tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post3824552052511132857..comments2024-01-06T06:09:29.140-05:00Comments on An Urban Teacher's Education: Developing World History Curriculumjames boutinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-54471207343845547872011-10-23T16:47:13.998-04:002011-10-23T16:47:13.998-04:00Yeah, the question is a complicated one. I wrote a...Yeah, the question is a complicated one. I wrote a blog post today that is sort of connected to the conflict. Part of it is that I feel we have to give students these facts, as well as conceptual understandings, because the facts serve as tokens they can exchange within a dominant power structure, where, particularly at the collegiate environment, they trade in the currency of factual knowledge of many of the events and effects of the events.<br /><br />Anyway, yeah, I'll be talking a little bit more about this over where I blog, as I'm designing some new units that sort of have to walk this tightrope. The role of Europe looms over much of our history and it seems that we have to teach it, because, as you said it, its impacts are really relevant, particularly in shaping how the world looks like today.<br /><br />All of this seems to come to the point of what is the purpose of World History?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-15954824825128331992011-10-22T23:14:34.668-04:002011-10-22T23:14:34.668-04:00fernyreyes: Interesting thought on concepts.
Soun...fernyreyes: Interesting thought on concepts.<br /><br />Sounds like the question is: how do we teach them? Should we tell students about concepts and then show them why our understanding of them is valid by giving them lots of evidence to support them? Or, should we allow them to create concepts on their own after providing them with the history?<br /><br />Is that what you're getting at?<br /><br />If so, I think it's a great question - one that I haven't spent much time thinking about. It seems like it'd be ideal to give them the history and ask them to develop concepts of their own. That seems very meaningful. However, on the other hand, I'm not sure there's enough time in a single high school course to provide students with enough material for them to flesh out some of the really big concepts. Thoughts?<br /><br />In terms of Europe, I don't know all THAT much about the AP World History test as I've never taught the course and haven't looked at one of the exams in a few years. But I do think Europe is clearly a very divisive issue in the treatment of a subject like World History. I teach a lot of Europe because I think its impacts are relevant and easy for students to identify with. However, I think a great World History class can be done with or without a strong emphasis on the continent. Thoughts?james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-48504103736475439332011-10-22T22:38:19.860-04:002011-10-22T22:38:19.860-04:00I'm a first year World History teacher (third ...I'm a first year World History teacher (third year working in education at some level) and I get the feeling you do sometimes. It's a bit hard, but I'm grateful that at the school I'm at, the support is amazing.<br /><br />However, I've noticed a tendency in WH curriculums lately: they've become a lot conceptual and thematic. While I understand the goal, I think it sort of does a disservice to our students occasionally. It definitely doesn't spiral nicely into a collegiate environment, where concepts are derived from a large collection of content knowledge, rather than from the concept down.<br /><br />There's also the neat tension between the role of Europe. I know in my experience and in seeing the AP World History test, it's emphasis on the non-Western world is commendable. But again, as much as it bothers me a lot of the times, if we aren't giving them a well-rounded western civilization education, how much does that disadvantage them at the collegiate level? In Texas, I'm already seeing a tension between the STAAR test and the AP World curriculum, with the STAAR test focusing a lot more on Europe and the West than the AP World curriculum.<br /><br />I know this might seem lightyears away from your concerns on differentiation - believe me, I feel it sometimes. <br /><br />Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-7497609310460591702011-10-21T20:25:02.819-04:002011-10-21T20:25:02.819-04:00the hard part of teaching is teaching the 3/4 and ...the hard part of teaching is teaching the 3/4 and the 1/4 at the same time. one group needs worksheets and constant monitoring. the other needs intense reading and discussion and note-taking. you teach one way to one group and you lose that group (and they proceed to make it hard to teach or learn). so you teach the other group and you do a disservice to the discussion/reading etc. group.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-83312986943081289212011-10-19T23:59:41.526-04:002011-10-19T23:59:41.526-04:00There are state standards around social studies, a...There are state standards around social studies, and they are somewhat useful. I suspect given the nature of the subject matter, they're a little more malleable than the math standards, however.james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-27720811248569579262011-10-15T18:15:04.701-04:002011-10-15T18:15:04.701-04:00Hi Mr. Boutin
Welcome back to Seattle! One point...Hi Mr. Boutin<br /><br />Welcome back to Seattle! One point I did not see you mention (and I wonder if it is relevant) is the State Social Studies Standards. As a math teacher, I have state standards for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 that I need to make sure I follow. Are there such documents for Social Studies? If there are, are they useful? The state rewrote the math standards a couple of years ago and I found them to be a big improvement over the previous set.Michael Ricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18231362823419529183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-42111352263490579612011-10-14T09:40:38.818-04:002011-10-14T09:40:38.818-04:00Here's my post --
Great Blunders of History, ...Here's my post --<br /><br /><a href="http://kidfriendlyschools.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-blunders-of-history-part-1.html" rel="nofollow">Great Blunders of History, Part 1</a>FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-44626893906058489782011-10-14T09:07:32.486-04:002011-10-14T09:07:32.486-04:00Thanks for responding to my question!
I like your...Thanks for responding to my question!<br /><br />I like your point that history should be presented as a narrative. I've seen the alternatives, which do nothing for my daughter -- either history is seen as a long list of factoids, or it's all discussion with very little content.<br /><br />Certain aspects of history are always intriguing -- unsolved mysteries and errors, for instance. I'd like to see a class called "Great Blunders of History" where you could discuss mistakes made by leaders, or by historians.<br /><br />Hang on -- this is turning into a post for my own blog!FedUpMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00951858601020687242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-64122934021350040792011-10-11T23:51:20.144-04:002011-10-11T23:51:20.144-04:00I tend to agree with what James has written in his...I tend to agree with what James has written in his post and in his comment. I believe that the material that I work through myself in the process of creating it tends to be better for my kids because I have thought about it a ton before I get to the actual teaching. Yes, I could use canned curriculum, but I think it doesn't go as well the first time around.cmkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16810008386793276590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-2504510643886517702011-10-11T13:35:37.446-04:002011-10-11T13:35:37.446-04:00James: I think you may overstate a bit. It is eas...James: I think you may overstate a bit. It is easy to fall in to a "not invented here" mentality, which end up discounting much of the good work of others. "Intimately acquainted", I buy, but I'm not sure that one has to be the creator in order to make instruction meaningful and interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-7859900373502892902011-10-10T18:35:41.543-04:002011-10-10T18:35:41.543-04:00abellia: To a degree I think it could be created, ...abellia: To a degree I think it could be created, but it would still not be able to take into account each school's curricular design (unless, of course, you made all schools follow the same curricular design in all content areas - which I don't think would be appropriate). If such a curriculum exists, it could probably make for good instruction. But I don't think excellent instruction can happen unless the teacher is intimately acquainted with the material and essential questions in a way that only really comes about when the teacher is the creator of those things.james boutinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625944306253098621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5113479300897983388.post-26801393842534047312011-10-10T14:23:50.838-04:002011-10-10T14:23:50.838-04:00You're very dedicated.
I wonder, though, if t...You're very dedicated.<br /><br />I wonder, though, if there aren't many different schools that have roughly the same issue set that you have. What have you done that is significantly different from the "canned" curriculum? Is there a way that the canned curriculum could be modified as to be usable by more teachers? Could it be less of a take-it-or-leave-it and somehow be made more relevant to you without being specific to you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com