Teaching History
and the Social Sciences
EDU 341
Dr. Brad Austin
Fall 2003
Sullivan 109A
______________________________________________________________
“I have never heard anyone say he left teaching for a more important job”—University
of Dayton Symposium on the Humanities participant, March 2002.
Contact Information
Office Hours: My office is in Sullivan, room 106B. I
will be happy to meet with you during my office hours: Monday, 12:00-1:15;
Wednesday, 11:45-1:15, 4:-6:30; or by appointment at another time.
Phone: Work 978-542-7143 (SSC ext. 7143)
Mobile 978-985-3501 (Please use only in case of emergencies)
Email: brad.austin@salemstate.edu
Introduction
This course is designed to introduce students to the methods and strategies
of teaching history at the secondary level. In order to offer a true
introduction to the challenges of teaching history in high schools, this
course will involve active discussions in the college classroom and frequent
observations of teachers and students in local high schools.
This course will focus on several topics and themes that are of great importance
to practicing and aspiring teachers of history. These will include
recent debates about the “proper” content of American, European, and world
history courses, creating active learning opportunities based on primary
sources, the utility of lecturing, methods of historical inquiry, teaching
writing while teaching history, the use of primary and secondary sources
in the classroom, curriculum development and aligning with state standards,
the use of technology in teaching and in student research, the benefits of
incorporating local history into Unit Plans, and assignment design and evaluation.
It will be a busy term.
According to SSC guidelines, students must have passed the C&L part of
the MTEL before enrolling in the course.
Objectives
The broad goals of this course are to encourage students to think of themselves
as historians and to prepare them to be effective teaching historians.
This course has several more specific goals and objectives. They include
the following:
1) To provide students, through readings, discussions,
and observations, with a true introduction to the numerous challenges faced
by high school history and social studies teachers.
2) To equip students with the intellectual and practical
tools they will need to address these challenges.
3) To introduce students to the most recent trends, debates,
and thought about curriculum development, assessment, and classroom management
strategies.
4) To give students many opportunities to prepare sample
course materials and lesson plans, to develop their skills in doing so, to
see how others might approach similar topics differently.
5) To allow students to sharpen their communication skills
by presenting their ideas and projects to their peers and colleagues.
6) To start preparing students for the academic job market.
Required Readings
- Gary B. Nash, Charlotte Crabtree, and Ross E. Dunn, History On Trial:
Culture Wars and the Teaching of the Past (1997).
- Sam Wineberg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting
the Future of Teaching the Past (2001).
- You should also have ready access to high school and college world
and United States history textbooks.
- Readings from Coursepack.
- You can find these readings in an envelope outside of my office in
the Sullivan Building. Please read or copy them quickly and return
them, so that others can use them.
Assignments
Classroom Participation and Discussion:
20%
Journal Entries and Brief Papers:
20%
Report on Observation of Local High School: 15%
First Drafts of Bibliography:
5%
Unit Plan Rationale and Objectives:
5%
Unit Plan Outline:
5%
15%
Final Unit Plan:
30%
100%
Classroom Participation and Discussion: This class will be successful
only with the active participation of all students. You should attend
every class session and be ready to discuss the assigned readings with your
colleagues.
Journal Entries: Students will record their thoughts about and questions
raised by each reading in a journal. They should also use the journals to
take notes during their classroom observations. They should bring these journals
with them to each class to help us guide and inform our discussions.
Periodically, the instructor will collect and review the journals. Students
will also compose at least two brief, more formal papers in response to the
readings.
Report on Observation of Local High School: Students will write a
4-6 page paper about their experiences as an observer of a practicing high
school teacher and how what they’ve seen correlates to what we’ve discussed
in class.
Creation of a Unit Plan: This is the most important project
of the semester, both in terms of practical utility and theory. Through
this project, students will get the chance to think as an active historian
and a teacher. (We will discuss whether or not this is a false dichotomy).
Students will submit over the course of several weeks, a draft bibliography,
a draft unit plan rationale and list of objectives, and a proposed detailed
outline for the unit plan. Considering comments from both the instructor
and their colleagues, the students will revise and complete the unit plan.
Make-Up Policy:
If for any family or medical reason you find it absolutely necessary to miss
a due date, you must contact me before the due date and have my consent to
your absence if you wish to submit your work later. Without granting such
permission, I will not accept late work.
Equal Access Statement
Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational
experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable
academic accommodations, aids, and adjustments. Any student who has
a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid, or adjustment should
speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who
have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule
and appointment with the Office of Students with Disabilities and obtain
appropriate services.
