Loewen Chapter #10

Chapter 10 of Loewen's book has been my favorite so far. My favorite thing to teach is current affairs and I believe my students that I have taught in my placements enjoy it just as much as I do. Once again time is not on our side,  and it is difficult to plan time to spend on current affairs when the past is taking up the most time. 

One frustration I have always had is the amount of time we spend on certain areas of history, that most of the time my history classes have stopped before the 1950s. Coming to college my weakest area of history was the 1950s-1990s. In my AP US class so much emphasis was spent prior to these years that we sprinted to 1990. Curriculum coordinators and teachers need to work together to make a more organized school year, so everything can fit. Of course some events/eras in history have a lot more detail than others, but there has to be a way to make the school year more efficient.

Out of date textbooks were the other topic of discussion. I've never had to deal with this problem, because in all of my history textbooks we have never really made it to the end. Textbooks that are the newest edition are also extremely expensive and most schools can not afford these up to date texts. 

One way I plan to bring current affairs into my classroom is playing CNN Student News on a regular basis for my students. 

http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/

What are other great ways to incorporate the "present history" into daily/weekly plans?

Cantu Chapter #8

Chapter eight is about the complexity of Social Studies and the difficulty behind incorporating history, psychology, anthropology, geography, economics, sociology, and political science into every day teaching and lesson planning. This chapter was very helpful when trying to figure out how to make connections between the content areas. Currently I am novice teaching in a middle school geography classroom and I am constantly trying to make theses kinds of connections but it is quite difficult to get them all accomplished. Time seems to always be in the way of teachers.The point I want to make with my future students is that they need to open their eyes to see the big picture. For example, if I am giving a lesson on the history of slavery I do not want them to just take in the words coming out of my mouth I want them to sit in their seats and be able to go through each lens of social studies and make connections. Before I even get to the next section of a lesson I want them to be pondering questions such as, "how much of an impact did this have on the economy or politics".

Is there a secret to getting students to this inquiry stage? or does it just take routine and time?

My favorite part of this chapter is when Cantu discussed using history with movies about historical events. times, or people. I plan to work with this idea constantly in my classroom. It is important to show students the Hollywood side of history and the real history. Though it is one of my favorite books and movies, The Great Gatsby is a wonderful example of a Hollywood twist on the 1920s.
http://www.historyplace.com/films/

Loewen Chapter #6

In Chapter Six of Loewen's book he wrote on a few civil war controversies that historians still debate today. The tone of this chapter mirrors the introduction on his controversies surrounding Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson. He also continues his three chapter rant about racial issues and slavery. In chapter six discusses the controversies around two famous civil war heroes, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln. His argument follows his theme of the rest of the book with what textbooks chose to put in the chapters rather than the whole truth. I have agreed with most of his topics that have been left out of textbooks but I do not agree with his statements about anti-racism topics, laws or movements are not included in most textbooks. I have actually spent a great deal of time in all of my history courses discussing these topics, the Civil Rights Movement especially. Though these topics may have been off-the record topics, much was discussed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter, because it discusses my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln. Whenever I mention the little fact that he's my favorite, I do get looks and lots of questions. Most individuals that make the point that he was a racist and actually wanted slavery to work.  I always state my case the same, he is my favorite because of his leadership. Unlike today where there are many instances of  political ideologies taking precedent over making the right decision, Lincoln put his moral feelings or ideology of slavery behind him, to do what was best for the majority, preserve the union. Loewen also discusses the Greeley letter and how that it is rarely never published in textbooks, disregarding some of the truth further.

The big question I have for the class and for our futures' in teaching, is how to introduce such an influential subject?

On the topic of Lincoln, where I first began to study and understand him as a leader was from the Lincoln- Douglas debates. I am from the city that was host to the second Lincoln-Douglas debate, Freeport, IL,  and I have grown up with more knowledge on that subject that I will ever need! Below to the left is nationally renowned Abraham Lincoln impersonator George Buss a community hero and to the  right my high school speech teacher and nationally renowned Stephen Douglas impersonator, Tim Connors. I grew up watching them speak to the public and I learned much more from these verbal lessons, than I ever would from a textbook.

