The Challenges and Realities of Inquiry-Based Learning Inquiry Learning Teaching Strategies Getty By Thom Markham Teachers in a rural southeast Michigan high school were recently discussing the odd behavior of the senior class. The teachers’ explanation: Project-based learning. Here’s the back story. Stories like this are about to become more important to educators. This is a steep challenge because it forces education to cross a philosophic divide. Standardizing Valuable Skills To put a new system in place, a first key step is to disseminate and train every teacher on a clear set of performance standards to assess skills required for effective inquiry, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. The challenge: Right now, a standards-based environment forces teachers to straddle the inquiry process. Assessing Collaborative Learning The iconic model of the individual scholar has been replaced by team-based inquiry. Making Depth of Thinking Evident The challenge: In inquiry, process is as critical as the product.
Students put research to use at social studies fair Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Graeson Malashevich, 13, of Ceredo-Kenova Middle School looks over another students project while attending the RESA II Social Studies Fair on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch Judges Margaret Williamson, principal of East Lynn Elementary School, and Marshall student Tyler Minor look over a project at the RESA II Social Studies Fair on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch The RESA II Social Studies Fair was held on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. Mar. 13, 2014 @ 06:56 AM HUNTINGTON -- More than 88 social studies projects filled the Big Sandy Superstore Arena Conference Center Wednesday morning during the RESA II Social Studies Fair. The annual event features projects researched and assembled by students from Cabell, Mason, Mingo and Wayne counties. (u'addcomment',) Comments
How to Keep History Lessons Meaningful During Role Play by Aaron Brock Most social studies teachers are expected to cover very specific content, whether or not it resonates with the students personally or politically. This often leads us to fall back on reenactments as the primary method of giving students an historical “experience.” While there is value in these activities, it is important to reflect on the purpose of any hands-on lesson. Having students act out historical episodes “just because” is as meaningless as making students memorize names and dates for a test. I divide on-your-feet history lessons into three broad categories: dramatization, experiential, and real-world application. Dramatic missteps A dramatization is any activity where students take on historical personas or act out specific events in history. My first attempt to give students an experience from the past came while trying to teach feudalism in seventh grade. Success at last This year, I conducted my first truly successful “living history” lesson. Keeping it meaningful
SNewco: RT @califone: 50 Useful Apps For Students With Reading Disabilities Whether you’re the parent of a child with a reading disability or an educator that works with learning disabled students on a daily basis, you’re undoubtedly always looking for new tools to help these bright young kids meet their potential and work through their disability. While there are numerous technologies out there that can help, perhaps one of the richest is the iPad, which offers dozens of applications designed to meet the needs of learning disabled kids and beginning readers alike. Here, we highlight just a few of the amazing apps out there that can help students with a reading disability improve their skills not only in reading, writing, and spelling, but also get a boost in confidence and learn to see school as a fun, engaging activity, not a struggle. Helpful Tools These tools are useful for both educators and students with reading disabilities alike, aiding in everything from looking up a correct spelling to reading text out loud. Speak It! Fundamentals Reading Writing Spelling
Students recording Kane County veterans for Library of Congress archive By Mike Danahey mdanahey@stmedianetwork.com @DanaheyECN March 6, 2014 11:38AM The Freshman Student Council at St. Charles East High School sent a care package to U.S. storyidforme: 62992745 tmspicid: 22711872 fileheaderid: 10967519 Updated: April 8, 2014 6:11AM ST. In turn, the students’ works are set to serve as example for other, similar projects across Kane County. “They are doing all the work, from setting up the interviews to recording them, then making sure they get to the state and national projects,” St. “This a fine testament to this class and their efforts to honor veterans.” Karson and fellow social studies teacher Neil Currie are faculty advisers to the class. Freshman Megha Nayyar is heading up this effort. Nayyar said the idea came about after each grade was assigned a service project tied to a school spirit and pride week that happens before this month’s Sadie Hawkins dance, with freshmen assigned the theme of heroes.
East students learn about local history to create books - McDowellNews.com: News Tales of the past were given new life during Local History Day at East McDowell Junior High. The event brought together eighth-grade history students from Danny Shaw’s and Jessica Reel’s classes with local historians and gave students a glimpse of the region’s past. “Eighth-grade studies North Carolina history, so we try to pull in a McDowell County unit because we feel like that part of history is sometimes lost,” said Media Coordinator Vickie Blankenship. “We wanted the kids to pick something that they’re interested in and learn about different topics from our region. We have presenters talking about gold, the history of local business Jack Frost, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and other topics related to the area.” Martha Jordan spoke to students about McDowell County’s natural disasters using records and photos from her ancestors. While speaking about the flood of 1916, she shared an account written by her great-great-grandmother’s brother about the flood.
21st Century Skills Definitions The IMLS Project Team and Task Force considered the list of skills commonly referred to as "21st Century Skills" and modified it slightly to better align with library and museum priorities.1 The resulting list includes the following additions: Basic Literacy, Scientific & Numerical Literacy, Visual Literacy, Cross-Disciplinary Skills, and Environmental Literacy. Not every skill on this list will be aligned with every institution’s vision and mission. Further, not every community will prioritize the same skills. Reason Effectively Use various types of reasoning (e.g., inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation Use Systems Thinking Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in complex systems Make Judgments and Decisions Solve Problems Solve different kinds of non-familiar problems in both conventional and innovative ways Identify and ask significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions Think Creatively
SOCIAL STUDIES THROUGH LITERATURE YA Highway: Homophones, or, See Those People Over There? They're Their Worst Nightmare Nothing drives the Grammar Groupie more crazy than improper apostrophe usage. Coming in a close second place, however is misuse of homophones. Perhaps that’s because the two are often related, as in the case of the unholy trinity of homophones, their, there and they’re. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They delight in confusing writer and non-writer alike. I wish I could direct readers to some clever song or acronym or acrostic to assist in remembering the abundant cases of homophones, but, alas, you simply need a good resource and the ability to memorize in order to master homophones. And, in that vein, I will list a few homophone groups that I see misused exceedingly often, along with their definitions. Their, they’re, there: The words with apostrophes are the easiest. Its, it’s: Of course, readers, you will apply the aforementioned rule to this pair as well, no? Buy, bye, by: Buy: to purchase. Died, dyed. Isle, aisle.
INQUIRY LEARNING & COGNITIVE PROCESSES