The Persistent Issues in History Network

Promoting Historical Understandingand Critical Reasoning

Challenges in Promoting Lasting History Learning

• How do we stimulate students’ interest in history subject matter?

• How do we encourage students to think deeply about history content?

Problem-Based Historical Inquiry

• Students as Active Problem Solvers

• Learning Organized around Enduring Societal Questions • Problem Solution Requires Using Knowledge in Novel Ways

PIH Project Goals

• Active student exploration & construction of knowledge

• Application to persistent problems of democratic citizenship

• Integration of ethical questions into policy positions

• Cooperative work; shared expertise; civil discourse

• Development of thoughtful dispositions

Supporting PBHI

Clear Unit Focus: What strategies should be pursued in 1968 to continue the struggle for a more just, equal society?

• Intro to Project: P. 73

Supporting PBHI

Authentic Culminating Student Products :

• Group multimedia presentations to civil rights leaders

• Individual essays: p. 31

Supporting PBHI

Collaborative Expert Groups

• Phase One: Data-gathering Teams • Phase Two: Decision-making Teams

Decision Point!• Database of content resources related to the

African-American Civil Rights Movement

• Scaffolding tools to assist students with

analyzing and evaluating historical

evidence and presenting conclusions

• Tools to assist teachers with authoring

activities and guiding student investigations

Supporting Thinking about Content

Conceptual Scaffolds

• Three Thematic Strands: Change Strategies

Supporting Thinking about Content

Conceptual Scaffolds

• Civil Rights Events Grouped by Change Strategy• Primary Documents Classified by Type

• Decision Point! database– 24 Events

– Interactive essays

– Newspaper, personal accounts, opinion, artifacts, images, video clips

Decision Point Learning Components

Supporting Thinking about Content

Conceptual Scaffolds

• Interactive Essay for Each Event

• Timelines

Decision Point Learning Components

• Interactive Essays– Overview of the event

and links to relevant documents

– Help students contextualize evidence as a historian would

Supporting Thinking about Process

Strategic Scaffolds

• Data Gathering Guides

• Models

Decision Point Learning Components

• Student Guides– Scaffold to assist

with data collection and organization

– Designed to allow students to analyze an event similar to a historian

Supporting Thinking about Process

Accountability

• Data Gathering Roles

• Expert Investigator

• Fact Checker

Supporting Thinking about Process

Feedback For Data-Gathering Phase

• Self-Assessment through Journals

• Socratic Meetings with Teams

• Interim Feedback on Data Synthesis Charts

Off-line Activities to Support Thinking

• Interactive Slide Lectures & Film Clips

• Socratic Meetings with Student Teams

• Synthesis Discussions

• Thematic Timeline

• Feedback on Progress

The Commons Socratic Meetings

Teacher-mediated

INSTRUCTION

Technology-mediated

In-Class Multimedia Media Center

M T W TH FDiscussion & Mini-

Lectures

Socratic

Meeting

Multimedia Station

Media

Center

Discussion & Mini-

Lectures

Media

Center

Socratic

Meeting

Multimedia Station

Multimedia Station

Media

Center

Socratic

Meeting

T-1

T-2

T-3

Supporting Thinking about Process

Decision-Making Phase

Supporting Thinking about Process

Decision-Making Phase

• New Roles

• Synthesis of Information

• Consider Alternatives

• Construct Persuasive Dialectical Argument

Supporting Thinking about Process

Feedback For Decision-Making Phase

• Presentation Rubric

• Storyboard

• Model Presentation

• Socratic Meetings/Interim Feedback on Storyboard

Decision Point Learning Components

• Presentation– Provides

generative tools for using multi-media evidence to present a persuasive argument about the unit problem