economically challenged region of upstate New York, my students consistently score above district and national averages on AP exams.

AP Achievements

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Highlights

  • Consistently above district & national averages
  • DBQ writing growth via common rubrics
  • Supports: spiral review, FRQ clinics, peer scoring

Courses I Teach

  • AP World History: Modern — inquiry, document analysis, thematic units
  • AP U.S. History — primary sources, DBQs, historical argumentation
  • Global History / European History — comparative perspectives & PBL
  • Government & Economics — civic literacy and simulations

Classroom Activities

Socratic seminars • Historical Pictionary • Project-Based Learning • Performance assessments • Inquiry-driven research

Teaching Innovation & Collaboration

I collaborate with colleagues to integrate research-based practices and modern tools. I lead workshops on using AI (including ChatGPT) for lesson design, formative assessment, and data-informed instruction.

  • Using ChatGPT to analyze student performance trends and plan interventions
  • Co-developing modules that blend travel photography and primary sources
  • Facilitating Socratic seminar PD and feedback protocols

Classroom Life

Students exploring horsepower during Industrialization unit
Combining engineering with history — a horsepower lesson during the Industrialization unit.

Community & Advising

Junior Prom 2025 venue setup
Junior Prom 2025 — venue setup organized with the Class of 2026 team.
Prom Court 2025 group photo
Prom Court 2025 — celebrating student leadership and community.
Spirit Week white day
Spirit Week — senior class color (white).

Travel & Research

I integrate travel experiences and photography into lessons to spark curiosity and global connections.

Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg — research on Pugachev’s Rebellion and imperial Russia (2018).
Red Square, Moscow
Red Square, Moscow — exploring the legacies of rebellion, power, and reform.
Saint Kitts field study
Saint Kitts — studying the political fight over land and sugar production in the Caribbean.

Publications & Research

  • Hitchen, Matthew. “Selling Freedom: How Edward Bernays’ Techniques Fueled American Consumerism.” Journal of Business Thought 12, no. 2 (Spring 2019): 41–57.
  • Hitchen, Matthew. A Republican Education: The Politics and Ideology of Education in Columbia County, New York, 1777–1850. Washington State University, 2020.
  • Hitchen, Matthew. The Efficacy of Rapid Positive Feedback in the Classroom. College of Saint Rose, 2022.