UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
DEPARTMENT OF INSTRUCTION & LEARNING
IL 2262: TEACHING AND LEARNING II – SOCIAL STUDIES
Instructor: Michael G. Lovorn, Ph.D. E-mail: Phone: 412-610-0017
Office Hours: Wednesdays 3:00 – 4:30 PM, and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTIONThis course is designed to develop the knowledge, skills and theoretical considerations needed to teach social studies in the secondary classroom by providing pre-service teachers with a comprehensive overview of some the most effective approaches to planning, implementing, managing, and assessing successful and effective learning experiences for students.
Emphasis is placed on the selection and/or design of high cognitive demand tasks and appropriate pedagogical scaffolding to support students’ engagement in those tasks. Teacher candidates will have opportunities to engage in key pedagogical practices while receiving constructive feedback from peers and the course instructor.
COURSE OBJECTIVESThis course intends to help students:
1. develop a working knowledge of various social studies standards and frameworks as articulated or endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (including C3, PASSS, and CCSS);
2. examine various educational theories and taxonomies and learn how to implement them in secondary social studies contexts;
3. learn to create standards-based lesson plans using a variety of instructional strategies;
4. develop a working knowledge of effective formative, summative, and performance assessments;
5. develop an understanding of the connections between lesson goals/objectives, activities, and assessments;
6. practice the instructional strategies, teaching skills, and classroom management skills necessary for effective social studies instruction;
7. learn to apply strategies designed to support reading and writing in social studies;
8. learn to engage students in the investigation of primary and secondary sources, historical thinking, and historiography;
9. develop the ability to differentiate instruction to make social studies content and skills more accessible to all students;
10. review literature and other resources on current trends, issues, problems, and solutions for improving social studies education;
11. develop skills to establish a socially just, equitable classroom climate that facilitates student empowerment;
12. learn to implement higher order thinking skills (including problem-solving, inquiry, and critical thinking) necessary to promote effective, engaged citizenship among students;
13. explore, evaluate, and integrate technologies and other emerging resources into social studies instruction.
REQUIRED READING & OTHER MATERIALSRequired Resources:
· Pennsylvania Academic Core Standards for History and Social Studies (available at: http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/StandardsDownloads)
· CourseWeb
Required Texts:
· A Practical Guide to Middle and Secondary Social Studies (3rd ed.), by June Chapin, ISBN: 9780137059195
· The Challenge of Rethinking History Education: On Practices, Theories, and Policies, by Bruce VanSledright, ISBN: 9780415873789
Recommended Text:
· Reading Like a Historian: Teaching Literacy in Middle and High School History Classrooms, by Sam Wineburg, Daisy Martin & Chauncey Monte-Sano, ISBN: 9780807754030
No assignment or class activity will be graded on a curve, and no grade quotas are set for evaluative marks. Evaluation areas are listed and explained below and on the following pages:
Grading RangesA 180-200 points
B 160-179 points
C 140-159 points
D 120-139 points
F 119 points or less / Activities
Discussion Participation & Course Activities (10x10)
Lesson Planning & Teaching Episode
Book/Research Presentation
Historiography Report
Total: / Point Values
100
40
30
30
200
DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION & COURSE ACTIVITIES (100 POINTS)
Your active participation in our discussions and all activities is critical to the success of the course. During our class meetings, we will engage in various assigned readings, theoretical and practical discourses, lesson planning, and reflective and developmental exercises. The depth and breadth of these activities will depend largely on your preparation and participation. I expect you to participate actively by completing readings promptly, taking part in all group and individual writing activities, and contributing to all class discussions. You will receive ten discussion/participation grades, each worth up to ten points, making up 50% of your final grade. I will use the following 10-point scale to assess each of those discussion, contribution, and/or participation episodes:
Discussion & Course Participation Evaluation Scale:
9-10 points – Your participation is significant, and meets or exceeds my expectations. You contribute/participate consistently throughout the discussion/activity. You demonstrate original and deep thinking, and engage in focused analysis of appropriate readings/topics. You lead conversation and introduce compelling ideas.
