Image Source: http://www.colve.org/
I came to a
realization while having a conversation with a teacher concerning the future
direction of teacher's roles in the classroom. I found myself explaining
that the Common Core was a positive step towards ensuring the value of history
teachers. I have come to this opinion as I mine through both past and
present research concerning the teaching and learning of history. Given what this research has to say
concerning the study of history, I believe that history teachers now have the
opportunity to step forward as leaders in the realm of literacy and preparing
students for the recurring theme of active, responsible citizenship that is
contained in the Common Core.
This
opportunity lies in the new leeway given to the skill of the history teacher. While
the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System largely ignored
history as an important (worthy of being measured) discipline, the Common Core
Standards shed light on its ability to submerge students in acts of analysis,
synthesis, significance, and meaning making with complex readings that span
cultures and centuries. Munson (2011)
emphasizes this by explaining that the requirement to teach research, writing,
and communication skills “opens the door for extensive use of historical
documents, speeches, biographies, and other works that are excellent vehicles
for providing students with a deep and meaningful understanding of history and
civics” (p. 1). Simply put, the Common
Core Standards do not illustrate how to teach, but rather the goal of that instruction
(Martin, 2011).
Therefore, the Common Core
opens the door for a possible increased amount of collaboration between
historians and history teachers by advancing the subject beyond what many in
the public view as a set of indisputable facts (Drake
Brown, 2011) to one that requires true understanding. This is attained through extensive reading
and writing that focuses on the disciplines’ “habits of mind” (Drake Brown, 2011 p. 2) that are employed by practitioners
and instructors alike. This possible partnership
holds the promise of what history teachers have wanted; the opportunity to
prove the importance of their discipline through what Munson (2011) calls a
revitalization of the most important history and civics content.
If taken as an opportunity, the
Common Core Standards will assist history teachers by not just allowing, but
encouraging a deeper investigation and creation of historical narratives. Students would have the opportunity to corroborate
sources, evaluate evidence, and assess texts (Drake
Brown, 2011) through discussion and debate. Because the
Common Core Standards emphasize disciplinary reading and writing, knowledge
about teaching history to diverse student populations is critical (Martin,
2011). Because historical knowledge
coupled with disciplinary thinking is crucial to increase historical
understanding, content knowledge is needed. It comes down to the fact that the
Common Core State Standards are now highlighting the basis of historical
understanding; literacy.
This, if
embraced and approached creatively, showcases the importance of not
only history as a subject, but the skill of those who teach its understanding. History
teachers, with proper preparation may stand poised to bring a once pushed aside
discipline to the forefront once again.
Sources Cited
Drake Brown, S. (2011). [Web log message].
Retrieved from http://teachinghistory.org/issues-and-research/roundtable-response/25351
Martin, D. (2011, November 18). [Web log
message]. Retrieved from http://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog/25306
Munson, L. (2011). [Web log message]. Retrieved
from http://teachinghistory.org/issues-and-research/roundtable-response/25353
No comments:
Post a Comment