Lincoln-Douglas Reenactment

Cantu Chapters 6 & 7

Chapters six and seven of Cantu's book cover technology and its influence in the classroom. It also lays out the specific standards for lesson planning with technology.

During my first semester at Bradley I was able to be placed a brand new high school. The technology was overwhelming as I walked the throughout the classrooms and resources centers. One day after school I was able to stay and take part in a smart board workshop. This workshop was for teachers who had never used a smart board or was having a very hard time figuring it out. Each teacher went up and performed specific tasks the presenter asked of them, and it was painful to watch. I had some prior experience from my senior year of high school, but other than that I was just as inexperienced with the technology as they were. The only two factors that allowed me to excel at the task I was given was my age and my generations influence from technology.

 I am apart of the generation that has gone from this in 1990,

to this, in 2014.

Though I have not gone back three years later to see the progress that these teachers have made,  but I'm sure it took them that school year to figure out all the features! I really do not want to be behind on technology in twenty years! Cantu expresses that you can only effectively use technology in your classrooms if you stay up to date with it!

What are some ways teachers can effectively use technology on a daily basis without leading students to distractions?

If your future teaching job is located in a school with little to no technology, what is the game plan?

50 Education Technology Tools All Teachers Should Know

Loewen Chapter #5

In chapter five Loewen discusses issues of racism and slavery, and its origins. The focus of the chapter follows the theme of the rest of the book, fighting for a truth. He wants students to understand the truths surrounding such a controversial topic. Loewen claims that textbooks show the invisibility of racism and do not illustrate the true horrors.

I believe slavery and racism is a topic that can not be taught from a textbook. The textbook is a resource for dates and minimal facts, but that's not what needs to be taken away from a lesson on slavery or racism. There are many resources for educators to get their hand

The only unique way I was taught about slavery was watching Amistad and having discussions that followed.  The fact that I can not remember any other ways, means my past educators focused on the basics, or the textbook.

A way I have always thought would be good to have students step into the shoes of slaves is role playing. Split up groups of slave holders, slaves, and abolitionists while applying conservative, moderate, and radical personalities for each.

What are some other unique strategies or creative lessons social studies teachers can use while covering this topic?

Resources for Slavery

Cantu Chapter #4

In this chapter Cantu outlines important teaching strategies that will be most useful during this next year of student teaching and after I am certified.

I had a few favorite strategies within the "extending student thinking" category. The first one that stuck out to me was the playing devils advocate. Especially with current events or current issues around the globe this strategy requires to students to form their own educated opinions and learn the opinions of others, which I believe is extremely important. Another one of my favorites in this category was the "unpack thinking" strategy. Students need to be able to explain how they got to their answer and discuss their thought processes on different topics.

I hope to be able to implement several strategies into daily lessons, but how can I deal with the time frame I am given. Every day at novice teaching, I see frustration in my cooperating teachers eyes because she can not finish all that she wanted to accomplish. Usually only one teaching strategy can be implemented in a forty minute period after students get organized and ready to learn. I know time is the most frustrating side to teaching, but there has to be a way to combat it.

How do I combat this time strain epidemic utilizing as many strategies as I can?

Time Management Strategies

Loewen Chapter #4

Thus far in Loewen's book he has presented several American Myths about individuals, groups, and facts about our history. From the beginning of the book I had a hunch that topics about the First Thanksgiving and Native Americans would surface.

All of the basic myths and concepts were brought up, but the most interesting part of the chapter was the focus on diseases. Too often the focus of Native Americans and Europeans is that the Native American's were constantly brutally attacked and that is why their population is extremely low today. Though this is partially from brutality most textbooks and teachers do not focus on the real killer, disease. Through classes I have heard of many epidemics killing off population, but I never actually realized the impact they had.

After reading the chapter, one question I had and have always had about issues presented in this chapter, is how to address different issues without offending a certain group of people.Chapter three brings up very sensitive topics surrounding the treatment and suffering of the Native American population that we see as "white-guilt" issues.  Students can get very sensitive on these kinds of  cultural issues that deal with different races, heritage, and religions. How does an educator get students to step into the shoes of others, take time to learn the facts while forming educated opinions and not instantly jump into an ignorant point of view.

