How to Write a Letter - Capstone Seminar | ED 870, Papers of History of Education

Download How to Write a Letter - Capstone Seminar | ED 870 and more Papers History of Education in PDF only on Docsity! As a wise educator, you are entitled to give advice to others. Imagine there is an advice column in the most prominent practitioner publication in your field. The theme of this week's column is "Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom." You are to write both a letter seeking advice and the columnists' response to that letter. The letter is to be from someone who works with students/interns and is responsible for helping them learn from their field or practical experiences. This person may be a more experienced practitioner or someone from the university. The letter should... * describe a problem that they are trying to address in their instruction. This problem should be about the challenges of making the learning experience powerful and worthwhile to the students * include specific details about what is being taught, how it is presently being taught, to whom, and for what purpose. * be about a 250 words long * be creative and highly engaging to read. Dear Magister, I’m a history teacher and having a hard time “keeping it real” for my students. The nature of this subject keeps my students rooted in their seats to hear my lectures about the great events, ideas, and civilizations that have shaped the world. You see, this is how I studied history at one of the leading institutions of learning as an undergraduate. I believed that what worked there would certainly work in my classroom. I am now seeing that this might be wrong. I teach U.S. and World History in a public high school. The district requires these classes for graduation, so I see students with a wide range of interests and abilities. During my first two years, I have seen very little motivation in any of my students. I try my hardest to tell interesting and engaging stories, I assign papers and projects with (what I think are) fascinating topics, and I try to explain how important these lessons are (“those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, etc.”), but I just can’t seem to inspire my students. How can I make stories about a bunch of dead people come to life for my students? Clearly, I believe that history is one of the most important subjects students can learn, but how do I prove that to them? Please help me. I am beginning a unit on the Ancient Rome in a few weeks and I don’t want the fall of the Empire to coincide with the fall of my Career. Sincerely, Alexander the Mediocre The response is written by someone who is an experienced professional in the field who has a deep understanding of both the specific practices involved and of issues of learning in and out of the classroom. The response should... * demonstrate a keen understanding of the problem described in the letter * give feasible advise - that is, make suggestions that are reasonable in the context * clearly draw on what you have learned about learning in and out of the classroom from our readings, your discussions, and your own experiences. After all, understanding the literature is one aspect of expertise, and experts like to show off how they are expert! * be about 500 words long * be creative and highly engaging to read. Dear Alexander, The lessons of history are indeed some of the most important a student can learn, but if you can’t wrestle your students’ attention from other thoughts, they will certainly miss out on great opportunities and lessons. You seem to have a great grasp of why you’re doing your job, let me help you with how. First of all, it is important that you know that actual, published historians do commiserate with you. I believe Thomas Cahill eloquently addresses the limitations of your subject. He says, “History must be learned in pieces. This is partly because we have only pieces of the past– shards, ostraca, palimpsests, crumbling codices with missing pages, newsreel clips, snatches of song, faces of idols whose bodies have long since turned to dust– which give us glimpses of what has been but never the whole reality.” Our job, as educators, is to help students see the “whole picture” for themselves, but more importantly, to help them find their own place in this picture. However, I have major issues with your current approach. I respectfully disagree your statement about the nature of your subject. It does not demand that students remain “rooted in their desks,” listening to you drone on about dead people. Since this is an advice column, I’m going to let you have it. My first piece of advice is: GET OUT OF THE CLASSROOM (and take your students with you!). There are many opportunities to learn outside the classroom, and as a history teacher, you are one of the luckiest ones. I suggest you start small. Have your students research local points of interest (buildings, organizations, historical events), so they can begin to see history happens everywhere, and it will motivate them by allowing them to research within their own interest area (of course, you should have an extensive list to help those students who are tough to motivate). Educational theorists agree that Piagetian theory argues that knowledge is constructed through action (Apkan, 2002). Therefore, inject some action into your class. During the research project, take students on walking tours (see your district policy on walking field trips) to point out interesting spots that students may or may not be researching. I guarantee this activity will stimulate discussion within your class.