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TLT 412, Fall 2024 - Course record

TLT 412, Fall 2024 - Course record

Thursdays, 7:15-9:55 in Iacocca Hall room A-235
First class = Thur, 29 Aug; last class = Thur, 5 Dec; no class on 28 Nov (Thanksgiving) – voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania = Mon, 21 Oct; check your voter registration status at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15

Week 1 - Thursday, 29 Aug

Before class 

  • Buy a copy of the textbook (Maxim, 2017, Dynamic Social Studies for Constructivist Classrooms; currently in 11th edition, but earlier editions are fine). Amazon has it; Lehigh bookstore should as well 

  • Cruise this wiki and the CourseSite.

  • Preview the syllabus. We will discuss it during class.

During class (ppt; whiteboard)

After class

  • Reading

    • (Borrow something from me! Read or skim it! Talk about it next week!)

    • Maxim, Ch. 1 (What is?)

  • Assignments

    • WTL for this week: What is the purpose of curriculum??

    • Update your profile in CourseSite to include your picture

    • Starting planning out your upcoming assignments: Original Instructional Materials product #1, who you'll interview for HTCE, etc. 

    • Bookmark class websites on your computer (e.g., CourseSite, relevant wiki pages) 

Week 2 - Thursday, 5 Sep

Before class 

  • Complete reading

  • Don't forget to do the WTL in CourseSite!

  • Do the CourseSite updating (it helps me remember names/faces!)

  • Think ahead on your assignments

During class (ppt)

  • Starting off with something fun: A scavenger hunt! About the built environment

  • De-brief of the activity – how is this social studies? What kind of social studies?  

  • Social studies as a set of related social science disciplines – makes it easy for us, largely irrelevant to students. Just make it interesting for students; don't tie yourself up in knots about serving the discipline

  • Among the big four, we are starting with GEOGRAPHY

    • Why start with geography?

    • What is geography, anyway?

    • A look at some geography standards

  • Wading into social studies methods

  • Time for another geography method: Sketchmaps

  • Purpose(s) of social studies

  • Discussion of OIM #1

  • ...can we meet early next week??

After class

  • Reading

    • Maxim, ch. 8 (geography)

    • PDE geography standards (download these to a convenient folder; you'll need to refer to them)

    • C3 framework, geography section (again, download to a convenient spot...)

    • NCSS, 2009 (powerful and purposeful elementary social studies)

  • Assignments

    • Complete & bring in OIM #1; be prepared to show-and-tell!

    • Complete this Google Form for an in-class demo of a lesson called "Weaving the Globe" (form)

    • Complete WTL for week 2

Week 3 - Thursday, 12 Sep

Before class 

  • Complete Google Form on shoes/textile (link above)

  • Complete reading

  • Don't forget to do the WTL in CourseSite!

  • Complete & bring in OIM #1

During class (ppt)

  • Meet in lobby of Iaccoca at 6:30! We'll start from there

  • First thing tonight = scaffolded geocache. I will share starting materials here; if you want the full set, just ask

    • Handout with simple visual intro to lat/lon

    • List of coordinates for starting point, targets, and finish location

    • Decision-making scaffold, if anyone needs it

    • (If I were teaching this with elementary students: I'd actually start with this photoset to see locations along the Equator & Prime Meridian before going outside) 

    • (Alternatively: Here's a webpage [StoryMap] with info about latitude & longitude. This was written for older folks, not elementary students, but it has the images I would use with elementary students. Note that it also has embedded images on the map.)

    • (Since this activity does lots work in Google Earth: I encourage you to download Google Earth onto your laptop – https://www.google.com/earth/versions/ .  It's WAY more powerful as a downloaded program than something that runs in your browser.)

    • (And if you want to get into 'real' geocaching, go here: https://www.geocaching.com/play )

  • Discussing geography standards – quick look at PDE vs. Five Themes

  • Quick look at JamBoard of methods – we have some updating to do!

