It's about TIME and Teaching American History

It's about TIME and Teaching American History

Volume III, Issue II

March 22, 2004

TAH Anchor Event to feature primary sources and historical inquiry

Barry Thorne’s face lights up when he talks about the Anchor Event being held June 21-25 to launch the Teaching American History (TAH) project.

“Lots of times teachers are overlooked in the planning of their own PD,” said Thorne. “When it’s directed from above, too often it ends up being off the mark from what our needs happen to be as teachers. In this case, we ARE the planners, and I think there will be a real mesh between our needs and expertise as teachers and what the MSU historians bring to the table — their far more extensive content and resource expertise.”

Local teachers, representing grades 5-12 in all districts, and historians from Michigan State University have decided together to launch the Anchor Event with a “signature document” related to the Civil War — the Gettysburg Address.

“There are some documents that are so essential to who we are as a people that they literally define what it means to be an American,” said MSU history professor, David Bailey, pictured at right. “A group of teachers coming together from a variety of backgrounds can look at a robust primary source like this one and approach it from a hundred different directions while at the same time finding a common voice.”

“A teacher working with fifth-graders, for example, may examine Lincoln’s use of the word equal in a far different way than a high school history teacher would,” said Bailey. “While fifth-graders may discuss this word from a “fairness” perspective, juniors and seniors may want to debate the word’s meaning in terms of current events — with ethnic, racial or gender issues becoming part of the conversation. The words in this document were controversial and excited high emotion in people in 1863 when it was first delivered. It creates the same controversy and excitement today.”

Thorne, one of eight teachers planning the professional learning experience, agrees that primary sources coupled with an inquiry-based approach is a good one.

“I’ve watched what happens when kids script the path for their own learning,” said Thorne. “They dig a whole lot deeper when the subject is one that they feel a personal connection to. I found this out when I had my students use primary sources to learn about unfair child labor. I’m excited to see where we will go when we do PD focused around a dynamic primary source like this one.”

The value Bailey finds in exploring primary sources lies not just in the documents themselves, but in the power and control people gain when they have the opportunity to interpret something first hand.

“If you are reading about something, it is being interpreted for you,” said Bailey. “Someone else is telling you from their perspective what an event was like. Whereas when you explore the actual document, everyone has an equal take in understanding and interpreting it. You never know where the conversation will go. It is flexible, open to surprises and ‘ah ha’ moments.”

Bailey expects many such “ah ha” moments for teachers involved in this PD and down the road for their students working on units/lessons developed as a part of the PD.

“Historians like to say, ‘We’re always doing a draft’ because sometimes we’re not even aware of what questions we should be asking,” said Bailey. “You never know when someone is going to ask a question that no one has asked before.”

In addition to learning more about how to use primary sources in instruction, teachers will be delving deeply into historical inquiry strategies and exploring primary source data bases. They will be developing curriculum units and lessons during the summer, and will re-convene for the second Anchor Event August 16 to prepare for teaching them in the fall.

TAH Anchor Event
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS in American History

What is the nature of race in the mid-19th century?

What was the purpose/were the purposes of the Civil War?

What are the meaning and value of sacrifice?

What does the Gettysburg Address say about the future?

What is this nation?

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Inquiry learning gaining foothold

“Before, I would just ask questions that were right there in front of me,” says Kunwoo.

“Before, I didn’t even know about the Mazahua. Now I’m getting more and more interested in them and I want to find out more about them … I just want to know how they survive,” explains Jason.

The “before” the students are referring to is before starting their online Introduction to Inquiry unit.

“Now, since I’ve learned what makes a good question, I can ask sophisticated questions,” says Anna. “When you ask your own questions, you actually get interested in them.”

Pressed to give an example of a “sophisticated” question, Anna is quick to provide one. “Like — how do you think the migration patterns have changed for the Mazahuan people?” she says.

Students in Jamie Johnson’s 6th-grade classroom at Wattles Park share easily and with enthusiasm when asked how their ideas about questions have changed since beginning the Project TIME inquiry unit. Listening to them, it’s easy to understand why this approach to learning is rapidly gaining a foothold in districts throughout the city.

The Inquiry unit is one of two curriculum units developed to model meaningful learning using technology. It is designed to precede the unit on Mexico and Migration unit or any teacher-designed units on other social studies content areas in middle or high school.

