Teaching History through Different Perspectives and Lenses

I recently read a blog post by Chris Lehmann titled “American History — American Story” (http://practicaltheory.org/blog/2014/08/24/american-history-american-story/).  I appreciated Chris’s reflection on his conversation with Matt Baird, Science Leadership Academy 11th grade American history teacher, about making history more than just “dusty dates of history, but about their lives – our lives – our country today.”  The idea is extremely powerful and worth pursuing, but I really focused in on one line in the blog:

“What if we asked students to examine present day society through several intersecting lenses such as the political lens, the demographic lens, the economic lens and the geo-political lens.”

As a former social studies teacher, this is an area that I am extremely passionate about.  In order to make history an engaging experience for our students, there has to be a connection to their lives.  So, the question becomes, how can we make history relevant and meaningful to our students?  Being that the Science Leadership Academy’s 11th grade American history course consists of the 1900s-present, starting with a current look at the U.S. and World today would provide a reference point throughout the school year with an underlying theme of; "how did we get here?"  What a great way to start the school year.

I love the idea of studying history through lenses.  I taught 8th grade U.S. history (First Inhabitants (i.e. Native Americans) through the Civil War).  I started the school year with a definition and discussion of Eurocentrism and ethnocentrism and how history (i.e. textbooks) was/is often written from the white European point of view.  I challenged the students to find examples in their text books, which we found numerous.  I would then teach portions of some events from a different lens and perspective.  For example, I taught the Christopher Columbus story from the Native American perspective.  The students were shocked at this perspective, because for so many years, elementary school teachers taught the "Columbus is a hero and discovered America" version of history.  It certainly provided an opportunity for all students to think critically about history and what they read.  We looked at the Constitutional Convention from non white male European perspectives such as women (Abigail Adams "remember the ladies") and slaves (3/5's compromise).  By the time we reached the end of the school year, students were well-versed in critically thinking about history and understanding the story through multiple perspectives.  A good starting point for history teachers to question history textbooks and consider history through various lenses and perspectives is the book Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen.  The book certainly make one pause and question the way history is taught and has been taught for so many years.

I think it is our role, as history teachers, to allow students to learn the multiple perspectives of history and not just take the written word in a textbook as the only factual perspective of an event.  We must allow our students to challenge what is written and discover multiple ways of understanding historical events in history.  History teachers should be creating “hands-on” experiences and inquiry/problem/project-based learning opportunities for our students.  Less time needs to be spent on covering names, dates, events, and places that can be “googled,” and more time on in-depth critical thinking and analysis.  It’s time to shake the stereotype of history being boring, to one which students make meaningful connections to the past in order to embrace and be prepared for THEIR future.

Dear Tyler (advice to my nephew, a first year teacher)

(This blog post is a letter to my nephew Tyler who will be starting his career as an elementary school educator this month.  It is somewhat based on my letter to him when he graduated from college in May that included some advice from my perspective and experience.)

Dear Tyler,

Congratulations!  The long journey and hard work to get to graduation is done.  But, now the MOST IMPORTANT WORK lies in front of you.  The position of an educator is far from just a job; it’s a calling.  What you do each day can make a huge, life impacting change on a student’s life and future.  I am proud that you chose a career in education and proud of YOU.  Here a just a few thoughts as you assume your first teaching position:

RELATIONSHIPS

Here is where it all begins for successful teachers.  I firmly believe that students don’t always care how much you know until they know how much you care.  When I was a student teacher, my cooperating teacher probably gave me the best advice; “make positive connections with your students by learning something unique about each one and talk to them about their interests."  Know your students.  Treat all students as if they were your own kids.  You might be the only one in a student’s life that cares about them.  If you’ve established good relationships with your students, the need to discipline will be minimal. But, if you do need to discipline a student, be sure to use your caring-concern-disappointed voice and not a voice and demeanor of anger.

ENGAGEMENT
An engaged student is rarely a discipline problem (Dave Burgess), so the best classroom management strategy is an engaging curriculum or lesson.  This takes some work because not all lessons are going to be perfect the first time.  But, you can control your enthusiasm, passion, interest, and willingness to learn along with your students.   Be sure your learning environment allows students to experience joy and a sense of awe (Dean Shareski).  Always strive for Better.  Be open to learning how your students learn best.  Just ask the students.  The input that I solicited from my students in my early years of teaching did more for my quest for “better” than any principal evaluation and Master’s level coursework.