  • Potentially useful framework for thinking about your instructional decision-making: TPACK

  • (Additional supporting example of how technology can intersect with content and pedagogy: https://arcg.is/0LiKD1 )

  • Sharing OIM #1

  • More updating of JamBoard!

  • Closure

After class

  • Reading

    • Barton & Levstik, 1996 - skim to get the idea about how to build image set for HTCE assignment

    • Optional: If you liked the scaffolded geocache, save a copy of Hammond et al., 2014

  • Assignments

    • Prepare & turn in HTCE image set; see syllabus for details

    • WTL on school activities that relate to calendar events: Sept 11, Constitution Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc.

Week 4 - Thursday, 19 Sep

Before class 

  • Complete reading

  • Don't forget to do the WTL in CourseSite!

  • Complete & turn in HTCE prep assignment

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping; checking in on any calendar events that tie in with social studies content....

  • Conceptual work: More geography activities, working towards different stances

    • demo: Stack the Countries (see also Stack the States)

    • demo: What's in a (state) name? We'll run this on our JamBoard; I also have some other materials for a slightly different version linked from here: Computational thinking & social studies.

    • Discussion: Teacher stances – what do they think social studies is for? What does this look like in terms of geography education?

    • demo: Weaving the Globe – I'll be showing-and-telling, but feel free to download and play around with this Google Earth file as well. This is adapted from an old lesson that I found in a back issue of Social Education.

    • demo: ‘Transforming the Globe' (I also call it ‘mapping an orange’), borrowed from this lesson plan. If you want to go further with this idea, try this video: The Impossible Map (1947) 

    • maps as tools for all three stances + maps that exclude as well as include

    • now you produce something: We'll work through the first few steps of the Whose Land? activity

  • Closure

After class

  • Reading: Gaudelli & Laverty, 2017

  • Assignments

    • WTL = complete & share your "Whose Land?" map & reflection

    • Complete & turn in your OIM #2

 

Week 5 - Thursday, 26 Sep

Before class 

  • Complete reading

  • Complete WTL in CourseSite – keep in mind it's a little different than usual

  • Complete & turn in OIM #2 – don't forget that there's a reflection component! (See syllabus for details) 

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping

    • Anything to comment on about OIM #2? 

    • Let's check in for a second about your field placements & the field placement assignment

  • Conceptual work

    • Re-capping big ideas thus far...

    • Where we want to go tonight: Curricular planning for social studies. As usual, I'll say it's a little bit different

    • Where our attention has been

      • Geography ed

      • Methods (via JamBoard)

    • What we want to do next: Look at curricular planning, plus get into civics ed

    • Curricular planning: What is expected and what can never be; example of BASD curriculum, other curricular frames

    • Discussion of curriculum map assignment

    • Civics ed

      • Let's jump into things with a quick demo activity, as per usual – this time, an image annotation activity focusing on a very specific event...

      • Discussion of standards: PDE, C3, Center for Civic Ed

      • Another activity: A neighborhood walk about the functions of government, adapted to Google StreetView

      • Circling back to standards....

    • Closure

After class

  • Reading

    • Maxim, Ch. 9 (civics)

    • Civics standards: PDE & C3 (in CourseSite – see folder of standards)

    • optional: Brophy & Alleman, 2002 (this is a quick intro to their idea of cultural universals; FML has some of the supporting materials for this curriculum approach)

  • Assignments

    • WTL on civic ed – play an iCivics game and report back! ...OR... WTL on geography

    • Think ahead on your curriculum map assignment

 

Week 06 - Thursday, 3 Oct

Before class

  • Complete reading

  • Complete WTL on iCivics games

  • Work on curriculum map! It's a big assignment, and it's due soon!

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping

    • Field work discussion

    • Curriculum map / instructional planning assignments

  • Conceptual work

    • Curricular planning for social studies. As usual, I'll say it's a little bit different

      • Where our attention has been

        • Geography ed

        • Methods (via JamBoard)

      • Curricular planning: What is expected and what can never be; example of BASD curriculum, other curricular frames

      • Discussion of curriculum map assignment

    • Question at the heart of civics: What kind of citizen?

