History Museum

How do you make history class relevant to high school students?  This has been a question that I have kept at the center of my planning for the last twenty years.  This question is not an easy one to answer. However, it is a question that must be answered in order to provide today's students with the best experiences possible.

My choice this year was to run my class in an even more student-centered manner than I had ever done in the past.  I incorporated student choice and blogging into our weekly routine.  In addition to these activities, we are acting as curators of our own history museum. Why?  Good question.

I believe that students learn more when they are part of the learning.  Some of the best learning happens in the ag shop, the art room, and the choir room.  Why?  Students in those classrooms act as mechanics, artists, and musicians.  They practice skills and with repetition improve and remember those skills.  Isn't this what I want in my history classes? YES!

A historian is a good reader, writer and critical thinker.  These skills can be practiced in a history classroom by using historical content. So, our history museum is off and running. Right now we are learning how to handle our responsibilities.  Soon, we will be making decisions on which content belongs in our museum and how we are going to exhibit this content.

Our main museum will be a class website. This website will contain pictures, videos, editorials, historically relevant definitions and explanations.  We have three committees and three departments in which students act as historians throughout the week.  Being a historian may not be as much fun as being a mechanic, artist, or musician, but we are trying to get there.

At the end of the year we will have a collection of what we learned and what we as a class find important about being a citizen of this great country.  I want my students to be better when they leave high school than during high school and this museum will provide them with skills they can use the rest of their lives.  

I teach history but hope to impact the future.

It's All About the Learning!

Student Choice

The idea of allowing students to make choices in the classroom has always been interesting to me.  After 22 years of teaching, I have finally adopted student choice as a main component in our classroom.  Early results are so encouraging.

Relevance of material contained in curriculum is vital for students to comprehend and maintain knowledge.  How do I make content relevant?

I have debated the appropriate balance between content knowledge and skill knowledge for a long time.  How do I teach what I need to teach while making my students better thinkers?

The answers for me are found by using our states Historical Literacy standards in connection with state content standards.  Identifying the power content standards first and then using the literacy standards to implement and compliment.

OK.... that was great teacher speak.  That's the textbook answer.  I actually do all of the above; however, that is not the key to our classroom.

The key.....student choice.

Allowing freedom in the classroom is both enjoying and troubling.  Joy in watching our students work hard, create and learn.  Troubling in the fact that I as teacher have to monitor and record progress of many different tasks all at one time.  The joy far outweighs the troubling aspects of student choice.

Here are a couple of examples of student choice.

1.  Weekly Vocab:  Students choose the words and how they will demonstrate they learned said words.  The creativity I am seeing for a 10 point assignment is amazing

2.  Blogging:  Each student spent time creating their own personal Blog.  Time spent designing and formatting blogs has been eye opening.  I have learned about embedding video from one of my students.  The creative names and the pride they are taking has been great to witness.

3.  Notebook choice:  Students can keep a notebook on Google Docs, Evernote or LiveBinders.  They choose.  Discussions with students so far has been great and I am learning so much about online binders.

4.  Committees and Departments:  We are creating a year long US History Museum that will house examples of what we have learned, what we believe is important and what we have created.  Students can apply for these positions and will work together in creating this museum.  Leadership opportunities exist for this student driven activity.

I know it is early in the school year and understand that there may be bumps in the road.  However, the hard work, the focus and the excitement I have seen with our students so far is simply AMAZING!


IT'S ALL ABOUT THE LEARNING