Hope your week is going well. No more threats to contend with at Camp Hill. Again, I will reiterate some of the most important details to consume wherever you end up are ones that deal with emergency protocol. Know your fire exits, know your emergency routes. Make sure you have your attendance book with you at all times and know where your students are.
Now let's discuss the presentation. They made us consider in stage 3 "beginning activities", "closure activities" and the research on "How People Learn". And of course the topics were John Brown and the "Invisibility of Racism".
Consider the ways they proceeded to accomplish this...evaluate how this group accomplished getting us into the lesson...evaluate how they positioned us to learn about the central ideas to their lesson...and finally comment on their closure exercise.
With regards to the open debates we were having in class over history...was this debate more about our own personal dispostions on the topic of racism or were we being dispassionate of personal feelings toward the topic? Finally...what does Loewen want us to consider and do in the classroom with John Brown and the topic of racism? Why? Do you agree?
Reminder...a friendly one too. When you participate in the blog...you are enhancing your participation score. I read your comments...I know some of you were quiet on Monday...this is your forum to revisit participating.
Have a great weekend. Phillies up 1-0!!!!!
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17 comments:
The presenters had an effective way of opening the lesson and getting the students involved and interested in the topic. The group provided the class with a “ticket in”. The ticket asked us to brainstorm about some of the themes which come to mind when one thinks of U.S. History. The ticket was a good way to ease into the lesson. We held a discussion on the question, and ultimately, the presenters discussed the notion that racism has been one of the major themes throughout U.S. history. This discussion served as an effective transition into the material which was covered throughout the lesson.
I think that the group also took great care to structure a lesson which employed more effective teaching and learning techniques. The Mallein workbook discussed the fact that people remember 70% of what they say, and the group provided a number of opportunities for discussion throughout their presentation. The group allowed for discussion on John Brown, “The New National Anthem”, Gone with the Wind, and the Thomas Nast political cartoons. The group also provided visual elements to support their discussion through the use of clips from Gone with the Wind and political cartoons. These visuals were an effective technique in helping to solidify their lecture material.
To close the lesson, the presenters provided the class with a “ticket out”. The ticket asked the students a number of questions based on the material which was covered throughout the course of the lesson. The ticket was an effective way of closing the lesson which summarized the material that the presenters taught the students throughout the lesson.
I felt that my personal discussion in class on the material was dispassionate and was based on my desire to have a more balanced discussion on the topics of racism and slavery. James Loewen is very effective at presenting an alternative view of a topic which is traditionally covered a certain way in history, but at the same time, Loewen tends to completely discredit certain views which at least have a certain degree of validity. I do not want anyone to think that I am racist or that I believe slavery was a good institution based on the comments I made about the depiction of slavery in Gone with the Wind. I just feel that different slaves had different views and feelings about their position within society and their relationship with their masters. I think all of us have to keep in mind that Loewen’s historical discussions are subject to biases just like those individuals who write history textbooks; Loewen’s version of history is not a definitive version of history by any measure.
As far as John Brown is concerned, Loewen argues that textbooks currently vilify John Brown and argue that he was insane. Loewen suggests that textbooks and teachers should treat John Brown in a more neutral manner. I agree with this assertion. If I were a teacher, I would discuss both sides of the issue with regards to John Brown. I would discuss why some have argued that he is insane while others have not. I would also discuss why some have vilified his actions while others have not. Loewen also discusses the fact that racism in the history of the United States is not readily discussed in history textbooks. He argues that issues involving race throughout the history of the United States should be openly discussed in our history classrooms. I certainly agree with the idea that certain episodes of racism are not adequately discussed in history textbooks. As a teacher, I would attempt to present students a more accurate history of race relations throughout the history of the country.
I felt the discussion was adequate and allowed us to challenge others positions especially with the topic of racism. One thing that comes to mind here. I learned the Padeia approach to debate in Dr. Scott's class. Since racism is a hotly debated topic, this approach to debate can be a powerful tool. The idea behind it is a topic is announced and only one person can speak at a time but everyone must join in the discussion. The debate is not over until everyone speaks at least once.
I do feel that we need to remember that Loewen is not a historian and his views of history can be bias. Both sides of history should always be presented in class so students can form their own opinions.