7-8 points – Your participation is modest, and meets some, but not all of my expectations. You engage in a marginal analysis of appropriate readings/topics. You continue conversation and/or build on the ideas of others.
5-6 points – Your participation is weak/minimal, and meets few if any of my expectations for graduate-level study. You make few, if any, contributions or appear disconnected from discussion/activity, and/or you demonstrate uninformed analysis of readings/topics.
0-4 points – You are absent or make no real contribution to the discussion/activity.
Each student in this course will research, plan, and present one formal 30-minute lesson to her/his peers this semester. Your pre-lesson research should consist of the selection of an approved topic, followed by retrieval, review, and selection of various supportive content and strategy sources. The formal lesson plan should be completed and submitted for review by the instructor at least one week prior to your presentation, and should include a copy of all resources, media (web links, YouTube, video clips) you will use, and your PowerPoint or Prezi. You should approach the presentation as though you are the teacher in a middle or high school social studies class, and your classmates are your students. You have the freedom to develop the participation as you see fit; however, at a minimum, the lesson should include: 1. reasonable, accomplishable objectives; 2. an anticipatory set or warm up activity; 3. an interactive higher order thinking activity; 4. a formal or informal formative assessment; and 5. lesson closure. I will use the following 40-point scale to assess your lesson presentation:
Lesson Presentation Evaluation Scale (40 Points):
37-40 points – Exemplary (exceeds my expectations for mastery in all areas). Your lesson was clearly well researched and planned, and your presentation style was highly engaging, creative, and extraordinarily effective in nature. Your lesson was marked by concise attention to detail, higher order thinking engagement, and clear demonstration of your superior knowledge and skills in content and pedagogy (based on my expectations for your development). You effectively engaged and interacted with your “students,” you skillfully and fluidly transitioned though each required lesson component, and all in all, your lesson was a great success.
32-36 points – Good (meets my expectations for mastery). Your lesson appeared well researched and planned, and your presentation style was moderately engaging, creative, and effective in nature. Your lesson was marked by adequate attention to detail, higher order thinking engagement, and demonstration of your appropriate knowledge and skills in content and pedagogy (based on my expectations for your development). You effectively engaged and interacted with your “students,” you skillfully and fluidly transitioned though each required lesson component, and all in all, your lesson was a solid success.
22-24 points – So-so (meets some of my expectations for mastery). Your lesson appeared adequately researched and planned, and your presentation style was modestly engaging and effective in nature. Your lesson was marked by adequate attention to detail and demonstration of your minimally acceptable knowledge and skills in content and pedagogy (based on my expectations for your development). You did a fair job engaging and interacting with your “students,” you transitioned though each required lesson component, and all in all, your lesson was an average success.
18-21 points – Poor (meets few if any of my expectations for mastery). Your lesson appeared to be severely lacking in several respects, and/or your presentation style was not particularly engaging and effective in nature. Your lesson was marked by inadequate attention to detail and/or poor demonstration of your knowledge and skills in content and pedagogy (based on my expectations for your development). You did a poor job engaging and interacting with your “students,” and/or you did not effectively transition though each required lesson component. Overall, for one or multiple reasons, I consider your lesson to be a below average effort and it meets few of my expectations.
17 or fewer points – Unacceptable. Your lesson demonstrated few if any redeeming qualities or is nonexistent. You demonstrated very little (if any) depth, insight, or attention to detail. I expect far more from you at this level of study.
BOOK/RESEARCH PRESENTATION (30 POINTS)In pairs (or solo), you will research an approved current trend, issue, or problem in social studies education, and prepare a related presentation to deliver to your peers and me. Your collaborative background research should consist of the retrieval and review of 3-4 recent (2010-present) informational sources (articles, book chapters, documentaries, online media, etc.), which will anchor your subsequent 30-minute presentation. The presentation should consist of a thorough synthesis/analysis of the topic, and your informed opinions or recommendations for practice and/or further research. You should also be prepared to answer questions about your findings. Acceptable presentation outlets include any dynamic visual medium (PowerPoint, Prezi, or similar). I will use the following 30-point scale to assess your presentation:
In-class Presentation Evaluation Scale (30 Points):
28-30 points – Exemplary (exceeds my expectations for mastery in all areas). Your presentation is concise yet highly informative, and you perform an exceptional critical analysis of the literature and the topic. Your presentation style is highly engaging, creative, and extraordinarily relevant in nature, and you have presented your topic in a way that we all learn from your insights.
