horizons

Greetings from Patti Henderson

Please let me introduce myself. I’m Patti Henderson, aka “the new Aerin Guy.” Our colleague and friend has moved on to a new position at the Wellesley Institute here in Toronto. We at Pearson miss Aerin already, and owe her a debt of gratitude for launching the Pearson School Division into the blogosphere. I am happily tasked with the responsibility of continuing the Horizons blog tradition and I ask your patience as this is my first official blog entry.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a seasoned publishing person, having been in this exciting and challenging industry for close to 15 years. I’m also a former high school History teacher and a poster child for the saying “those who cannot teach… go into publishing.” For me, publishing is the next best way to have a positive impact in the classroom.

I am a fiery red head,  and a photography enthusiast - here's one of my favourites from your beautiful province that I took on a recent research trip for Socials 11:

I'm also a sports nut, a novice chess player (I have recently beat the computer 7 times…in level 1…). and am well-known and loved here at Pearson for incredibly bad puns.

In the upcoming posts I hope to provide you with more information on the official launch of Horizons, 2nd edition, but more importantly, this blog is intended to provide you with the support you need as a teacher of Socials 10. As the infamous Jerry Maguire saying goes, “Help me help you.”

Please let us know how we can offer you value through this blog… comments welcome!

Historical Empathy, by Adrian French

While completing my master’s degree last year, I was introduced to the term “authentic education.” The term stems, in part, from the idea that to provide an education that is both meaningful to our students and reflective of real world demands, our curriculum must be rigorous and relevant. This educational approach also demands that students build a personal relationship with all aspects of their education.

This methodology allows students to establish a sense of ownership over their educational experience. Although Social Studies lends itself to the authentic approach, there are challenges. Fostering this historical relationship, or historical empathy, is key in allowing 21st century students to appreciate the role that history plays in influencing today’s society.

Bring History Alive

The idea of creating historical empathy between modern teenagers and people from the past is always challenging in a Social Studies classroom, but it is a challenge that must be addressed in order to bring history alive. One way to help establish historical empathy is to break down a specific historical context into smaller parts, such as technology, age-specific workload, or even personal visions of the future. If present-day students realize that their historical counterparts struggled with the same personal issues they do, empathy and relationship-building with the curricular content can ensue.

Authentic education may allow a student bathed in 21st century technology to understand how the coming of the railway impacted information transmission in a similar way that real-time webcams are impacting information transmission today. Establishing historical empathy also allows students to realize that every generation lives and deals with personal and societal uncertainties, and that history can help them understand their present context.

Keeping it Riel, by Jenise Boland

The study of the Red River Rebellion is a cornerstone of any Canadian History curriculum. The recreation of the dramatic trial of Louis Riel has become a must-do in classrooms across the country, engaging students in a simulation of the exciting events leading up to Riel’s conviction, and ultimately, his execution. For some teachers, a large-scale, whole class simulation is fraught with logistical difficulties.

• How can students capture the drama of the events on a smaller scale, while still demonstrating effective written, oral, and graphic communication skills?
• What options exist for teachers to tailor assignments to the individual strengths of students, while ensuring all students explore the issues surrounding one of Canada’s most fascinating and controversial figures?

The following projects offer students the opportunity for in-depth study, while offering teachers the flexibility of differentiating instruction.

Newspaper Project

In classrooms where computer access is limited, a newspaper assignment is an ideal way to research and analyze the events of the Red River Rebellion and the Riel trial.

Have groups elect an editor who assigns the task of writing articles, editorials and editorial cartoons, interviews, etc. to group members. Analysis of primary source documents allows students to explore multiple perspectives and bias in the media, as well as its ability to inform, entertain, and persuade. Students can conduct “interviews” using first-hand accounts from primary sources.

Website Project

The creation of a website is an ideal way for IT savvy students to showcase their learning. Like the newspaper project, keep groups small. Students should elect a webmaster or project manager to delegate tasks. Students will be expected to produce the conventions of a modern information-based website with articles, blogs and graphics. Don’t forget about a bibliography.

TV News Broadcast

Confident students respond to the opportunity to present a TV News Broadcast to their classmates. Groups can be slightly larger (up to 8 students), or students may be encouraged to take on multiple roles in smaller groups. On-the-scene reporters interview key members in the trial, such as a juror, a witness, or Riel himself. Others report on the response of the crowd and/or government. Encourage groups to research persons and events before planning their performance, and to keep track of who did what (making individual and whole-class assessment easier for the teacher). Broadcasts can be live or pre-recorded. Props, costumes and primary source documents should be encouraged if not part of the grading criteria.

QUICK TIPS

• Ensure that responsibilities are fairly distributed by keeping groups small.
• Be sure students keep a detailed list of sources consulted to be cited later in the bibliography.
• Assessment criteria can be generated by the class or assigned by the teacher, with grades given according to both individual contribution and whole group effort.