I disagree with Loewen that racism is not properly discussed in history textbooks. Every book I have taught from goes into great lengths over the struggle of racism and how it has changed society today. Teachers are responsible for teaching and it is our responsibility to go outside of the book to teach history in a fair and balanced manner.
Well they started the lesson and ended the lesson with the ticket in/out concept. For the ticket in they got us to think about what words come to mind when we think of our History. The classroom then got into a discussion about what words came to mind, and then the presenters brought up some words that were missing (racism would be a hard subject to bring up in a classroom) but as a room full of adults it worked just fine. With this it lead into their discussion on John Brown and Racism over America’s History. Through out the presentation they gave many different examples on their subject from discussion, cartoons, and some clips from the movie Gone with the Wind. So they gave many different examples / exercises on their central ideas. Last they had their ticket out activity. It asked us essential questions about the lessons as to what we had learned after the presentation, this help students and the presenters an idea of assessment as to how well information was retained and how it was expressed or felt by the class. Overall I thought the presentation went fine, the discussion got a little heated now and then. When it came to our debate, what usually comes to mind is that history is no more then personal dispositions just depends who is written the history at that time. Racism in general is a very hard topic to discuss, but the main things is that throughout every culture and time their has been racism (that idea that one is better then another) that concept was built into the human race. In the classroom I think racism has to be talked about on a short leash because it can get out of control but a lesson in Racism over the History of the world can show that its not just about color, but religion, class and war. As for Loewen we are doing exactly what he wants us to do, we are debating about these facts we know but how we would go about introducing them into a world that has by passed these facts so that they may lead a life of learning about the good things of their culture. Once again throughout history every culture every nation has had skeletons in the closet its unavoidable and impossible to not have them. As a challenge I would say name me a culture or nation that doesn’t have skeletons in their closet?
Great job Group 3. The introductory and conclusion exercises involving the tickets were very interesting and valuable for teachers and students. I kept thinking in my head though, what if a student kept getting the ticket out question wrong? Would you keep him in the classroom until he did answer correctly? I know a teacher with common sense would allow him to leave with some discussion but I kept getting a funny visual of a student staying through six periods because he could not answer his ticket out.
The tickets were good, but the group spent a lot of time on the content rather than the activities to really effectively combine the two. I also think that this was hurt by the aggressive debate on race issues in America that was both interesting but time consuming. Race is an obvious controversial issue, and I think it can get misconstrued by the speaker. This chapter was Loewen's weakest, which made it easier to criticized. I think a lot of the discussion was heated because people who were seen to be critical of Loewen came off as critics of the topic of racism in American history. It was just a big cluster of ideas.
Regardless, Loewen's message got across and the group executed a few tasks that exemplified beginning/closing activities. Nicely done.
Group 3 used the “Ticket In/Ticket Out” method to successfully introduce and close their lesson. It forces students to think the big ideas and gives a guide for students to focus on. I really liked the debate about race because it is such a touchy subject and leaves a lot open to discussion. I have very mixed feelings about the topic because I feel that by singling out race, it is just re-enforcing the idea that there is a difference in race. The Gone with the Wind clip was well thought-out and appropriate to the lesson because it portrayed how the filmmakers viewed blacks during the reconstruction. The Yankee Doodle handout also emphasized the group’s point and was an interesting primary document to bring up. As I mentioned before, the “Ticket Out” was helpful because it reinforced the ideas presented during the presentation and was effectively used as a check for understanding.
I think the debate that occurred started out as historical, but ended up based on personal dispositions, which I do not feel is a negative thing. As human beings, we need to have opinions based on our experiences and I believe the very best way to learn is by listening to other’s experiences…after all, isn’t that what history is? By sharing our personal ideas and experiences about race, it opens up discussion for other students to counteract previous statements, thus creating a debate.
I think the key to teaching issues like John Brown, racism, and every single topic is history is to remember that we do not know everything. It is important to remember that stories get skewed, ideas and morals change with time, so to judge a historical person or event is unfair. Loewen wants us to see this and wants us to portray John Brown not as a violent lunatic, but as a passionate man of his time. Likewise, Loewen wants us to view racism as an important topic. He strongly believes in teaching about civil rights, which I agree with. I question, however, how much schools are teaching civil rights already. I know that I learned a lot about it in high school and I feel that giving lessons on race would just enhance the differences between the races.