PASSION

When you have the passion and mindset to be the best you can be, your effort will naturally be at the appropriate level. Keep in mind, “Provide an uncommon experience for your students and they will reward you with an uncommon effort and attitude” (Dave Burgess).  Have high expectations for yourself and for all of your students.  Believe in them.  Tell your students often; “You are a genius and the world needs your contribution” (Angela Maiers).  In everything you do, “give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you” (Anonymous).

Photo credit Angela Maiers 2011, http://choose2matter.org/manifesto/

DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF

Taking care of your physical and mental health are extremely important to being on top of your “teaching” game.  Sound mind, sound body (Asics).  You are going to make mistakes, learn from them and move on.  Have a few “rocks” in your life who you can share your frustrations with and boost you up when times are tough.  The sun will rise the next morning and your students will need you.  No matter what, there is always better.  Never stop learning.  Read, take a class, and learn from others.  Twitter has connected me with some amazing educators across the world.  My Personal Learning Network has probably done more for my professional learning than many of my college courses.  Finally, laugh often, have some fun, and enjoy the ride.  

Best wishes on a successful start to what will be an amazing teaching career for you.  If there is ever anything I can do to help, please let me know.

Uncle Joel

Focusing on the right ONE in 1:1; the STUDENT!

Last week, I had an amazing 3 days of learning at the 1:1 Summer Symposium.  Leyden High School is doing some wonderful things with teaching and learning in a 1:1 Chromebook environment.  I appreciate their willingness to share what they have learned, both successes and challenges, and desire to continually improve.  Whenever I attend a conference, I compare what others are doing to what we are doing in Grand Forks Public Schools.  After attending the conference, I can say we are doing some good things as student learn with technology in a blended environment, but acknowledge we are still “work in progress” and have much to learn and improve upon. There were several quotes and themes that resonated with me which led to my takeaways, reminders, and questions to consider based on the following 3 themes.

LEADERSHIP

The key component in creating an innovative and engaging learning environment is leadership with leaders needing to be “all in.”  The conference opened with an overview of Leyden’s 1:1 journey.  I recall Bryan Weinert’s recap of the board president’s thoughts on 1:1 after visiting Mooresville, NC: "How can we afford NOT to go 1:1.”  It was obvious that the administrative team is on the same page.  Additional leadership perspectives were provided by Jimmy Casas who asked the question; “What are you doing right now in your building to disrupt your routine?”  Some additional insights from Jimmy were to surround yourself with excellent people who inspire you in order to achieve excellence and don’t make decisions based on the small percentage of “what ifs.”  The theme of better also resonated with me.  Jimmy stated; leaders must continue to challenge the status quo and never use the word CAN’T.  Always believe that our school/district is the best of the best while always striving for better.  Jason Markey reinforced the never-ending quest for better with the reminder that “we are still in beta, we haven’t got there yet, which gives us permission to struggle.”  Jason focuses on the teacher and student experience while using Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” What-How-Why model.  Mikkel Storaasli’s session highlighted the importance of keeping the mission and vision at the forefront of all decisions, including 1:1.  He also noted the important role principals play in the success of going 1:1.  Finally, Jason Markey asked the question; “Who is telling your story?” and the importance of using social media to allow our community to know the positive things happening in our school/districts.  As leaders, do we have a laser-like focus on our mission and vision in all the decisions we make, including 1:1?  Are we telling our story and highlighting the positive things happening in our district or are we allowing the media to do so?

