Eight Journal Entries: Education- Social Studies Class

1. Creative Thinking - Promoting It in the Classroom

One of the key points that I noted was that creative thinking is a process rather than a one off event. The NCTE describes it as developing an 'attitude of suspended judgment' whilst also emphasizing the need for reflection and skepticism (Siegel and Carey), all of which imply that the skills need to be practiced over time.

A practical example of this approach in the classroom could include encouraging students to explain out loud their thinking process and providing enough time for students to think before answering (Tobin) or being told the answer by the teacher. Creative thinking can be applied as part of an overall approach to developing communication and analytical skills through actively encouraging reading, research and debate both inside and out of the classroom.

One of the difficulties of this approach could be in encouraging debate which may prove quite challenging for students and teachers alike (Festinger) and lead to an opting out of any potential conflict or debate. Future training and support for teachers in using this methodology could be important if this approach is to be adopted in a meaningful way across our schools.

2. Assessment For Learning and As Learning

One of things I noted was that assessment is designed to enhance and support learning as well as supporting students to become independent in their own learning process (Ministry of Education). I also noticed that there are a variety approaches that can be used in gathering information but most important is how the information is used.

Central to the assessment process is, I think, the collaborative role of both students and teachers in gathering the information. In the classroom students need to understand what the criteria for assessment is, possibly by reviewing sample answers or seeing other students work on the topic. The language used by teachers needs to be understood and be relevant to students. Finally feedback needs to be given to students so that they can understand how to improve, or what aspects of their work achieved them higher grades.

I can understand how some teachers may feel that too much student involvement in assessment might seem to undermine the role of grading. If students have been involved in setting the criteria and collaborating with teachers is there a blurred line between the teachers' and student's work?

3. Critical Literacy

The most important point I learnt was that our relationship with language has changed over the years. Cultural influences and media has expanded the way in which we interact with text. For students this has implications in how they communicate and understand what is being communicated to them. Critical literacy is described as a lens (The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat) to help understand and interpret written text. I think this is important because it is contrary to the more traditional approach where reading was seen as a passive act.

In the classroom a more critical approach is adopted by encouraging students to question the meaning and perspective of authors. Critical literacy also advocates that changes can be made to texts and that opinions are not static but rather evolving and developing as more information is gathered. The students can become actively involved in this by being encouraged to answer critical questions about texts or comparing and contrasting two different articles on the same topic.

As with most new techniques teachers need to be critically literate themselves, and that may pose a challenge to more traditional teachers. Perhaps by encouraging students to bring in their own materials and using a broader range of media materials rather than relying solely on books, may help to change the learning landscape and the methodologies that go along with it.

4. Embedding Historical Thinking

What interested me about this article was that it took aspects of both topics of critical thinking and critical literacy and embedded it within a specific subject, history. (Denos). The principles are similar, in that students have to determine and evaluate which information is relevant to their work and then justify and explain their thinking processes.

This used a practical classroom application whereby students worked collaboratively on a project and had to go beyond their traditional understanding of historical facts. The focus was on students understanding history and be able to think within an historical context such as the project topic.

This approach could be time consuming for teachers as it requires students to review all the materials provided rather than merely reciting or learning dates and information. It also shifts the focus to group work and might make assessment more challenging if this hasn't been incorporated into the overall planning process. A further area of research might include developing specific group self-assessment tools to incorporate factors such as range of ideas discussed, changes in attitudes as well as capturing the overall process and participation levels.

5. Backward Design

This article questioned the way in which traditional lesson and curriculum planning is undertaken. I was interested that it suggested that lesson plans should be directed by desired results or outcomes rather than starting with resources and traditional approaches to teaching the subject. I also liked that assessment techniques were included at the beginning of a backwards design rather than being added on at the end, so that assessment tools can became incorporated into the lesson.

One of the potential drawbacks to this approach is that it appears theoretical rather than practical, and this might not suit a lot of teachers. Perhaps if activities remained the focus say through project work but outcomes, desired results and assessments were linked into them this might overcome the perception of being very idealistic and possibly untenable.

I think this approach might be considered very different for many teachers to adapt to, it also requires a thorough understanding of the desired results and appropriate assessment tools. I also think that a higher level of training and/or many teachers having to undergo further training would be required for it to be effective across the whole curriculum.