Despite the fact that I was part of the Group that presented I feel the need to comment due to my lack of commentary from last weeks discussion. I knew that this was going to stir up some debate simply because I've had classes with everyone all semester. In other words I have a good idea on where everyone stands on this issue.
I know what we chose to do for beginning and closing activities so the need to comment on those is insignifigant. One point I want to make is that we tried to steer clear of "Death by Powerpoint," and I hope the rest of the class was thankful and took something away from this lesson.
I think we tried to compell people to give their own personal feelings towards racism in U.S. History. I think it is a major issue that can't be shyed away from in any classroom, however; it must be tackled responibly and constructivly. (MEANWHILE THE PHILLIES ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYING THE RAYS 10-2). Apologies for the aside, as far as Loewen's ideas on the topic of John Brown and Racism, I feel that Loewen is playing devil's advocate and somebody needs to. But like I said before, he's not an historian he is a sociologist. with this in mind I think it's easy to see how Loewen could use such topics to point out their relevence to SOCIETY! As a teacher I hope to balance what is required via the curriculum, while concommitantly shedding a presentist light on some issues that I FEEL MY STUDENTS ARE MATURE AND COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO DISCUSS. I really don't think these discussions are appropriate for younger grades (namely middle school) but it is up to me to decide when and in what way to get into a discussion about racism throughout American History. I really don't agree with what Loewen "wants" us to do, and I agree with my homie Greg in that Lowen does not in any way give a definiticve version of American History or the experience. What Loewen does do is open really touchy subjects up for speculation presented in plain view for what it was. After our presentation I went home and watched "Gone With the Wind," and I noticed things that did back up my groups main points, but I also noticed things that made the movie the classic that it is...I just feel that it is up to the individual teacher to decide exactly when, why, and how you open students up to discussion about Racism throughout our great nations history. I'm not saying that we should completely avoid these topics, in fact by avoiding this I feel we as educators would be letting the students down, but we must first gauge the level of maturity of our students and not allow things to get out of hand.
Phillies Just Took Game Four! Goodnight!
First of all, I think group three did a fantastic job and really allowed the classroom to be involved with the exercises they used. The ticket in allowed for the audience to take a second and think about the material in a pre teaching discussion. The transition into racism was smooth and did not feel forced. The material covered in Loewen's book was reinforced throughout the project however the ticket in and tickets out help to gauge how receptive students were to the material.
I believe that a debate is inevitable with a such a topic as racism. I also think that debate in a classroom is an important teaching tool. It allows the students to teach their peers and to present their own knowledge. In the debate on Monday I do think that the debate started off historical, but quickly became a debate based on opinion. This is an element of debate that is hard to shake. As teachers however we have to be wiling to direct and and manage debate within the classroom.
However the group did a great job exhibiting the material that was in Loewen's book. It became more clear to me where the author was coming from when it was expressed that he was not a historian, but as a sociologist. However I agree that it is hard to condemn those that disagreed with the material in Loewen's book due to the fact that those that oppose his views are not automatically racist, they simply disagree with the portrait that Loewen is painting.
GO PHILLIES!!!!!
We began and ended our lesson with the ticket in/ticket out. We had intended to go over the answers for the ticket out, but our presentation was running kind of long with all the discussion that happened, so we nixed that. If I were teaching this lesson in a high school classroom, I would have probably planned for this lesson to span 2 days so that there would be time for adequate discussion and the beginning and closure activities.
For the middle section, we wanted to stay away from the PowerPoint. We were still able to incorporate a lot of visuals and information without it. I think if I were teaching this to high school students though, there might need to be more concrete notes or something to focus their attention and define the parameters of the discussion a little more.
