In a class discussion tonight about current events, media literacy and teaching with and for newspapers in a history classroom, I was struck by how little this seemed to be occurring in an average classroom. This obviously led to a discussion of the challenges that using a newspaper in a classroom poses, for instance, it might require too much background information or context (the assumption being our students lacked this quality), where to and how to place it within the curriculum framework, the time it would take to implement this type of learning, how to choose and what to choose when it comes to newspaper articles, and how to teach about the media (just to name a few). However, when I personally sat down to think about this I was struck by an entirely different question, "why should I teach with and/or for newspapers in the first place?" I basically return again to my essential question in history, what are my goals?
There are multiple objectives to support the teaching with and for newspapers in the classroom: content, skills such as reading, and identifying bias. But I return to my current overarching goal for teaching history, the creation of an informed democratic citizen and I use this same goal to justify the use and teaching of newspapers in my own classroom. If I can begin with my students at a younger age, middle school say, and at least introduce them to newspapers on a routine basis then I am one step closer to achieving my ultimate goal in history education. Newspapers are a conduit of fact, opinion, and debate in this country; they inform decisions from a community level to a national level. A good citizen reads, understands and agrees with or disagrees with an article in a newspaper; a person interacts and engages with newspapers and at the same time participates in the broader democratic community. By encouraging, teaching and hopefully instilling a student's ability and desire to engage with newspapers, I am supporting my broader goal of creating an informed democratic citizen. Start small, begin with teaching them to read and comprehend an article, slowly build up to the more higher order skill of critically reading and analyzing. Over time this scaffolding approach will reach all of the goals previously stated regarding the use of newspapers in the classroom.
If you ask a 9th grader studying world history why people will start a revolution for independence, they will say things like, "they wanted freedoms." Push those same kids a little further to identify those freedoms and the first response, is always, "freedom of the press." Our students know how important something so basic as a newspaper is to democracy, shouldn't we model an exercise of one of the most revered rights? Show our students how important a newspaper can be and use it in our history classrooms for all the things that it is, and it is not.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Learning about your past, is learning history
We have all heard that kids do not know anything about history, after my own observation experiences I too came away with that same feeling; it is discouraging, especially for history dorks like myself! After reading some of "Teaching History for the Common Good" (Keith Barton & Linda Levstik), I feel much better about that blanket statement in knowing that it is not entirely true. The various accounts of elementary and middle school students, and the phone interviews with adults even, show that kids and adults alike know a lot about history. They could point to major turning points or defining moments in American History, they understood various pieces of history, albeit the pieces taught as integral to American identity but nonetheless events of historical significance such as the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement. Those are important moments in history, they certainly do not encompass everything as a teacher and historian I think they should know or I want them to know, but it is a start and it is a start that I can feel good about.
So good, kids are learning history, however that is not the portion of this reading that got me really thinking. The most compelling part of these history studies and data gathering discussing what people know or do not know about history, was how emotional and excited everyone got when discussing their past, their own history. This got me thinking, do historians have it wrong? Have we too narrowly defined what history is? Isn't everyone's past, family history, personal stories, a piece of the broader history narrative? If our past and our own history is something people can cling to and connect with, then that is what we should be teaching. As a teacher, we should not be relegating the creation of family trees, coat of arms, interviewing our relatives, and learning about where we came from and who we are to lower grades. Exploration of personal history should occur at every level in every grade. After all, the older we get the more we care about the past; we get further and further from something and that innate human instinct takes over compelling us to hold on to something, to anything. As a high school history teacher, I want to tap into that, use it to motivate my students early, relate to them and find something about them somewhere in history that I can use to teach them about history.
I know the first argument against this, "we do not have time," "there are standards and tests to teach to!" I get it, but we all know that the first couple of weeks of school make or break the year, establishing routine, classroom structure and environment, outlining classroom management is vital to our success further down the road. Use studying personal past as a way to get to know your students, break down the impersonal history wall right from the start, send your students the message that you care about where they come from and who they are from the day they walk into your class! After all, ensuring that our students know that we care about them is one of those necessary components of a successful classroom.
This week I learned that learning about your past is learning history. Barton and Levstik have a very clear idea as to what the goal of history education is, "its contribution to democratic life."I think at this point in my education, the goal of history in my classrooms, is to get my students to care about the past. To do this, I will start by learning about their past.
So good, kids are learning history, however that is not the portion of this reading that got me really thinking. The most compelling part of these history studies and data gathering discussing what people know or do not know about history, was how emotional and excited everyone got when discussing their past, their own history. This got me thinking, do historians have it wrong? Have we too narrowly defined what history is? Isn't everyone's past, family history, personal stories, a piece of the broader history narrative? If our past and our own history is something people can cling to and connect with, then that is what we should be teaching. As a teacher, we should not be relegating the creation of family trees, coat of arms, interviewing our relatives, and learning about where we came from and who we are to lower grades. Exploration of personal history should occur at every level in every grade. After all, the older we get the more we care about the past; we get further and further from something and that innate human instinct takes over compelling us to hold on to something, to anything. As a high school history teacher, I want to tap into that, use it to motivate my students early, relate to them and find something about them somewhere in history that I can use to teach them about history.
I know the first argument against this, "we do not have time," "there are standards and tests to teach to!" I get it, but we all know that the first couple of weeks of school make or break the year, establishing routine, classroom structure and environment, outlining classroom management is vital to our success further down the road. Use studying personal past as a way to get to know your students, break down the impersonal history wall right from the start, send your students the message that you care about where they come from and who they are from the day they walk into your class! After all, ensuring that our students know that we care about them is one of those necessary components of a successful classroom.
This week I learned that learning about your past is learning history. Barton and Levstik have a very clear idea as to what the goal of history education is, "its contribution to democratic life."I think at this point in my education, the goal of history in my classrooms, is to get my students to care about the past. To do this, I will start by learning about their past.
Essential Question
While trying to think of a clever essential question to ponder deeply over and over again, I came up with nothing. Let's face it, I am not the most witty of historians. But I did keep returning to a question that my answer seems to change daily to, "What is the goal of social studies or history education?" As I continue my studies, work in the classroom and my adventures in blogging, I will return to this question. I think being able to answer my goal of social studies or history education is, is crucial to my classroom.
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