TEACHERS

The classroom teacher plays such an important role in creating engaging learning opportunities in a 1:1 environment.  Dean Shareski opened the conference with the question; Are our schools places of joy?  “Schools need to be places of wonder. Teachers have a responsibility to awe and ensure an interesting learning experience.”  "What if each day your students left school with a great question?”  Excellent thoughts and more importantly, a call to action.  As teachers learn more about the nuances of a 1:1 environment, Jennie Magiera reminded us that “compliance does not equal engagement.”  Jennie also stressed that “creation apps are better than content apps” and the importance of trying new things.  After all, “we all fail, but what do we do after we fail?”  Ideally, we all learn and get better.  Finally, with or without technology, the classroom teacher (i.e. pedagogy) is instrumental in student learning.  Bryan Weinert provided a hint; “...those teachers that say 1:1 is a distraction, consider their lesson plans” (i.e. are students engaged?).  How do we ensure all teachers continue to strive for a more student-centered and engaging learning environment?  We can all get better and our students deserve it.

STUDENTS

The importance of a student centered culture was certainly a theme of the conference or as Jason Markey put it; be sure to focus on the right ONE in 1:1; the STUDENT!  I admire the way Jason (et al.) has established a "student first" culture at Leyden (i.e. Student Agency) in a connected and innovative environment.  When students have a voice, they become part of Innovation. Jason reminded everyone, “...it’s not about 1:1 devices, it is more about empowering students and teachers.”   Jennie Magiera agrees; “We don't ask our students enough how they learn and for their opinion.  We need to allow students to have an authentic audience and a powerful voice."  Finally, the “student first” theme was further enhanced through Angela Maiers’s keynote.  Do we provide reasons for our students, teachers, and staff to RUN to school everyday?  Our students and staff are geniuses and the world needs their contribution.  Listening to the student panel at the end of the conference provided affirmation for me that 1:1 learning with Chromebooks, in concert with a student-centered culture, has been implemented extremely well at Leyden.  One student reminded teachers to “...take risks and be open minded.”  What a great message.  All educators need to continually ask; Do we honestly make all decisions based on our most important clients, our students?  Do we take the time to listen and engage our students with important decisions?

My takeaways and questions will be embedded in my goals and in my work as the district technology director throughout this school year and beyond.  I am sincerely grateful for all the work Leyden dedicates to make the 1:1 Summer Symposium a success and I certainly left with some #leydenpride.

Reflections on "Teach Like a Pirate"

Reading Dave Burgess's book Teach Like a Pirate allowed me to reflect back to my days as an 8th grade U.S. history teacher and how I would have compared to the high standards and ideas outlined in the book.  It made me realize I was just starting to get good at my craft of "teaching" and the art of engaging students, before moving into an administrative position.  My 10th year in the classroom certainly was much better compared to my 1st year through my tireless quest to make learning U.S. history a “hands-on” experience.  I made improvements through hard work, trying new things, being open to change, and soliciting student input.   I like Dave’s Quote: “I’ve worked my butt off to build a class that is outrageously engaging, fun, educationally sound, and dearly loved by students.”  But, it takes time.

After reading through Dave's HOOKS, I realized that I had many excellent moments sprinkled in my teaching.  But, my favorite lesson, the one that approached many of the high expectations of “Teaching Like a Pirate,” was the Constitutional Convention simulation.

Each student was assigned to be "delegate" to the convention and completed some background information to their views, values, quotes, and voting record at the convention.  I did many things to set the tone for the next three days.  I called students by their delegate’s name (i.e. Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Morris) for the next 3 days, even outside of the classroom while students referred to me as Mr. Washington.  The heat was turned up in the room as we were meeting in July.  The windows were covered so others would not be able to "peek in" to know what we were discussing.  A candle was lit for light, as there were not fluorescent lights at the state house.  I played Washington and was able to ask specific (and differentiated) questions of each student which allowed all to appropriately contribute to the discussion.  As Washington, I also asked some "devil’s advocate" type questions to get the students to think critically and truly experience the monumental task of how the delegates may have felt.  For example, every time I did this simulation, the southern delegates would have to advocate for slavery and how to count slaves (i.e. 3/5's compromise).  We always had some interesting discussion on this topic.  I remember one student said, "I don't want to be a southern delegate anymore" after trying to advocate for slavery.  The students were highly engaged for three days of discussing and “writing” the constitution.  When students from classes later in the day came to class, they were excited to participate based on what students in earlier classes told them (even after I told them not to tell anyone about our discussion because of the secrecy of the proceedings).  I knew the students were hooked because they were talking about U.S. history outside of the classroom.  Some students even provided feedback on the simulation on the year end survey:

