In reading the article by Van De Weghe I learned the importance of questioning in the classroom. Why we as teachers need to be willing to ask questions, so that students can learn instead of regurgitate information. I like this video explaining how we can frame the questioning and lead students to learn. This type of teaching I understand because it is the way I teach at home. I ask my kids is this going to get you where you want to be? Usually the answer is No. So then I ask what is another way to approach the problem? Becoming a teacher to help students to think is a wonderful thing to do especially in the High School level where students will need to think as they go out in the world.
When I was in school more than twenty years ago learning was regurgitation type of learning. The teacher was in the front of the room and lectured. This was not enjoyable in any way for me and I struggled to learn because I was bored. In doing clinicals I have noticed some changes in middle school but not in High School. Even though we have the Common Core Curriculum teachers won't change because they have been doing it for 15 or 20 years and are close to retirement. So why change teaching strategies? The answer to that question is do you care if your students are learning or achieving scholastically? Just like in any other career there is going to be someone that doesn't care and just wants the paycheck. If you are a teacher with this attitude then it is time to find something else. In my school district I can only find a handful of teachers that do really care, all the rest are there for the paycheck.
In a Civil Rights Unit I would ask questions like:
How does Plessy vs. Ferguson impact society? Why?
Which movement was most effective in changing society passive or aggressive? Why?
If you wanted to change a problem how would you go about achieving a solution?
What was the most profound movement during the Civil Rights Era? Why?
If you lived during this era who would you support Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr. or the white supremacist group? Why?
Why is it important to learn about the Civil Rights Movement? Why?
Hi Rebecca: I really appreciated the list of discussion questions that you would ask. They definitely meet van de Weghe's criteria of being "cognitively challenging" and "authentic." They are also substantive and open-ended. Just brainstorming here along with you, but I think it would be great to allow students to ask their own questions too. Van de Weghe found that, when students ask their own questions, it increases the chance of a dialogic classroom discussion by 200%. Maybe you could start off with these questions, and then ask students to identify any burning questions they still had afterward? Again, just brainstorming along with you here. Thanks for your posting and for that great video!
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