Academic Honesty
“Salem State College assumes that all students come to the College with serious
educational intent and expects them to be mature, responsible individuals
who will exhibit high standards of honesty and personal conduct in their
academic life. All forms of academic dishonesty are considered to be
serious offences against the College community. The College will apply
sanctions when student conduct interferes with the College’s primary responsibility
of ensuring its educational objectives.” (From the Salem State College
Catalog 2002-2004, p. 293. Students should consult pages 294-295 of
the catalog for further details on Academic Integrity Regulations and in
particular, the College’s definition of Academic Dishonesty).
Course Schedule (Subject to Change)
Date
Topics
Readings & Assignments
Week 1(Sept. 3 and 5) Introduction of Course
Syllabus and Goals “The Strange Death of Silas Deane;”
Nash, Preface and Acknowledgments
Week 2(Sept. 8, 10, & 12) Historians
and Teachers—How do we learn? What do we teach? Students must pick high school for observation.Nash,
3-127; Wineberg, Chpts. 1 and 2; Becker, “Everyman his Own Historian.”
Week 3(Sept. 15, 17, & 19) Standards
and the Politics of History Nash, 128-258; Frameworks/Standards
relevant to paper assignment. Assignment:
Students will compare and contrast two different versions of MA Curriculum
Frameworks OR the most recent MA Frameworks with the National Standards discussed
in Nash. They will submit their findings in writing and in a brief
oral presentation.Assignment: Students commit to Unit Plan topic.
Week 4(Sept. 22, 24, & 26) Incorporating
Different Approaches to History Finish Nash; Degler, “Why
Historians Change Their Minds;” Curriculum Guides from high schools; Wineberg,
Chpt. 6. Assignment: Students
will examine a chapter in a high school history textbook to see how it presents
women and women’s history.
Week 5(Sept 29, Oct. 1 & 3) “What am
I going to do on Monday?”—The Importance of Having a Plan (and effective
Plans)— “The Lecture: A Powerful Tool for Intellectual
Stimulation;” “Active Learning: Quantity, Extent, Depth Count;” Sample lesson
plans
Week 6(Oct. 6, 8, & 10) Getting History
into Their Hands—Using Primary Sources in the Classroom Wineberg,
Chpts. 3 and 4; “Using Primary Sources in the Classroom;” “History Goes Digital:
Teaching with On-Line Primary Sources.”Assignment:
Students present selected primary sources to the class.First Draft of Unit Plan Bibliography Due
Week 7(Oct. 15 & 17)No class on the 13th—Columbus Day
Classroom Management and Active Learning “Humor
as a Teaching Tool;” “How to Keep Your Students Thinking;” “Effective Discussion
Leading;” “The ‘Change-Up.’”Assignment:
Students submit paper on their observation experiences.
Week 8 (Oct. 20, 22, & 24) Teaching Today’s
Students About Yesterday’s Events; Teaching and Reaching a Diverse Student
Population.How to Assess Their Work Wineberg, Chapter 5;
Census Data; School Demographic Statistics;Case Studies of Classroom Situations;
AP US History Grading Rubrics.Unit Plan Rationale
and Objectives Due
Week 9 (Oct. 27, 29, & 31) Teaching with
Technology and Using (not Abusing) Hollywood’s History Samples
of multimedia materials offered by textbook publishers; “The Movie-Maker
as Historian: Conversations with Ken Burns;” Chapter from History by Hollywood.
Week 10 (Nov. 3, 5, & 7) Teach Global;
Think Local—Incorporating Local History into the High School Classroom
“Voices of Experience: Oral History in the Classroom” and “Ghosts,
Legend, and Haunted Houses: Using Colorful Local History Resources in the
History Classroom;” Discussion with local historical society spokesperson.
Detailed Unit Plan Outline Due
Week 11 (Nov. 10, 12, & 14) Preparing
to be a Student Teacher (and then a “Real Teacher”) Massachusetts
Requirements for Educator Licensure; Materials re: MTEL History Subject Test
Week 12 (Nov. 17, 19, & 21) Individual
Meetings with Instructor about Unit Plans Students Must
Schedule Conference Time with Instructor
Week 13 (Nov. 24) Classroom Presentation
of Lesson Plans Materials Submitted by Students
Week 14 (Dec. 1, 3, & 5) Classroom Presentation
of Lesson Plans Materials Submitted by Students
Week 15( Dec. 8) Classroom Presentation of
Lesson Plans Materials Submitted by Students