SMUMN - The Impact of Online Discussion in a Middle School Social Studies Classroom

Cross-Post for St. Mary's University Master's Program:

Implementation Plan

Classroom discussion is often important in most classrooms. However, it is one of the key components of any good social studies classroom setting. My students and I spend a lot of time having classroom discussions on a variety of topics. These discussions can be incredibly engaging and fruitful, and they are vital to the class. However, as often pointed out in the research, classroom discussions are often moderated question and answer sessions facilitated by the teacher. As much as I like to think that we have vibrant discussions, I know that I am guilty of leading a “moderated Q&A” more often than I’d care to admit. Most teachers will tell you that they would like their classrooms and instruction to be more student-centered, and I would include myself in that group. When it comes to discussions I would absolutely like to move away from a moderated Q&A toward a much more student-centered discussion. Beyond that, I’d also like to ensure that all of my students are participating in the discussion. Though many students very well might be engaged and listening to the discussion, it is nearly impossible to have all students fully participate in a full-class discussion. With that in mind, I hope to use online asynchronous discussion with my students to not only increase student participation, but to move away from a moderated Q&A discussion to a true discussion.

For this action research my students and I will engage in online discussion using Schoology (www.schoology.com). We have dabbled in using Schoology throughout the year, so my students are already familiar with the platform and how it works. We have also had a couple of online discussions this year, so again students are familiar with what they need to do on Schoology. We will be studying the Reconstruction Era of the United States, which is the time period immediately following the Civil War. Throughout the chapter the essential question we will be exploring is “To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?” 

In years past after we have studied each major period of Reconstruction students have plotted on a spectrum (Limited Citizenship to Full Citizenship) where African Americans were, and then wrote a short justification for their assessment. Students then stood on a spectrum in the classroom to reflect their opinions, and we concluded each section with discussion of why students stood where they did. I’ve wanted more out of these particular discussions in a few areas. One, I wanted more original thought and less of students ‘parroting’ their peers, and two I wanted deeper and more advanced explanations. Additionally, these discussions never include everyone.

This year the process will be modified slightly. Students will still plot their feelings on the spectrum in their binders and write a short defense and explanation. However, we will not stand on the physical in-class spectrum until some online discussion has taken place. There will be five different opportunities for students to post online - after each section in the chapter. These online posts will replace the traditional class discussion They will respond to an online discussion prompt within Schoology. They will not be able to read their peers replies until they post their own. This will force them to give their own original thoughts and ensure that all students are involved. And, ideally, because students know that their peers will read and respond to their posts it will lead to higher-level discussion. The sixth and final discussion will not take place online, and we will have this discussion entirely in class. The final discussion comes at the end of the chapter - at the end of Reconstruction.

The question I will be hoping to answer is “What is the impact of using online discussion in a middle school social studies classroom?”

Data Collection Plan

The first method I will use to assess the impact of using Schoology and online discussion in my class will be to make note of the posting frequency. I keep track of what percentage of students post, which should help me to determine the overall participation of students in the discussion. However, I will also determine how many students responded to their peers, and how often they responded. This second metric will be more important as it will hopefully give me a better idea of how much actual discussion is taking place, as opposed to students just posting their thoughts without reading and responding to their peers. 

The second method I will use will personal notes and analysis of the posts. I plan to make notes on the depth and quality of the discussion, as well as other reactions that I have to the discussion taking place. Although I have no notes from previous years, this will help to give me some insight into whether or not the online discussion, on the whole, is better or worse than previous years in terms of the depth of the argument and quality of the discussion put forth by the students.

The third and final method of data collection will be a student survey given at the end of the chapter. Survey questions will ask students to provide insights into the online discussion and how it compares to normal in-class discussion. Questions will be quantitative as well as qualitative. This piece of the puzzle will be incredibly important to the entire process as it gives the direct insights and reflections of my students.

SMUMN - Spring Conference

Cross-Post for St. Mary's University Master's Program:

 In mid-April all Year 2 students will be sharing the results of their Action Research to other Year 2 students, along with all Year 1 students. I selected five sessions that look promising and like they'll have a lot to offer. The subject of my first session will be all about differentiated instruction in a history classroom. Though I'm making a change to Global Studies next year, there will no doubt be many concepts and ideas that will transfer. The researcher examined different ways to differentiate - content, process, and product - and the effect of these different methods on student achievement. As the researcher points out, a one-sized fits all approach in education does not work. However, it also appears that differentiating in just one facet of teaching (content, process, and product) does not work either. I will be most interested to see what form of differentiation appears to work best for which groups of students, and which curriculum concepts.

Following that session I will attend a session about how best to give feedback to students in their written work. Though this session is geared toward a language arts crowd, there is an immense overlap between language arts and the social studies...or at least, there absolutely should be. One thing I have struggled with - and I know I'm not alone - is how to best give timely and meaningful feedback in an efficient manner while keeping my sanity. I've scoured the earth for a solution to this quandary and it appears there is no magic bullet. That said, the research and strategies presented here will add more tools to my belt and I look forward to what will be a highly relevant and important session.

Just before lunch I will attend a session that is right in my wheelhouse - that is, actively incorporating technology to enhance a social studies classroom. Technology in an educational setting is one of my strengths, despite being a school that lacks WiFi or any type of 1:1 program. I am always eager to see and hear different applications of educational technology. Even better, this session will the results of a focused research project to see the results. This should be a great session.