6. Beyond Inert Facts

This topic addressed the challenge that teachers often face when trying to cover a content based curriculum within a limited time scale, with students retaining all the information. The main point that I liked was that students should be developing a sense of understanding for the topic rather than simply able to recall facts and figures (Case). In particular the need to challenge student's thinking and perhaps encourage them to question the motives behind a writer's intentions.

For the classroom the article provided examples of the types of question that would encourage critical thinking, such as having to make judgments on a situation or solve a mystery/ puzzle. I liked that not all the work was time consuming, there are critical thinking approaches that can be used such as providing a short critique of an book / account rather than just recounting or summarizing it. Also encouraging students to solve small challenges when looking at a historical scene - e.g. what would it have like for .... And why?

I think that this approach could be challenging for teachers who may not be used to having to think up situations or questions, which elicit these types of responses. It would be time consuming, certainly at the beginning until teachers became more accustomed to the approach.

7. Four Principles of Authentic Assessment

One of the most important points I learnt was the role of assessment planning and how it is crucial to effectively capture students' learning. The emphasis was on a focused approach to assessment rather than testing what was perhaps easiest to measure. The article provided a practical rubric that outlined the variety of skills to assess including; critical thinking, information gathering, understanding and co-operative engagement as well as the factual recall which is traditionally used for assessments.

Another point mentioned was the need to use real life assignments and assessments with students. The example was given that students can answer problems in the classroom, where the background information is provided, but this isn't an indicator that the same problem outside the classroom where they have to source the background information for themselves, can also be solved.

Clear communication was another essential component, which means that teachers also have to be clear what they are assessing and what criteria they will use to determine achievement at each grade. I liked the emphasis on using teacher's time efficiently and that checklists are simple to use once developed, or that students can be encouraged to peer assess or rewrite drafts using peer comments before submitting a final assessment.

8. Co-operative Learning in Elementary Social Studies

I learnt that co-operative learning and traditional group work are different teaching approaches. Co-operative learning is not just a teaching tool but more a philosophy on life, and its values need to be applied within the classroom all the time, not just in certain 'group' activities. I particular liked how (Morton) was quite open about the difficulties many teachers face in embracing this approach and the importance of providing appropriate training and support, rather than just glossing over or ignoring the difficulties.

Another important component is the active rather than passive role that the teacher plays in supporting the work, i.e. observing interactions, setting tasks that can enable groups to interact and focusing on the social skills elements as well as the academic output. This is important because traditionally project work has been set outside the classroom with some students doing more work or parents becoming involved and the teacher sees none of the process that was undertaken.

There are plenty of challenges for teachers because it does require a complete commitment to this teaching approach. Ongoing support from colleagues would probably be a requirement for teachers as well, otherwise they might become overwhelmed and the classroom slightly chaotic without space to talk through what happened when things don't go according to plan.

References

Case, Roland. "Beyond Inert Facts: Teaching for Understanding in Elementary Social Studies." Case, Roland. The Anthology of Social Studies. Canada: Pacific Educational Press 33-47. Print.

Case, Roland. "Four Principles of Authentic Assessment." Case, Roland. The Anthology of Social Studies. Pacific Educational Press, 2008. 319-328. Print.
Denos, Mike. "Portals to Understanding - Embedding Historical Thinking in the Curriculum." n.d. Print.

Festinger, Leon. A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Evanston, Illinois: Row Peterson. Print.

Ministry of Education. Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and reporting in Ontario Schools. First Edition Grades 1-12. Ontario: Ministry of Education, 2010. Print.

Morton, Tom. Co-operative Learning in Elementary Social Studies. Toronto, n.d. Print.

Siegel, Marjorie and Robert,F Carey. Critical Thinking and Reading: Empowering Learners to Think and Act. Monographs on Teaching Critical Thinking, Number 2.

Illionois: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication SKills and the National Council of Teachers of English, 1989.

The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. Critical Literacy #9. Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Education ISSN: 19138490, 2009. print.

Tobin, Kenneth. "The role of wait time in higher cognitive learning." Review of Educational Research, 57(1) (1987): 69-95.