Just thinking about that lesson and many of the other engaging lessons stirs up that wonderful feeling of being a teacher in an engaging learning environment.  After moving from the classroom to administrative positions, I've noticed that student disengagement is relatively easy to find, especially at the high school level.  I believe all high school teachers should read “Teach Like a Pirate.”  At the very least, school administrators should use the book as a resource to raise the expectations for an improved and engaging learning environment for all students.  The discussion could start with the question, “Would you want to be a student in your own classroom?”  But, Dave raises the bar by asking the following question that I can only wonder how many would respond:

• “If your students didn’t have to be there, would you be teaching to an empty room?” (p. 58)

How many teachers would be teaching to an empty room?  Student engagement has been a goal for many districts, schools and teachers, but yet so many students continue to go through the motions of "playing school" because some teachers fall short in providing an engaging learning experience for their students.  Why do we allow that to happen?  I believe that if students are engaged in their learning, discipline issues go down, academic achievement goes up, and the overall climate of the school environment also goes up.  The bottom line is that if you:

• “Provide an uncommon experience for your students and they will reward you with an uncommon effort and attitude” (Dave Burgess, p. 55).

Just Ask the Students

In a previous blog post on being better (The Quest for BETTER), I made reference to having students complete a survey at the end of each school year and making changes based on their input.  This simple annual activity did more for my professional growth as a teacher than any of my master’s level courses in curriculum and instruction.  So, how do we get better as educators?  Quite simply, just ask the students.  But how many teachers are open to student feedback?

In the book, The Ten-Minute Inservice, Todd Whitaker and Annette Breaux dedicate 2 of their 40 training sessions on Teacher Report Cards (surveys).  After all, “...who better to tell teachers about how well (or not so well) they are doing on a daily basis than the teachers’ own clients? If you really want to know how a teacher is doing, ask the students.” (p. 121-129).

My last year teaching 8th grade U.S. history was in 2002-2003 which looked much different compared to my first year of teaching in 1993.  My ongoing goal was to increase the number of ways to allow students to learn history through a “hands on” approach.  At the end of every school year, I asked the students for their honest opinions about their learning experience in my class.  The 2 questions that received the most attention from me were:

1. What did you like LEAST about this class?  Be specific.
2. What did you like BEST about this class?  Be specific.

As a classroom teacher, I read through the surveys a few times and captured the general themes of BEST and LEAST in a qualitative way.  I recently came across the surveys from my last year of teaching and was interested in a more quantitative analysis.  I tallied up the responses and here are some of the top results of each category, in order, starting with the highest number of responses at the top.

What students liked the LEAST

1. Tests
2. Notes
3. Reading out of textbook
4. Quizzes
5. Worksheets

Any surprises from the LEAST list?  Why would I/teachers continue to do things students like least regarding their learning experience?  There continues to be way too much sit and get, teacher-centered, and passive learning in our schools.  There is a time and place for everything on the LEAST list, but teachers need to think of “outside the box” ways in which students can demonstrate their knowledge other than those listed above.

What students liked the BEST (General)

1. Projects
2. Cooperative Learning
3. Activities

What students liked the BEST (Specific Lesson Cited)

1. Native American dwelling project
2. American Revolution (room size) timeline
3. Constitutional Convention (simulation)
4. Underground Railroad activity/simulation at University Park
5. iMovie Amendments project
6. Tom Snyder “City of Gold” Explorer group simulation (computer)

Any surprises from the BEST lists?  What do all include? All incorporate movement, cooperative learning, student-centered, some choice, critical thinking, engagement, etc.

Through the evaluations, my focus was to do less of the items in the “least” category and find replacement activities and projects that would be more engaging and meaningful to students.  In other words, I learned a variety of different ways to grade and assess students learning.  I then noticed, through survey results in subsequent years, the replacement activities and projects often made it onto the “best” list.  That’s what getting better is all about.

Why do teachers continue to make students learn in ways that are not engaging and meaningful?  I would encourage all teachers to ask your students for their honest opinions of your class (i.e. THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCES), take their input seriously, and make adjustments accordingly.  We owe it to our students to always strive for better and make all of their learning experiences engaging and meaningful.

