Tip of the Week – Interactive Lectures III

Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared a bit about Jason Stacy’s article in Social Education titled The Guide on the Stage: In Defense of Good Lecturing in the History Classroom.

Jason suggests that when done well, lecturing is a tool that engages students, encourages constructivist learning and supports historical thinking. Part one focused on the Problem-Centered lecture and part two talked about the Comparative lecture.

This week?

The Thesis-Driven Lecture.

Jason suggests that the Thesis-Driven lecture

demands interaction from students even when they are quietly taking notes.

This happens because you inform your students of your thesis and objectives before the lecture begins and tell them that you intend to prove your thesis to their satisfaction. The Thesis-Driven lecture works best when your thesis is something that students think is wrong or “absurd.”

To teach the period prior to the American Revolution, Jason uses the thesis: “The American reaction against British taxation was illegal, unjustified and fundamentally unnecessary.” This method usually works best with material known to students or in opposition to their textbook.

But it allows, even encourages, students to challenge your thinking during the lecture. And so instead of passively copying notes, students begin constructing counter-arguments and alternative perspectives to the one you’ve presented.

Another example might be the teacher who asks middle school students to look at a map of ancient Egypt and suggest that the best place for human settlement in not along the Nile River. Or a high school teacher suggesting that Lincoln was wrong to resupply Fort Sumter.

Some may use Jason’s article as an excuse to return to a very traditional, very direct and very ineffective lecture style.  What he is suggesting is that instruction that includes problem-centered, comparative and thesis-based lectures allows you to present factual information while also demanding that students actively engage with the material.

So a quick overview of Interactive Lectures:

• Requires that you are very familiar with the material
• Be sure to use material that will raise questions, spark debate and challenge student assumptions
• Encourage high level thinking and conversation through open-ended questions
• Use the Chunk & Chew method when presenting new information (10-20 minutes of instruction and two to four minutes of small group discussion)
• Understand that an interactive lecture is not a class discussion – it is “explicitly” didactic with a clear end in mind

As Jason says:

The problem . . . is not lecturing but bad lecturing.

Have fun!

Tip of the Week – Interactive Lectures II

Several weeks ago I posted a quick overview of an article, The Guide on the Stage: In Defense of Good Lecturing in the History Classroom, that appeared in the October 2009 issue of Social Education. In the article, Jason Stacy, describes his love for the lecture.

And in the current educational world of social studies instruction, the lecture is often viewed as an example of what not to do.

So let’s be clear. Stacy is not suggesting that the typical, traditional lecture is good for kids. In fact, he’s saying just the opposite:

The problem . . . is not lecturing, but bad lecturing.

But he is suggesting that done well, lecturing can be a powerful way to engage kids in content. In The Guide on Stage, Stacy describes three examples of what he calls Interactive Lectures. My earlier post discusses his Problem-Solving Lecture.

Today? A quick overview of what he calls a Comparative Lecture.

Like the earlier Problem-Solving Lecture, a Comparative Lecture forces kids to assimilate new material by placing it in “constant opposition” to other material. Stacy uses the example of the difference between a Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian view of constitutional power. By using the Comparative Lecture approach, you can engage kids in not just the theories of the two views but also discuss those who supported the differing views. And then dig deeper into why certain groups supported certain beliefs.

It seems like a pretty simple, perhaps even a traditional, approach. But by creating a framework in which differences are acknowledged and encouraged, students are able to attach both prior knowledge and new content to something that makes sense to them. One person has called this sort of framework “mental velcro,” a sticky place in the brain to attach specific details.

The framework also lends itself to useful graphic organizers such as Cornell Notes.

This framework also encourages your kids to think historically while gathering basic facts through your delivery. Questions will naturally develop in your mind and the minds of your students that must be solved. These questions and the discussion that follows is the “interactive” part.

But to be truly interactive, these questions need to open-ended, that spark debate, challenge assumptions and involve groups of kids rather than the traditional “raise your hand, ask the same kids all the time” type.

Other comparative lecture topics might include such things as:

• Brown vs. Board of Education decision
• Drop the bomb vs. don’t drop the bomb
• Different approaches to solving the Great Depression
• Expansion of slavery
• Current health care

So . . . lecture. But lecture well, lecture interactively.

Next week? The Thesis-Driven Lecture.

Have fun!

Tip of the Week – Interactive Lectures I

Earlier this week, I spent some time ranting about teachers who are banning laptops and other forms of technology from their classrooms. And, yes, it is possible for learning to happen without the use of tech tools. Good teachers who use research-based learning theory have always found success whether they use technology as part of their instruction or not.

But it seems as if those supporting the ban of laptops (and iPods and cell phones and other forms of evil technology) are also supporting a more traditional form of instruction. A return to a time when teachers controlled access to information and when that information was handed out in finite chunks via 60 minute stand and deliver lecture sessions. You know what I’m talking about:

• No student involvement
• Exclusively teacher centered
• Purely fact regurgitation
• Audio-based
• No problem solving or mystery
• Expository rather than narrative
• Lives on the first floor in the three story house

So perhaps it will seem a bit strange that I might suggest that a lecture now and again is a good thing.