The fourth session of the day is probably the one I'm most looking forward to - it's all about how the use of primary sources in a history classroom can be used to further the learning of gifted and talented students. As a history teacher I believe it's important for students to "do" the work of historians by using primary source material to make judgements and assessments about the past. Not only is this more authentic, but it really challenges students to think critically and make arguments based on evidence. I am eager to see the results of this research.

The final session for the day will be about the use of blogging in a social studies classroom - particularly when it comes to covering current events. I have long wanted to introduce my students to blogging as a way to increase the frequency and audience of their writing. I am hoping that not only will this session discuss the costs and benefits to this, but that it will also provide some solid information from the results of the research.

State of the Union 2013 Bingo & Watching Activity

Every winter not only is it a tradition for the President to give his State of the Union address, but it is also a tradition for me and my students to do something with that address...watch it, discuss it, and even play bingo with it! Below is part of what my students and I will be doing this year for the State of the Union. All credit to the inspiration and concept of the first page goes to TCI, who prepared an activity that is very similar. You can veiw theirs, the original, by clicking here. If you haven't checked out TCI, you really ought to. Their curriculum and materials are outstanding! You can follow them on Twitter, or check them out online.

Live Viewing Activity
Here is a link to the activity for my students to complete while viewing this year's State of the Union. In addition to a close watching/reflecting of the address, they also get to have a little fun with State of the Union bingo! Students unable to watch it live will have through the end of the week to access the speech online (watch or read), or they can read newspaper accounts (print and online) to complete the actvity.

Live Viewing Online Discussion
I'm trying something new this year for my students and myself...I've long wished I could be there with them to help process and understand big live events like this. So this year I'll be hosing an online discussion for all my students using Schoology. We've had online discussions before, but never during a live event like this. It is optional, but I'm pretty sure I'll have more than a few take advantage of this. I'll post more of a reflection on how it went later...but in the meantime I'm hoping it'll be an innovative and unique experience for my 8th graders!

What do you do?
It'd be great to hear about how you cover the State of the Union (and other big, primetime events) with your students!

SMUMN - 21st Century Learning

Cross-Post for St. Mary's University Master's Program:

It's a little absurd, isn't it? We're over a tenth of the way into the 21st Century and we're still talking about what a 21st Century education is and should look like. Shouldn't we be there already? Shouldn't these have been conversations taking place decades ago? Shouldn't massive changes have already taken place? Why are we still talking about the whats and the hows of a 21st Century education? The talk needs to stop, the action needs to begin.

We live in a world that is constantly changing and growing, it is becoming more and more complex by the day. The rise of the internet and mobile communication has created many challenges. Tackling these new challenges will require critical thinkers to be able to identify and solve these problems. The students of today need to be equipped with the tools to think critically, to collaborate efficiently, and to understand the world around them. Our students need to master the 21st century knowledge and skills required to thrive as effective citizens.

The 21st century citizen must be proficient in the "Four Cs": Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity. Strong critical thinkers will not only be problem solvers, but problem identifiers as well. The master collaborator will have no problems reaching out to those around him or her to accomplish the tasks at hand. Of course, none of this collaboration will be possible without clear communication between all parties. Lastly, creativity means that students will be able to examine the world to find new innovative solutions.

The Four Cs will not be all that is needed, but they will be at the heart of being a 21st Century Citizen. They will also need the support to develop transferable skills that will prepare them for everyday life and future careers that don’t yet exist. These skills include the ability to quickly adapt to new environments, to take risks and rise to challenges, and to learn from failure.

This generation is the first in the history of the world to have nearly instant access to an almost limitless source of information. However, this access is useless unless we have the skills necessary to find what we’re seeking. We live in an age of instant news and information and our students will need the ability to identify the difference between bias and objectivity. The ubiquitous access to technology and mobile devices opens a world of opportunity, and problems. We need to make sure that our students know how to responsibly use this technology for good, and not evil.

What we need are students that are products of a new educational system. Our educational system needs to reflect the expectations and challenges of a 21st century citizen and needs to keep its eyes steadily fixed toward the future, rather than leave its feet firmly planted in the past.

So far I would say that my learning with St. Mary's has begun to reflect the expectations that we have for our students and the 21st century learning environment. We are asked to challenge ourselves and to really use the "Four Cs". However, so far I'm we haven't had to do much in the way of identifying problems and creating solutions. I suppose to an extent we are doing that with our action research. As we go forward it looks like we'll be doing more investigating and collaborating with the world around us.

Personally, I feel as if I know enough to teach and understand the challenges of 21st Century education. What I really feel I am lacking are two key components. One, is that my students and I aren't fully equipped to learn and teach in this new environment. For example, we currently lack even basic things like WiFi in our schools and our students are still prohibited from using their own personal mobile devices in the classroom. I know that both of these limits/policies are changing, but not fast enough for me or my students.

The other big limitation is the current educational system. We are still stuck in an archaic 19th Century (let alone 20th Century!) factory model where your age determines your grade, and you are essentially learning the same core material that generations gone by have learned. Sure, we jazzed it up by putting an iPad in our student's hands and a SmartBoard in every classroom...but really, what has changed? A couple of years back I had the chance to hear Ken Robinson speak at the TIES Conference in Minneapolis...he does a great job explaining this dilemma. If you haven't already, take a moment and watch the video below.