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Final Note: Through my quest to solicit honest and critical student feedback, I received many positive comments.  These comments are reminders that what we do in our classrooms really does matter and provides motivation to always strive to be better. Here are just a few:

Chromebooks: Reflections as we move from 50 to 1000

Through the 2013-2014 school year, two Grand Forks Public Schools high school teachers piloted a classroom set of Samsung Chromebooks.  Here is why we are moving from 50 to 1000 to start the 2014-2015 school year.   

Teacher’s Perspective

One of the pilot teachers teaches math while the other teaches English.  The teachers did an outstanding job of naturally integrating the Chromebooks into their curriculum areas. The best teacher endorsement came not through what they said, but from what wasn’t said.  Not one time throughout the school year, did the teachers contact me to say “these things aren’t working” or “the Chromebooks are difficult to use.”  In fact, the exact opposite occurred.  They loved having daily access to the Chromebooks and were easy for the students to use.

My Perspective

I have read much about the Chromebook itself and how other districts are successfully deploying Chromebooks.  My first impressions out of the box, were how easy the Chromebooks were to add to our Google Apps For Education Domain and organize into organizational units.  Also, being able to make changes and provide updates to the Chromebooks from my computer instead of touching each one is certainly a game changer.  I observed the students in both teachers’ classroom with the Chromebooks and noticed how well the devices functioned and how naturally the students used the Chromebooks for many aspects of their coursework.  Grand Forks Public Schools has been a Google Apps For Education for several years, which certainly adds to the overall ease of using the Chromebooks.

Students’ Perspective

I solicited input from the students through a Google Form.  Here is a summary of some of their responses:

1. It's simple, easy to use, a nice layout. Everything is organized and simple.
2. The Samsung Chromebooks are small and compact and easy to carry around. It is also easy to navigate around the computer.
3. The OS on all of the Chrome systems is straightforward and easy to comprehend
4. Nice and easy to use, small portable, if i ever wanted to get one outside of school.  They are fun and make daily work a lot easier.
5. It is good for school
6. I like the Samsung chromebook. The screen has a dull look to it that doesn't hurt the eyes which I like.
7. The Chromebooks are a good resource to have in class. They make discussion easier and are a good device to have kids use in the classroom as technology integrates itself into the school setting.
8. This is a very nice laptop.  Perhaps in the future, they could be issued for use by all students for paper writing and note taking.

With all of the positivity, not to mention the cost, we are moving towards getting Chromebooks into the hands of many more students.

1) We are currently 1:1 Asus netbooks in grades 5-8.  Although the Asus netbooks has served us well over the past 4 years, we will be phasing out the netbooks and replacing the devices per cohort group with Samsung Chromebooks.  Our middle school students keep the same device from year to year.  This cycle will allow for the 6th grade cohort (about 550) to receive new Chromebooks (1:1) this school year.

• 5th grade - remain with the teacher
• 6th grade - keep into 7th grade
• 7th grade - keep into 8th grade
• 8th grade - end of life, used for spares and parts

2) Currently, our high school students have access to a couple of labs and a couple of carts.  In order to increase student access to technology in core curriculum areas, 6 carts of 25 Chromebooks each will be dedicated to core curriculum areas at both Central and Red River.

That makes a total of 900 Chromebooks that will be prepared and deployed this summer.  This is a much smaller scale than some of the Chromebook deployments I have read about, but we are excited to get an increasing number of Chromebooks into the hands of our students.  After all, this project is closely aligned with Priority Area #2 of the Grand Forks Public School’s strategic plan: “Emphasize 21st Century Instructional Practices Which Foster Student Academic Engagement” and the sub goal #3 to: “Promote the utilization of appropriate technology tools to enhance the teaching and learning process.”

This blog post was about technology devices, but we continue to remind ourselves that any technology decisions made must be directly tied to student learning.  (The important role of our Curriculum Technology Partners will be another blog topic for another day).  I am looking forward to learn much more as we move forward on our Chromebook journey.  

