Essential Questions are great tools to organize courses and units. Regardless of how we end up using them, sooner or later reality demands that students find some answers! And here’s where the real work begins. Consider the challenge this way: to answer …
The next school year will start and, if you’re like me, you have no idea what it’s going to look like. But let’s imagine… You’re finished with the rules and procedures and expectations for the year. You’re ready to set …
It seems paradoxical but it’s not. Children’s stories capture our imagination, make us wonder, and reveal the inherent mysteries of life in the simplest and most profound ways. They can also motivate teachers and students of all grade levels and subjects …
Two truths about teaching: 1. Questions don’t work too well unless students are in the mood for them. 2. Nothing sets a mood like a good story. Two truths about stories: 1. They captivate the imagination. 2. They create healthy …
Was the Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tzu onto something? John Kennedy thought so. Here’s a great example of how you can use Teach Different’s 3-Step conversation method in a unit on the Cold War in US history. Step …
Here’s what I have so far… Does our system of government succeed or fail in preventing the abuse of power? Do interest groups frustrate or promote democratic ideals? Is popular sovereignty a reality or an illusion? Are the media …
This essential question comes from a New York Times article by Beverly Gage, which was shared via Twitter by Mary Ellen Daneels ( @daneels_m ), lead teacher mentor for the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and contributor to IllinoisCivics.org The article …
Though people like Socrates made asking questions seem deceptively simple, it’s actually a very complex process. Here are a few criteria to creating the kinds of deep questions that fuel great conversations. A really good essential question causes confusion and …
From the historic March on Washington to the streets of Charlottesville, and into the opening ceremonies of football games, we see people and groups fighting against intolerance to promote a more peaceful, just society. But wait… Can intolerance be a …
Seems counter-intuitive to me. But maybe I’m missing something. Inspired by stoic philosopher Epictetus, here’s how you can work through the 3-Step conversation method to create an essential question for a US history unit on imperialism.
“I think, therefore I’m right.” Whether it’s defending a position on gun control, angling for a better grade in class or arguing about musical tastes in the lunchroom, many students tend to think that thinking about and believing in something are sufficient grounds …
In Monday’s (1/22/18) sschat we discussed ideas for Embedding Writing into the Social Studies Curriculum. I shared an innovative tool called The 4-Sentence Paper, which was created by Dennis Earl, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Philosophy at Coastal Carolina University. …
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