DAY 6
AEA-9 Teaching American History Grant
Project
Thursday, June 30 or
August 4, 2005
AGENDA
8:30-3:30
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Discussion
question: Share one new activity
or
teaching idea you want to apply in your classroom this year which will
help you
teach AND assess student learning in history.
REFLECTIONS
ON TEACHING HISTORY
USING SIMULATIONS IN TEACHING HISTORY
The use of
simulated activities in education is widely becoming recognized as an
important tool in schools. Schools are finding that activities that
promote learning tend to meet the following criteria:
1. They are "real" or
virtually real. They simulate some activity so well that real
learning takes place. In fact, the term "virtual reality" is now a
widely recognized term and one whose implications are important to
education. Howard Rheingold's 1991 book Virtual Reality deals
with the technology that "...creates the completely convincing illusion
that that one is immersed in a world that exists only inside a
computer." Rheingold details his tour through countless situations in
which virtual reality is being explored -- from NASA simulators to
university experiments that explore the outer edges of simulating
reality. Educators are not known for having access to state of the art
educational technology, but the principles of virtual reality, applied
appropriately, are within the grasp of most educators who are serious
about the work they do. Using the principles of virtual reality doesn't
have to involve the headpieces and the 3-D glasses described by
Rheingold, but the concept of simulating reality far educational
purposes is an important one.
2. They are "hands-on"
so that students become participants, not just listeners or observers.
3. They are motivators.
Student involvement in the activity is so great that interest in
learning more about the activity or the subject, matter of the activity
develops.
4. They are age
appropriate. Since simulations are designed, they can take into
consideration developmental age requirements.
5. They are inspirational.
Student input is welcome and activities are designed to encourage
students to enhance the activity through their own ideas.
6. They are
developmentally valid. Simulations take into account the
developmental level of the students.
7. They are empowering. Students
take on responsible roles, find ways to succeed, and develop problem-
solving tools as a result of the nativity.
The use of simulations puts the teacher into a new role -- a role that
is the inevitable result of the evolution of the role of the teacher in
education. Most teachers recognize that their role is no longer that of
a presenter of information and that students are no longer sponges for
facts.
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- Example: Surviving in
Frontier Iowa
- In your topic group use the criteria above to create a
simulation activity you can use in your own classroom.
- Share with the group.
RESOURCE PRESENTATION
Iowa
History Online: The purpose of
IOWA HISTORY ONLINE is to provide Iowa history teachers across the
state with high quality instructional tools and online access to
excellent teaching resources.
In the spring of 2001, the State Historical Society of Iowa conducted a
survey of Iowa history teachers to determine their specific
instructional needs. Based upon the recommendations resulting from this
survey, this site is organized around 10 “Frequently Asked Questions”
which address the needs Iowa teachers consistently cited when
responding to the survey.
MY
TEACHING HISTORY PORTFOLIO
Work
time in topic groups to develop the following:
- TOPIC: Developing/Refining a Content Focus
- LEARNING GOALS
- Aligned with
National and State Standards
- Other
Professional Standards
- KEY WORDS:
(Vocabulary words students will use in constructing a narrative for pre
and post assessments)
- LESSON PLANS: Including but
not
limited to:
ASSESSMENT PLAN: (Linked to
learning goals and aligned
with lesson plans)
COMMUNITY BUILDING
- What
have we accomplished?
- Where are we
headed?
1.
Buxton, Iowa:
The Neal Family Experience
2.
Selected
Demographics
3.
The
Underground Railroad in Iowa
4.
A
legal History of African-Americans From the Iowa Territory to the State
Sesquicentennial, 1838-1996
5.
Black
Iowans in Defense of the Nation, 1863-1991
6.
The
African American Presence in Iowa
Education, 1839-2000
7.
African-Americans
in Iowa
Agriculture, 1830 – 2000
8.
African-Americans
In Iowa’s Business World
9.
African-American
Wage Earners in Iowa,
1850 – 1950
10.
African-American
Physicians in Iowa
11.
The Legacy
of Black Attorneys in Iowa
12.
The Black
Media in Iowa,
1868-2000
13.
Civil
Rights Organizations in Iowa
14.
The
African-American Legacy in Iowa
Politics
15.
African-American
Women in Iowa
16.
The Church
17.
Social,
Fraternal, Cultural and Civic Organizations
18.
African-Americans
and Sports in Iowa
19.
Iowa and the Artist of
African Descent
20.
Black Music
and Entertainment in Iowa
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