Program Standard II Instructional Strategies and Resources That Promote Social Understanding
In our EDSE classes, the most influential reading that I did on my own was the historical fiction, Little Bee, and the reading of My Dyslexia. I gained so much more social understanding from those two readings than any article or news report has ever given me. On one hand, My Dyslexia painted a picture of students with learning disabilities that I have heard about and discussed with other students and teachers informally. However, I have never focused on any story written by a student who lived through those experiences first hand. The story itself gave me such a better understanding of students with learning disabilities that will definitely help me in the classroom by making sure that I encourage those students regardless of any misconceptions I may previously be accustomed to. Little Bee, on the other hand, presented new thoughts and new debates on topics that are doubly historical. Sara Schwebel says that “using historical fiction will enrich students’ understanding of historical events (Schwebel, 2014, p. 20).” Dr. Cook taught us to look for ways in which a historical fiction is doubly historical, meaning that it represents not only the time in which it was written but also the time in which the plot takes place. I think that this is important in the constant search for tools that keep the students engaged in the classroom with instruction and activities that are relevant to the present. Little Bee is a story about a Nigerian refugee who is fleeing to London to avoid the gennoacide during the Nigerian Oil Crisis. I could use this book alone on so many levels. First, the idea of understanding and respecting people from cultures different than our own is the message of most importance in the book. However, currently in our news and political arena of the U.S. there is a debate actively going on about Syrian refugees coming to America. In a social studies classroom, stories like this and current events could easily be used to help students better understand their social surroundings. Although is may be more fun to sometimes dive into historical fiction novels to spark the students’ imagination about certain issues. In the social studies classroom, I would use those types of resources in hopes that, as Wineberg would say, to spark the interest in finding more answers. Following sparking that interest, it is very important that our students learn the importance of primary sources and the ways in which they can help us teach difficult topics such as immigration and refugees. Lee Ann Potter, in her article Teaching Difficult Topics with Primary Sources give many reasons to supplement your classroom instruction through the textbook with primary sources. She goes on to tell us that many times the textbook will cover an event and students will be drawing conclusions and reacting to the story from the textbook itself. However, what textbooks rarely do is provide the views of those events by people who were actually there or were impacted directly or indirectly (Potter, 2011). Artifact I and II below are very good tools to use as far as social understanding. As we know very well, African American History is an area that is severely lacking in the social studies classrooms. Artifact I, my text set from EDRD 730, focuses more on the Civil War and the life of African Americans throughout the war. Most of the time, in the brief history that we have been given, when we think of the Civil War, we are left with the single story of the African American as a slave. Within this text set, I would use the story of the Civil War to shed light on the image of the African American as much more than a slave but, instead, as a soldier fighting for the Union Army, as citizens of the United States fighting for their rights, and brave men and women who would risk their lives to escape slavery alongside their family members. Artifact II focuses more on contemporary issues that can be used in the social studies classroom. The lesson plan focuses on themes of time, continuity, and change for the civil rights of African Americans in the United States from the Civil rights era and the Watts Riots of the 1960s, the L.A. riots following the Rodney King beating in 1992, and making the connections to the riots seen in most recent news of Ferguson, MO and Baltimore, MD. These issues illustrate precisely the theme that I am trying to shed light on when teaching about issues of inequality and social understanding. Social studies has historically left African American history out of the big picture outside of slavery and the Civil Rights Era. I would use tools such as these to show that the continuities and changes over the vast time periods that connect the present day to the days of slavery and civil rights movements as well. I believe that cooperative learning activities are really good for engaging students in critical thinking and social understanding. Linda Fernsten says that “Cooperative groups engage students socially, challenge them cognitively, and integrate cooperative and independent skills. I think that the benefit to this is greater than closely reading and researching on your own. Fernsten also give a few examples of activities to use when putting students into groups such as graphic organizers, venn diagrams, and even rap songs mentioning key points from readings. It is also very important to carefully put your students into groups to get the best results.