      • ...so: Let us all be aware that civics is special

      • (Pause to do a learning-about-government thing – note that this isn't necessarily something that you would do with your students or even teach them; this is more a conceptual thing for us, as adults engaged in social studies: a JamBoard about governmental structures -  )

    • Civics as education for democracy

    • Stepping back to pedagogy / civics ed instructional activities

    • Looking in classrooms for civics instruction

  • Closure

After class

  • Reading

    • Maxim, Ch. 4-5-6 (at least get it started, can finish later)

    • skim: Westheimer & Kahne, 2004 (what kind of citizen?)

    • optional: Westheimer & Kahne, 2009 (should social studies be patriotic?)

  • Assignments

    • Turn in fieldwork assignment, first steps

    • Work on fieldwork! Don't let it sit!

    • Do WTL on civics standards

    • Move forward on curriculum map assignment

Week 07 - Thursday, 10 Oct

Before class 

  • Work on reading Maxim chapters – highly worth it but may take you some time

  • Skim / download Westheimer & Kahne articles

  • Do WTL

  • Work on curriculum map

  • Work on fieldwork; turn in update

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping

  • Re-setting on big ideas about Civics

    • Digression about the DART mission

  • Methods for teaching civics; games, simulations, and models have a special place...

    • Re-visit looking in a classroom #2 (Jane Elliott)

    • Looking in a classroom #3: Mr. Salvaterra

  • ...and I have taken this special connection to an extreme: perhaps civics & games are mirrors to one another??

    •  Gerrymandering game

    • Playground rule-making

  • "Doing Democracy", Project Citizen (Center for Civic Education) – https://www.civiced.org/project-citizen

  • And a pedagogical thing about civics...but it also applies more broadly: Giving, Prompting, Making

  • And one last digression, about demographic change as a challenge to teaching civics (and other social studies content...)

 

After class

  • Reading

    • Finish off Maxim, Ch. 4-5-6

    • optional: Hammond & Manfra, 2009

  • Assignment

    • Complete and turn in curriculum map (+ reflection!)

Week 8 - Thursday, 17 Oct

Before class 

  • Complete and turn in curriculum map assignment – don't forget the reflection!

  • Finish reading

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping – questions / comments about curriculum map? Touching on next upcoming assignment, instructional unit overview

  • Some stage-setting as we sneak up on history ed...

  • ...but not before some last comments about civics ed

  • Getting into history ed

    • First, an experience for us as adult learners: The Story of Aaron

    • History vs. history education – some attempted demonstrations of the differences

    • "History of immigration to America" activity

    • History education...is either pro-democracy or pro-authoritarian?? 

    • Closure

After class

  • Reading

    • Maxim, ch. 9 (history ed)

    • History standards (see folder in CourseSite)

    • Optional readings

      • 1619 Project,

      • 1776 Project

      • Any of the history ed pieces under this week’s material in CourseSite – lots of great ideas / models for elementary history ed

  • Assignments

    • Starting working on instructional unit overview

    • WTL on citizenship test

    • WTL on instructional objectives

Week 09 - Thursday, 24 Oct

Before class 

  • WTLs

  • Complete reading

  • Work on instructional unit overview (at least read the specifications in the syllabus, no?)

During class (ppt)

  • Housekeeping

    • Curriculum maps - returned?

    • Microteaching planning

    • Instructional unit overview due next week - discuss? 

  • Going further with history education

    • Last week: Pretty heavy concepts. Let's start out with something more fun and concrete – lots of work with images!

    • Something I have chosen to sit on until we get to history ed: C3 Framework's Inquiry Arc. Simple concept, but powerful – low floor, high ceiling

    • And to do some inquiry with a familiar resource: Wikipedia

      • The Wikipedia we all know and love (?): Main Page

      • But how about these?