As for the debate/discussions in class, we were trying to cover what Loewen wrote about while still allowing people to express their opinions. I think that created tension sometimes because we were teaching only one side of the issue - the side Loewen writes in his book. I think people who hold different opinions than Loewen would have had trouble with our presentation because it was so one-sided. That may be why the discussion turned more toward personal dispositions toward the end of the class. Loewen invites you to consider his view, but you don't have to adopt it. Perhaps we could have made that clearer in our presentation to cut down on some of the personal discussion. I think Loewen's goal for classroom discussion of John Brown and racism is to get people to question the nice, neat history they're usually taught and open the floor for discussion of multiple viewpoints. Unfortunately, since we had to teach what he writes in his book, the multiple viewpoints got lost in favor of his viewpoint. I think it is very important that teachers encourage students to look at issues from multiple angles so they can appreciate that history is fluid and that historians have varied opinions on many things. I think this is the discussion Loewen tries to begin by providing a historical point of view that he believes is getting left out of textbooks. As teachers, we must take care to present multiple viewpoints if we want to have discussion, even if our textbook does not present both sides of the debate.
I believe the group was effective in getting their message across even with the heated debate that took place over many issues involving the role of slaves during the Civil War. They used the in/out tickets as their opening and closing activities and those are good ways to check for prior knowledge and exiting knowledge. I also thought the group did a really good job incorporating many different types of teaching tools for many different types of learners. They used PPT and lecture for those that like to hear and digest material at hand. They used the short video clip and pictures to allow the visual learners to learn more effectivly. Overall I thought they did a good job using different methods to teach different learners. They really got the class involved in the lesson through discussions and some of them I feel got out of hand but I guess thats passion on the issues getting through. As for the closing activity I thought it was executed well although I'm not a huge fan of this exercise. For me personally I've been ticketed out so many times in my life that I tend to rush through answering the questions and not care, I just wanted to leave the room in high school so I raced through the exercises. Now I see the advantages of the exercise but I feel that high school students just don't have interest at the end of class. I think that I would end the class with discussion then the next day would see what they soaked into their minds.
As for the class discussion I realize this is a topic that can have some passion behind it. I felt that the group did a good job delivering their side of the material although I disagree with Loewan and the group on the issue of John Brown and slaves involvment in the war. But I applaud them for sticking with what they were given to teach and supporting as best the book allowed them. I do believe that they handled themselves well for the way the discussion was going. Loewan wants us to consider that John Brown was not a saint as the textbooks make him look because he did many contraversial things. I would agree that he is not a saint but I also believe that his raid was a very important aspect of the anti slavery cause. I feel that he was a respected individual in soceity and that is why his action is so important. John Brown didn't even take many slaves with him on these raids, I think if my memory serves me correctly for Dr. Sayre's class he only took nine or so and the rest of his raid was made up of white males. But I believe the John Brown was a good man and should be taught how it is being taught, maybe not neccessarily that he is a saint but that he was a man who faught for a cause.
I thought group three did a good job in presenting the controversial issue of racism in our textbooks. The ticket it/ticket out exercise worked well with this lesson. I also liked how they had an example to show by using clips from a classic American movie, "Gone With the Wind." Using examples such as this can make the information come to life or make it easier to remember for a student in the classroom. The information on how people learn in the Mallein workbook came out nicely in their lesson. They combined the lecturing with pictures to illustrate their point, and video to show their example. As a student in the class, I felt well positioned by the structure of their lesson to learn their main points. The use of the ticket in/ ticket out questions directed our thoughts in the same direction so as a class we were focusing on one goal.
I thought some of the discussion in class may have been personal disposition, however I think that is something that we will run into when in the classroom. Racism and slavery are very touchy subjects, and as with any such subject there will be people with strong feelings about it. As teachers, I think we need to regulate what is said in the classroom by asking carefully thought questions that will stimulate the students to think but also leave some personal dispositions alone.
From what I gathered in Loewen's book, he argues that we need to take a deeper look at some figures in history who have been made out to be villains, such as John Brown. Should John Brown be viewed in textbooks as someone who was insane? Or was he a strong radical? Not matter how much time goes by, I think racism in textbooks will be one of the hardest subjects to teach fairly. As teachers, it is our job to find the best and most effective, but fair way to teach these ideas.
I want to start by saying great job to group three. If these presentations are any indication, we're all going to be pretty good at our chosen vocation. I liked the ticket in/out approach, but I just have one comment. We spent more time going over the ticket in, but the ticket out got a bit neglected due to time constraints. That's all too realistic a situation, and that puts educators in a bit of a tight spot because the ticket out is essentially a check for understanding about that day's lesson. As a teacher, the responses gleaned from such an exercise are the most important in gauging your own effectiveness. I'm not saying that I've come up with a better setup, I'm just pointing that out. I love the idea, and I think group three implemented it in the best way possible.