But a recent article in the National Council for the Social Studies journal Social Education provides some interesting research and strategies that support the idea that lecturing, when done well, can encourage high levels of learning.

Jason Stacy, the author of The Guide on the Stage: In Defense of Good Lecturing in the History Classroom, is not suggesting that the typical, traditional lecture is good for kids. In fact, just the opposite:

The problem . . . is not lecturing, but bad lecturing.

So he offers some great ways to incorporate what he calls Interactive Lectures into history instruction.

Building on the constructivist learning research of Jean Piaget and others as well as recent work by Sam Wineburg, Stacy provides three basic Interactive Lecture models. This week’s Tip will focus on the first model that Stacy calls Problem-Centered. I’ll share the other two models as Tips over the next few weeks.

(And while each model differs in approach and technique, I would suggest that all three models incorporate what some call the 10-2 strategy. The 10-2 strategy has the instructor taking 10 minutes for “didactic” lecturing on specific facts and then providing two minutes for what Stacy calls “buzz sessions” – small group and whole-class discussions around a question or problem. You may have heard this as the Chunk and Chew strategy.)

The Problem-Centered Model

Begin your lecture with a question or problem that must be solved. Stacy’s question? “Was Andrew Jackson a democrat or a despot?”

This deceptively simple prompt allowed me to spend some time discussing the definitions of each option. Also, it asked students to consider a rather forced dichotomy as the first step to showing the complexity of the question.

The problem provides a framework for providing factual information while activating prior knowledge.

In the context of this problem, these facts were suddenly problematic. Was the Trail of Tears the result of a president who listened to the will of the population and, therefore, an example of a good democrat? Or was Native American removal an example of a despotic leader who oppressed a minority to cater to the will of the majority? Is it some combination of the two? This problem, presented in this question, infused the facts with multiple possible meanings.

This gave Stacy wonderful opportunities to stop and engage kids with both facts and problems during the lecture. This can, and should, lead directly into primary documents, debates, Think/Pair/Share discussions and presentations of solutions.

Other possible problems or questions:

• The Cold War wasn’t cold or a war.
• Why was the Civil War unavoidable?
• The Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court decision didn’t go far enough.
• Were European explorers good or bad?

This form of Interactive Lecture provides “immediate meaning” to facts, allows you to model historical thinking skills and gives you the chance to let kids interact with content in a more narrative fashion.

Next week? Comparative Lecture

Have fun!

Update April 8 Interactive Lectures II – Comparative Lecture, Interactive Lectures III – Thesis Driven Lecture

National Geographic Mapmaker Interactive just got better

National Geographic has always been the go-to for geography goodies. You get lesson plans, teaching resources, maps, and even more maps.

And they always have had great map making tools. But they just got better. Their MapMaker has been updated with new features, the biggest one for many of you is the ability to use the tool on mobile devices.

But they’ve also added some new interactive tools:

• Country Facts and Flags – Explore and discover information about countries and territories around the world. Customize the fill and border colors to make this map layer your own.
• Latitude and Longitude – See the coordinates of any place on earth.
• Custom Text, Photos, Videos – Use markers, lines, or shapes to tell your story on MapMaker by adding in text, photos, and videos with the rich editing tool.

Start with a blank world map that allows

Tip of the Week – Interactive Student Notebooks

One of the stereotypes of high school classes, especially history classes, is that most instruction consists of dry, boring lectures. The teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as played by Ben Stein comes to mind.

In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the . . . Anyone? Anyone? . . . the Great Depression, passed the . . . anyone? Anyone?

The tariff bill? The Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act? Which, anyone? Raised or lowered? . . . raised tariffs, in an effort to collect more revenue for the federal government. Did it work? Anyone? Anyone know the effects?

And while direct instruction delivered this way has very little impact on long-term learning, we also understand that kids need to be able to gather and organize basic information so that they can apply that information in creative ways.

We also know that graphic organizers are great tools for this task. One form of graphic organizer that works very well is something called Interactive Student Notebooks. I was reminded of ISNs this week when I got an email from a teacher looking for ways to integrate technology into their use.

ISNs are the anti-thesis to the old style outline notes that we were taught as students and many teachers still use. Interactive Student Notebooks allow students to record information in an engaging way that’s based on brain research.

At a very basic level, an ISN is simply a notebook or binder with each page divided in half – a right side and a left side. The right side or “input” side should be used for taking class notes, notes from a video or discussion or from assigned readings. This can be done in a traditional outline format but teachers can also model a variety of visual models such as flow charts, annotated slides or other simple graphic organizers. Basically the rights side is where a student puts information that everyone in the class needs to know.