Michael Fullan

The Power of One

So many of us take life and our health for granted while others are presented with serious challenges.  On July 16, 2008, I had the opportunity to be a Bone Marrow/Stem Cell donor for someone in need.  On this 6th anniversary, here is the story along with a message about how we can all make a difference and be "The Power of One."

Back in October of 2004, there was an urgent Bone Marrow drive to find a match to help Mavis Kelly (math teacher at Valley Middle School in Grand Forks) who was in need of a bone marrow transplant to aid in her battle with cancer.  I (along with 204 other potential donors) willingly went through the process to see if I was a match for Mavis and always wondered if I would be a match for another patient somewhere down the road. Sadly, Mavis passed away in 2005.  Then in 2008, I received a phone call from the National Bone Marrow Registry indicating that I could be a match and they asked for permission to pull my blood sample to do some further testing.  The tests further indicated that I was a match, but they would have to do a blood draw to complete additional testing.  After that testing, they informed me that I was a "perfect match."  I had a phone interview the following evening to learn more about the patient (35 year old female with aplastic anemia) and to confirm if I still wanted to continue the process.  I completed a full physical and was determined that I would be able to donate.  In preparation for the July 16, 2008 bone marrow/stem cell collection in the Twin Cities, I received 5 injections of filgrastim.  The side effects (headache, bone-joint-muscle aches, and fatigue) became increasingly bothersome as the collection date neared, but I often reminded myself that I was in no position to complain compared to the recipient of my stem cells and those who have and are battling cancer.  I felt fortunate to be healthy enough to donate and also knowing that the side effects would eventually fade away.

On the day of the collection (Wed. July 16, 2008), I reported to Memorial Blood Center in St. Paul at 6:00 AM.  After the final injection of filgrastim, I was ready to donate my stem cells.  The process is called apheresis.  It is like giving blood, but I had a needle in each arm.  This impressive machine separated out my stem cells and plasma and returned my RBC, WBC, etc.  I had to remain still for about 7 hours during the collection.  The people from the Blood Center commented on the high quality of my stem cells.  For the following few days, I was very tired, but the side effects faded away.  I did not learn anything more about the recipient, only that my stems cells needed to be on a courier plane within hours, so it could get to the patient to be "transplanted" within in 24 hours.

Some may wonder, why would I do this.  My response is always "Why wouldn't I?"  I did not know the 35 year old female patient, where she lived or anything about her, but I did know that I was an exact match when her family members were not and she was in desperate need of some of my bone marrow/stem cells to hopefully make her immune system healthy again.  I knew that the donation would increase her odds of survival.   Secondly, every one knows a personal cancer story so I donated in memory to those who have lost the battle to cancer, to those who have won the battle, and to those who are currently battling and WILL win.  Finally, I completed the process as my tiny contribution to an important research study that one day may help my family, friends, colleagues, or even myself.  My son Derek benefitted from the cancer research and was able to survive, so I felt lucky to have had the opportunity to give back.

In 2009, I received some wonderful news from the National Marrow Donor Program!  The patient (who received my stem cells/bone marrow in the summer of 2008) is "alive" and "doing very well."  "100% of the donor's [my] stem cells have been successfully engrafted into the patient" and she is "...improving better than expected."

In 2011, I received a letter from the recipient of my stem cells; Marina, a 38 year old female from Russia.  Here is the letter:

Reading that initial letter gave me a chance to reflect on how and why Marina was able to have this opportunity.  So, I re-read an article (below) written about  Dr. Mavis Kelley by Eileen Zygarlicke called "The Power of One."  Through Mavis's battle with cancer, she inspired people to organize a donor registry drive through the "National Marrow Donor Program" which led to people signing up to be tested and added to the donor registry.  Sadly, Mavis passed away, but through the bone marrow drive, I was determined to be a match and had the opportunity to donate stem cells to Marina.  I believe Mavis's spirit and legacy lives on through Marina in Russia.  As the article states; "everyone can make a difference," and all those involved with the donor registry drive should be proud of making a difference in the life of Marina.

What can you do to be the "Power of One?"  How can you create opportunities for your students to be the "Power of One?"  You never know how great even the smallest of efforts can have a wonderful and lasting impact on others.

(To access the article below in a format that is easier to read, click on this link: http://bit.ly/1jqoW0M )