25-27 points – Good (meets my expectations). Your presentation is concise and moderately informative, and your critical analysis of the literature/topic is solid. Your presentation style is engaging, creative, and relevant in nature, and although I may not have learned anything new, I am pleased with your effort and competence.
22-24 points – So-so (meets some of my expectations for mastery). Your presentation is modestly informative, but is also lacking in some respects. Any combination of the following factors warrants this evaluation: cursory coverage of the literature/topic, inadequate research, incomplete/shallow analysis, little attention to gaps in research, or lacking presentation style/quality. You demonstrate a modest understanding of the literature/topic, but you haven’t necessarily introduced deep thinking, and we have learned little if anything new from your presentation.
18-21 points – Poor (meets few if any of my expectations for mastery). Your presentation is severely lacking in several respects. What you have presented is of little usefulness and/or contains multiple significant inaccuracies, you fail to adequately analyze the literature/topic, you do a poor job of addressing research, and/or your presentation seems perfunctory. You demonstrate little depth, insight, or attention to detail. I expect more from you at this level of study.
17 or fewer points – Unacceptable. Your presentation demonstrates few if any redeeming qualities or is nonexistent. You demonstrate very little (if any) depth, insight, or attention to detail. I expect far more from you at this level of study.
HISTORIOGRAPHY REPORT (30 POINTS)Our semester-long study of historiographic analysis will culminate in a class-wide poster session (known as the “Historiography Festival”) during which you will report your analysis of an approved local/regional historical commemoration. After studying examples in class, you will collect information on a historical era, event, individual, or group that is commemorated with a recognized site, landmark, roadside marker, or similar, then you will follow James Loewen’s approach (see references, 2009) for critiquing the historical presentation of the topic. Your primary focus will not be on the historical era, event, individual or group, but rather the way information is commemorated (or not) and presented (or not). Remember, historiography is the study of history.
Your Historiography Report should be presented in the form of a poster (I recommend the tri-fold variety), and should include a summarized but critical discussion of: 1. the historical presentation; 2. the accuracy and significance of the commemoration; 3. the ‘take-home’ message (your opinion), and 4. how students might perceive the display/history. You will have a great deal of creative liberty in the development and presentation of your poster. I will use the following 30-point scale to assess your Historiography Report:
Historiography Report Evaluation Scale (30 Points):
28-30 points – Exemplary (exceeds my expectations for mastery in all areas). Your poster was well designed and extraordinarily informative. You clearly performed an exceptional critical analysis and critique of the historical commemoration, and I found your report to be presented in a highly engaging, creative, and extraordinarily relevant manner. We all learned from your skilled historiographic analysis. Excellent work!
25-27 points – Good (meets my expectations for mastery). Your poster was well designed and moderately informative. You performed a solid critical analysis and critique of the historical commemoration, and I found your report to be presented in a fairly engaging, creative, and relevant in nature. I am pleased with your effort and competence. Good job.
22-24 points – So-so (meets some of my expectations for mastery). I found your poster fairly well designed and perhaps modestly informative, but also lacking in some respects. Any combination of the following factors warrants this evaluation: cursory coverage of the historical commemoration; inadequate, incomplete/shallow analysis; weak critique of the commemoration. Your demonstrated some modest understand of the commemoration, but didn’t necessarily introduce deep thinking, or unique/original ideas.
18-21 points – Poor (meets few if any of my expectations for mastery). Your historiography report was severely lacking in several respects. What you presented was of little usefulness and/or contains multiple significant inaccuracies, and you failed to adequately analyze or critique the historical commemoration. Your findings/conclusions seemed perfunctory, and you demonstrated little depth, insight, or attention to detail. I expect more from you at this level of study.
17 or fewer points – Unacceptable. Your historiography report demonstrated few if any redeeming qualities or was nonexistent.