The left side or “output” side is where application of that information begins to happen and where students start the processing of new ideas. You should ask students to use illustrations, diagrams, charts, poetry, colors, matrices, cartoons, and the like. Have kids articulate their opinions, agree or disagree on controversial issues, ponder hypothetical situations and ask questions about new ideas. Early in the process, you will need to model what these activities might look like. These activities help kids understand that simply writing down lecture notes does not mean they have learned the information.

So what does it look like?

This example from the History Alive people shows a student taking class notes on late nineteenth-century industrialism on the right side of her notebook. Later as homework, she created a topical net on the left side using the information from the right side.

Why use ISNs?

• ISNs encourage students to use both the visual and linguistic parts of the brains.
• Note taking becomes a much more active process. Students become directly involved in constructing their own knowledge. Much of the work is actually doing something with the information.
• ISNs encourage students to become more organized in the learning process. Kids begin to see relationships in the process of doing history. Many teachers also ask that students use highlighters, subject headings, underline and colored markers.
• Over time, ISNs become a portfolio of the student’s work. You, the kid and parents can track progress throughout the school. ISNs also provide an excellent review tool.

There are tons of ways that you can use the left hand side of the ISN (courtesy of History Alive):

• Advertisements
  Design advertisements to represent migration, settlement, or the significance of a specific site.
• Annotated Illustrations
  Make annotated illustrations to recount a story of travel or migration, to represent a moment in time or to label architectural features.
• Annotated Slides
  Use simple sketches of powerful images, accompanied by annotations, to help students understand difficult content.
• Book / CD / Video Games covers – design the layout using information from the right side.
• Caricatures
  Draw caricatures to present the main characteristics of a group in history or how an individual or group was perceived by another group.
• Eulogies
  Write eulogies to extol the virtues of prominent historical figures or civilizations.
• Facial Expressions
• Draw facial expressions to summarize the feelings of groups who have different perspectives on a single event.
• Flow Charts
  Create flow charts to show causal relationships or to show steps in a sequence.
• Forms of Poetry
  Write various forms of poetry to describe a person, place, event or feeling of a moment.
• Historical Journals
  Assume the role of a historical figure to keep a journal that recounts the figure’s feelings and experiences in language of the era.
• Illustrated Dictionary Entries
  Explain key terms by created illustrated dictionary entries. Write adefinition, provide a synonym and an antonym, and draw an illustration to represent each term.
• Illustrated Outlines
  Use simple drawings and symbols to graphically highlight or organize class notes.
• Illustrated Proverbs
  Create illustrated proverbs to explain complex concepts.
• Illustrated Timelines
  Create illustrated timelines to sequence a series of events in chronological order.
• Invitations
  Design invitations that highlight the main goals and key facts of important historical events.
• Mind Notes
  Draw and label outlines of the heads of important historical figures. Fill in the outline with quotations and paraphrased thoughts from that person.
• Mosaics
  Synthesize information from a broad content area by creating mosaics. Use visuals and words to represent similarities, differences and important concepts.
• Perspective Pieces
  Design drawings or write newspaper articles to represent different perspectives on controversial figures, events and concepts.
• Pictowords
  Create pictowords (symbolic representations of words or phrases tha show their meaning) to help define difficult concepts.
• Political Cartoons and Comic Strips
  Create political cartoons and comic strips to provide social or political commentary on important historical events.
• Postcards
  After studying specific content, write postcards to summarize information about places or events.
• Provocative Statements
  Have students react to provocative statements to introduce historical themes or to critically assess a historical period.
• Report Card
  Use graded evaluations to assess the policies of leaders or governments.
• Sensory Figures
  Create sensory figures (simple drawings of prominent historical figures with descriptions of what they might be seeing, hearing, saying,feeling, or doing) to show the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of historical figures.
• Spectrums
  Place information on a spectrum to show multiple perspectives on a topic or to express an opinion about an issue.
• Spoke Diagrams
  Create spoke diagrams as a visual alternative to outlining.
• Venn Diagrams
  Develop Venn diagrams to compare and contrast people, concepts, places or groups.
• “What If?” Statements
  Use “what if?” statements to apply newfound knowledge to hypothetical historical situations.

Have fun!

History is a bunch of grass. And we need to let our kids play on it.

Bob Edens had been blind since birth. Fifty-one years of darkness, sounds, smells, and touch followed. But after a remarkable laser surgery, Bob can now see. For 51 years, Bob had imagined what things looked like based mainly on the descriptions of others and what he could feel.

I never would have dreamed that yellow is so . . . yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red.

He’s now seeing for himself what he had only imagined.

Grass is something I had to get used to. I always thought it was just fuzz.  But to see each individual green stalk . . . it’s like starting a whole new life.  It’s the most amazing thing in the world to see things you never thought you’d see.

Sometimes I think we do this with kids. We tell them about history and have them read about history but we never let them experience history. They never get to actually “see” the individual people and events and details – students rely on us to describe those things for them. We can forget that history is supposed to be a verb, not a noun – especially at this time of the school year when we’re trying to make sure to “cover” everything.

So . . . how can we help our kids see history?