“Once students learn the process, it’s much easier for them to apply it,” says Dave Johnson, a teacher at Beadle Lake Elementary who has taught the Project TIME model units over three years.

Johnson is one of the experienced teachers helping this learning approach to spread as he assists his colleagues who are teaching the units for the first time this year.

Both the Inquiry and Mexico and Migration units are being taught in all three elementary buildings in Harper Creek this year.

Lakeview Schools have made the decision to make the units and tools available to all of their sixth-grade students.

“We have stressed inquiry and essential questions in our curriculum development for a long time,” said Karen Hart, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction at Lakeview. “We don’t believe you can go deeply into content without inquiry, so having these great tools — in the form of the units and the MLToolbox software -- is a wonderful match for us.”

The teachers who are using these units and tools for the first time this year are receiving support from a variety of places. In addition to coaching from experienced teachers like Johnson, there is in-district support from instructional technology coordinators.

“Even though I’m the only one in my building doing this unit, I know that assistance is just an email away when I need it,” said Scott Ritsema, social studies teacher at W.K. Kellogg Middle School.

Rhonda Rasmussen, Technology Integration Coordinator at Lakeview, initiated a monthly after-school meeting open to teachers and technology coordinators from all districts who are offering the units and online tools. Discussions at the meeting are lively as teachers share successes and frustrations experienced in the classroom, brainstorm strategies for handling specific challenges they are facing and reflect on the impact of inquiry on student learning.

Kathy Grosso, Executive Director for Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools, has been leading monthly professional learning sessions on inquiry to a group of teachers from Battle Creek area nonpublic schools. This group includes social studies, science and math teachers from elementary, middle and high schools.

“It has been both challenging and rewarding to adapt the original Inquiry Unit for content areas beyond social studies,” said Grosso. “The teachers in our professional learning group can see how the Inquiry process is a more relevant and meaningful way to teach much of their curriculum content. They are excited and anxious to implement the Inquiry Unit in the upcoming months.”

Below, Dave Johnson and three of his 6th-grade students at Beadle Lake Elementary School share their knowledge gained through the inquiry process at the MACUL Student Technology Showcase at DeVos Hall in Grand Rapids.

Battle Creek/MSU collaboration continues

The Battle Creek area school districts have benefited greatly from the partnership with Michigan State University in Project TIME. The content expertise in social studies and science has been essential to the development of strong models of ML/T curriculum units. Two of the MSU team members will be taking their Project TIME experience to new locations next year.

Mark Baildon, who has worked closely with Battle Creek area social studies teachers for the past two years, has recently accepted a position teaching Asian Studies at the Taipei American School in Taiwan. Baildon will finish his dissertation study based on Project TIME professional learning experiences this summer. He plans to research his own teaching practice next year around the development and implementation of big ideas and tools that support disciplined inquiry in social studies.

Mark Baildon interacts with Sara Yott's students at the MACUL AT&T Student Showcase held at the State Capital in the picture below.

Baildon’s colleague, James Damico, whose recent dissertation earned him the Dissertation of the Year Award by the American Educational Research Association, has accepted a faculty position in the Language Education department at Indiana University in Bloomington.

“We have gained a lot of experience in having both university and K-12 educators work together in a community of learners,” said Betsy Ashburn, project director for both the TIME and TAH projects. “The Project TIME MSU team, including Baildon and Damico, have helped lay a strong foundation for our continuing collaboration with MSU historians.”

Project TIME/Teaching American History is a collaboration among:

Battle Creek Public Schools
Battle Creek Area Christian Schools
Harper Creek Community Schools
Lakeview School District
Pennfield Schools

In partnership with:
Michigan State University
College of Education
College of Arts and Letters

The It’s about TIME ... Teaching American History editor, Bonnie Garbrecht, can be reached at: (269)660-5896 OR bgarbrec@battle-creek.k12.mi.us.

Developed under grants from the U.S. Department of Education (Technology Innovation Challenge Grant and Teaching American History), the contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department and endorsement by the Federal Government should not be assumed. The Project TIME/Teaching American History office is located in the Miller-Stone Building at 77 Capital Avenue, NE, Battle Creek, MI 49017.
© Copyright by the Battle Creek Area Educators' Task Force 2002. All rights reserved. Reproduction for educational purposes is encouraged, provided proper credit is given.

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