@WolskiMR

At a Crossroads

 
      I have come to a crossroads in my teaching of US History. I have never been a big textbook person, always feeling that that text was dry, boring and not really how I was taught history in college and grad school. I always felt that it was my job to try to bring some of how I was taught to my students: reading primary and secondary sources (other than a straight text), arguing a position, and discussion within both small and large group. I never remembered reading a section in a general text reader, answering the questions at the end or working on a worksheet that was generated by the textbook company. So I thought, why are people teaching it this way? I have always tried to bring my experience with history to my students.

      Having been in this mindset from the start, my radar was always looking for different ways to approach history other than the textbook. A friend of mine who had the same mindset recommended Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. After reading that book, I began to search for ways to approach the subject without such heavy reliance on the text. I was further inspired when I saw Loewen speak in person at Case Western University. He really encouraged those present who were teachers to use alternative sources for teaching students history. I was now on a mission.

      About 6-7 years later while I was teaching on the Block (that's another post!) I was fortunate enough to attend the NCSS conference in San Diego. If you have never attended a National Conference like this, stop reading this and find out where it is this year (usually in the fall) and start making plans!! The ideas and inspiration I got from that conference really verified that I was on the right path in ditching the textbook. There are still aspects of what I learned in San Diego that I am using today.

      A final event in my long 20+ years of teaching has more to do with luck and timing than anything else. Two things happened. One, the State of Ohio hired literacy coaches to infuse more of the strategies that Robert Marzano has been compiling and advocating for years. (sadly, that program has been abandoned) Secondly, my district hired a literacy coach with help from the State to train teachers on the Marzano approach to teaching. Thankfully, my principal at the time was not only on board with this idea, but directed the literacy coach in my direction. She encouraged me, after a bit of reluctance on my part, to take the training since she said I do things that are very Marzano-like anyhow. (Side note: NEVER turn down a chance to improve, no matter how "busy" you think you are!)

      Okay, I lied. There has been one more event over the last year or so that has really encouraged me to think about how to teach generally and history specifically: Twitter (@wolskimr) I had used Twitter before to stay in touch with people but I never realized how vast and prolific this social media could be when it came to teaching. Since Aug 2013 I have shared more and learned more about my profession that anything in the past 5 years. It is truly inspired me and encouraged me to branch out and try new things and encouraged me to continue on this long journey.

     So, after all that rambling, here is where I am right now in my approach to history.

     The continue influx of technology into the classroom with smart phones, laptops and now Chrome books has really been a shot of adrenaline to me in my approach. Students now have access to everything on the web, and can share things on Google Drive and work collaboratively. I cannot stand by and use the textbook when I can now access this on a daily basis. Another twist to this is the State has gone away from multiple choice questions and has moved towards analyzing text and being able to "produce" something from the material they are given. I always try to see the handwriting on the wall in teaching so I am not trying to do when the students already have to do at the same time. I like being ahead.

      So here is what I am moving towards. First, I am trying a unit on the Cold War using Standards Based Grading where students have to use skills to demonstrate they know the content via learning goals. This is placing heavy emphasis on skills rather than the repeating of knowledge which is then swiftly forgotten. This is a lot of work as you have to allow students to re-do material they had difficulty with and this can be a daunting task with multiple secondary and primary sources and multiple assessments as well. However, it does fit with students being able to "do" history rather than repeat it.

      Right now I am in the 1920s. The students have gone over the 3 learning goals, involved themselves with the vocab (again Marzano style) and are now using primary sources I found in the National Archives to get a better picture of the social, political, and economic issues the decade faced. They are in groups working with 5 different documents and next week as long as the weather cooperates, they will share together and then as a jigsaw with the other groups. We will then use this information to help address the essential question for the unit. (Kind of working backwards, I have to generate one. Ooops!)

      Since I don't think students really "know" a topic with just a traditional test, I have turned towards students being able to produce something from the material we have discussed and gone over in class. To that end, I have decided to have use the idea of continuity to examine how the 20s compares to our society today. I have specific learning goals that apply to today and are directly related to the learning goals for the 1920s. I was observed by my principal on Thursday and in my pre-observation meeting, he gave me great ideas on how students can not only connect the two decades together, but to use current articles about today to force the students to make connections and to produce something demonstrating this.

      This is very much a work in progress and I will keep you posted on how it all goes. I hope this isn't too long (and I could have said more....hahaha) and helps to contribute to the awesomeness that is this thread. More later!!

http://wolskihistory.blogspot.com/