The lesson itself was very engaging too. I liked the integration of multiple learning styles. Group three, pat yourselves on the back- the transitions were seamless. It wasn't choppy, like you were trying to implement each style separately. The combination of video, political cartoons, debate, and of course the classic powerpoint- my goodness. We had no choice but to pay attention, if only to try to keep up! It was obvious that you put a lot of thought and effort into your presentation.
As far as the open debates go, I think they were a mix of personal opinions and dispassionate arguments. Myself, I don't think I've ever been dispassionate about anything, much less historical debate. I think I can speak for just about everyone when I say that it is exceedingly difficult not to get overly involved in a topic that we all care about. That's sometimes why I don't talk much in class- I get too involved and I know that.
As far as Loewen is concerned, his goals are similar to the other chapters. He merely seeks to point out the invisibility of certain aspects of history in order to hopefully get a new generation of teachers who are willing to explore multiple vantage points. Consensus history cannot be ignored, for obvious reasons. However, history is a rich, involved, and admittedly messy subject area. To present it as anything but would be doing a disservice to one's students. A history teacher needs to consider openness of subject matter, which includes discussion of race. One cannot skip over it because it's an uncomfortable topic. I think that was Loewen's main point, and I completely agree.
Group three started and ended the class with the ticket in and ticket out concept. This method has worked very well in our class and effectively bookended the class. With the discussion, I thought it appeared to be more personality based than topic based. This might only be because of the sensitive nature of racism. In a high school classroom I believe it is possible and necessary and to discuss this issue. The classroom provides an opportunity for teachers to dispel misconceptions and help our students be prepared for the multicultural world.
In regards to teaching John Brown, Loewen wants a more neutral approach that does not simply present Brown as a raging lunatic. I would teach John Brown using the facts of what actually happened during the raid and his trial. The reason he is important today is because he had polarizing effect on the North and the South during that time. The north viewed him as a hero and the South saw him as a villain. The North saw a religious man that was trying to take the plight of slavery upon his own shoulders. The South saw a man that was trying to destroy their way of life and was representative of the entire North. If John Brown and the topic of racism is taught in this way, were two sides are presented in context of the time in which they took place, students will have an understanding of both sides of the issue.
Eventhough I was apart of the group that went last Monday, I feel as though I should still impart some wisdom upon this discussion. We began our lesson with the Ticket In/Ticket Out. We presented the question of what people thought of when they considered themes that were present throughout U.S. History. We wanted to go with a more hands on approach for this as it would allow the class to actually hold something and to write their answers down. The question allowed them to think of things that they already knew (constructivism). We then proceeded to go over what Loewen considered to be the largest theme, which was race. Whether or not people agreed with it or not, race has been a major issue in our nation's history forever and will always be.
We then wanted to present what Lowen had actually written about in the book, and we had decided as a group to get away from the power point because we have been doing them all semester. We focused on a variety of ways in which people learn, including auditory, discussion, writing answers down, and showing clips of Gone With the Wind. We then closed our group presentation with the ticket out which forced the students to answer questions that pertained to the lesson that we gave. All in all I think that our presentation went very well and was very effective, but that's just me.
As far as the discussion went, I was a little concerned from what people actually thought and the perceptions that they had about slavery. While everyone is entitled to their opinions, I do believe that people got swept up in personal feelings and missed what our presentation was about, which was that slaves and african americans were only shown from the period of 1890 to 1940 as inferior, child like beings. Our group was not apologizing for what happened over 140 years ago, we were simply illustrating the points that lowen made in his book.
The ticket in and the ticket out idea is an effective way to start a class and to chek one for prior knowledge and two for if assigned completion of homework. This allows the teacher to know after reading them if there is any issues that need to be addressed about the subject that is being taught or addressed. The ticket out I believe is even more valuable for the same reason mentioned above so this was a very effective way of into and conclusion for group three. I believe that the group took into consideration the many diffretn learning styles that will be present in a class room by doing things such as discussion, showing a film and the basic lecture style so again good job on making sure that you include every student.