NY Times blog about teaching sensitive content

Cantu Chapter #3

Chapter three of Cantu's book is focused on lesson planning for social studies educators.  It's focus was centered around objectives and using blooms taxonomy to create those objectives. Bloom's not only identify academic levels in school but it allows the educator to distinguish between content areas. My personal  favorite aspect of Bloom's Taxonomy is that the key words are a tool you can use to create your lesson plans. With a word like "analyze" you can pick different assessment tools such as research essays or oral presentations, or with compare and contrast you can assign short summaries of the two topics. Objective writing looks closely academic language and is important to use it correctly within the objective. 

Big Question: How can educators find ways to make lesson plans unique to their teaching style and to promote creativity? 

PBS: Social Studies Lessons

Loewen Chapter #2

One of the most debated topics in my past history courses, high school and college, has been the topic of Christopher Columbus. Almost every instructor has of course mentions the man and his contributions to history, but often avoids the controversies that surround him. To begin a lesson on Columbus one my all-time favorite teachers from junior high put a list of names on one side of the board and Christopher Columbus's name on the other side of the board. He asked us all what was the difference between the two lists, and after multiple failed guesses, he finally told us that Christopher Columbus has a national holiday and these other influential historical figures did not.We had read the chapter on Columbus the night before so we had a pretty good "textbook summary" of who he was and what he did. I thought it was a very unique way to introduce the lesson, and got us to analyze him for more than the man in the textbook that discovered America. He was the only instructor I have ever had to explore and analyze the man he was, the controversies surrounding him, and his actual accomplishments.

One controversy is that we do not even know what he looks like. Is this really him below?

On page thirty-seven Loewen asks, "Who were these textbooks written for?", and he believes it is the decedents of Europeans, but what do you readers believe? How do history textbook authors and publishers want their audiences to perceive these different historical figures?


Columbus Day Activities or Lessons

Cantu Chapter #2

Though nationally social studies as a content area does not have the common core standards quite yet, the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) has provided the nation with ten themes/standards to follow. In his book Cantu has aslo taken these ten standards and provided lists of sites all over the internet for teachers to explore and create. Though standards can be confusing and overwhelming, I believe they can make lesson planning easier and more organized, but that is the big question; will these standards and the advancement of further standards affect lesson/unit planning positively or negatively?

1. Culture
2. Time, Continuity and Change
3. People, Places and Environment
4. Individual Development and Identity
5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
6. Power, Authority, and Governance
7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption
8. Science, Technology, and Society
9. Global Connections
10. Civic Ideals and Practice

This link below will take you to an article by Erik W. Robelen as he uncovers different states positions on these social studies standards. 

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/03/25/27socialstudies_ep.h29.html

Cantu Chapter #1

The advancement in teaching methods and strategies never ceases to amaze me. This chapter outlined frameworks, which are extremely important to remember when designing lessons and units in your classroom. They all varied in cognitive abilities and could work for many kinds of classrooms. I have studied Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences" many times throughout my college career and continue to see the importance of that framework. Every individual student will understand and appreciate social studies differently and I will have to accommodate every single day for those who struggle or dislike social studies.

How can we accommodate for these multiple intelligences while getting students to appreciate social studies?

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept97/vol55/num01/Integrating-Learning-Styles-and-Multiple-Intelligences.aspx

Loewen Introduction and Chapter #1

While reading the introduction and first chapter I was getting quite annoyed and realized this is the feeling Loewen wants to present. Though I had a feeling it was coming, Loewen begins this piece claiming that high school student's least favorite subject happens to be social studies. This is incredibly odd to me because it is such an extremely diverse subject area with so much to offer. He addresses many areas of concern especially with how famous people throughout history are presented in high school classrooms. He presented facts and questions about Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson's lives that were entirely new information to me. His point was to prove in this first chapter that high school students do not receive the whole picture.

In relation to my teaching and classroom, I would focus my time and attention on the truth, especially in regards to debatable events and topics.  This truth can be found in primary sources and secondary sources o than the textbook.

http://www.loc.gov/

Big Question:  What can educators and administration do to move past the textbook and dig deeper into a new era of teaching high school social studies?

My AP U.S History textbook which was read from cover to cover my Junior year of high school.