Though the discussion over race got very heated it was usefull in it's own way. It showed that each student is going to have their own ideas and oppinion and while you can not discount them you can controll the way they are expressed. It is important to maintain class order and keep in mind the feelings of each and every student in the class room. This debate over race has been a touchy subject for the last 150 years and continues even in the current presidental election campaigns. So even though some of us got a little angry in and about the debate it too taught us a lesson on how to keep other feelings in mind when we will be teachers and leading a discussion about a touchy subject.
The ticket in/out was an effective way to get the class focused on the same topic. Also, in terms of a high school classroom, I would think that that kind of thing would provide a convenient means to start the day's class. After the "tickets" were filled, the class discussed their thoughts on the topic. Again, I thought this was a good way to begin easing into answering the day's "essential question"
The collective remembrance of John Brown was also an important topic discussed and it ultimately was not limited to John Brown specifically - but rather, how "history" remembers people and with what criteria it does this. That kind of a discussion is one of the most paramount in a history classroom.
In addition, the group also presented a number of political cartoons depicting African Americans in a couple of different ways - this I thought, was a valuable observation - history is dynamic and rarely is it as cut and dry as many textbooks paint it to be (this was one of Loewen's primary arguments in "Lies").
Finally, the group closed with the ticket out. This created a sense of cohesion on the part of the presenters and served, like the ticket in, as a convenient way to wrap up the lesson and to get some last minute thoughts in.
I think more than anything, Loewen wants his audience to think about history in a way that is not centered on dates and "facts" but rather, WHY the textbooks present the material the way they do. He is asking his readers to consider the ways John Brown is remembered and to ask themselves why he is remembered in this way, and perhaps more importantly - SHOULD he be remembered this way. I think he's got the right idea with that thinking
To begin, group three did a great job on this project. Their topic was certainly one of the more volatile that Lowen covers. The manner in which the discussion was led in addition to the level of classroom management and teacher(s) involvement in the conversation was well balanced and very appropriate for the topic of race. The tickets in and out the door made for an engaging opening and closing activity. The questions incorporated on the tickets made the transition into the lesson smooth and the discussion slightly more focused than usual. I will agree with Amanda however, concerning time. There was a disproportionate amount of time spent on the ticket in compared to the ticket out. I realize that we are not master teachers and that time may not be our friend through this learning process. Also, the nature of this project leaves no room to “pick up here next class” as we could in our own classrooms. This small observation aside, the presentation seemed to go very well.
The use of various media was incredibly engaging. The clip from Gone with the Wind sparked some excellent debate, and the use of the political cartoons also helped make Lowen’s message more concrete. Bringing a lesson to life through media other than PowerPoint is exciting for students. Even at a college level you could see the interest and enthusiasm on the faces of our classmates when the video clip was playing. Another point that is worth commenting on is the use of debate. While it is increasingly difficult to stray from one’s own opinion, or in some cases to control one or two students who may dominate the classroom discussion, I think the informal debate over John Brown and the topic of race went very well. In our own classrooms it will be much easier to set ground rules for these types of activities and even assign views within a debate, pushing students out of their comfort zones and leaving personal opinions behind, if just for the moment.
The issue of race and the portrayal of John Brown in history texts is one side of a multifaceted story in the development of our nation. Students have the right to know that there are several detailed and credible opinions on this topic. It would be impossible for one teacher to cover every aspect of this argument, however, letting students know that the text and the teacher are not the end all and be all of history is a step in the right
This group had a very interesting topic and a very effective method of teaching it to the class. This group was the first group this semester to use a "ticket in." I found this particularly effective in that right at the out set of the lesson they were able to already start the class thinking through this essential question. They did an excellent job discussing this "ticket in" and taking advantage of the intellectual ground they had gained through it. Also, they were able to make a smooth transition between the discussion of this ticket and the teaching of their lesson.
The group provided a significant opportunities to stimulate discussion and enhance knowledge of the topic being discussed. They did this while at the same time being able to keep a relatively short leash on where the discussion was moving. I found it particularly interesting how the class was able to actively discuss how this topic would be discussed in a high school classroom setting.
The group rapped up the class by using a "ticket out". This continued the intrinsic look into the issue they were teaching and gave every student a chance to walk away with a little something to think about.
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