Knowing The Children We Teach
Class 3
January 27, 2011
TE 401 Teaching Social
Studies to Diverse Learners
Focus on the Field
Clint
Multiculturalism in
social studies education
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Knowing the students we teach
Agenda
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Focus on the Field
Questions
Getting to know your
students
Diversity
For Next Time
Discussion Readings
Workshop time – lesson plan
Questions (about anything?)
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How are placements goingwhat issues have come up?
Building Classroom Community in TE402:
Getting to Know Each Other
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In order to talk about how to build
community in our elementary classrooms,
it is important for you to feel as if you are
part of a community
We have already started this process but
we want to take it to the next level
This activity is designed to initiate
community building by sharing personal
experiences (you can share as much or as
little information as you feel comfortable)
Let’s move to the groups from last week
Building Classroom Community in TE402:
Getting to Know Each Other
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Within each group, each
student responds to the
statement or question
If you feel uncomfortable
with a question – choose
different one
Take turns answering the
questions
Other students are invited
to ask questions and
comment
Look for similarities and
differences in the
responses- take some
notes
Whole class debriefing
Describe an experience in
which you felt like an outsider,
a minority, or an outcast.
2. What has been the biggest
obstacle in your life?
3. Describe an experience in
which you were directly
insulted or criticized but could
not/had trouble defending
yourself.
4. What type of community do
you come from in terms of
race, class, and/or religion?
5. Which stereotypes have
negatively affected you in life?
6. Describe an event or
experience that changed or
challenged your prior
beliefs/assumptions.
1.
Modeling for Classroom Students
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Let’s “reframe” this activity –
thinking like a teacher…
Would you use this activity with
elementary students? Why or why
not?
How would you change it?
Diversity
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The name of this course: teaching social
studies to diverse learners – what does
this mean?
Diversity is variability—differences—within
populations, especially with reference to
ethnicity, race, culture, language,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, social
class, cognitive skills, learning styles
Homogeneity does not mean diversity
Your Conceptions of Diversity
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Intersection of categories are variable – not just
female, or urban, but identities complex
Importance of getting to know students- Know tensions
that they engage with in their identities
You as a teacher are perceived- what identifies do you
share or not with your students and what impact does
that have on your students?
Equal opportunities- gaining understanding of what
they have and not just our perceptions
You will value them and they will value what you say
more if you share a cultural capitol- other people in
your class might not have the same capitol –
understand that about them because affects the way
they see you and you perceive them.
Diversity and Social Studies
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The disciplines in the social studies naturally
address issues of diversity. So diversity is
taught through CONTENT (the curriculum)
For example:
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Geography—one of the five themes is “place”:
the cultural characteristics of places around the
world
Economics—studying the economic relationships
between developed and developing countries
History—studying the Seneca Falls Convention
and the women’s rights movements
Civics—studying amendments to the Constitution
that affect different groups of people.
Large Group Discussion
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How can we set up a classroom
where diversity is acknowledged
and respected?
What do you need to be aware of?
Scenario
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Teacher 4th grade classroom for past 3 years
New kid- Latino, he speaks limited English
proficiency with primary language Spanish
Treated like an outcast- students make fun of his
accent- call names
Issue of immigration naturally comes into your
classroom- how do you address this issue
with your students in a way that respects
diversity and perspective of students
Can you imagine how to make this an
applicable topic in your social studies
lesson?
For Next Time
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DUE: Parts I and III of the FieldBased Lesson (turned in for
feedback- will be returned to be
revised for final grade)
Start thinking about Seeing Student
Thinking- what questions will you
ask & schedule with your CT time to
do interviews
For Next Time- Reading Jigsaw
wiki sign-up to read one:
 Brophy and Alleman, Chapter 5 –
History
 Levstik and Barton, Chapter 1
(coursepack)
 Hakim (coursepack)
 Cohen (1994a) and Cohen (1994b)
(coursepack)
Discussion of Readings
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Placed into groups
Discussion of Readings
Nancy Serrano (Michie)
Mama Moultrie (Corwin)
Michie
What were your general
impressions of
Nancy as a teacher?
What rewards did she
experience teaching
in the urban
setting?
What challenges did she
experience teaching
in the urban
setting?
What strategies did she
use in motivating
her students to
learn? What pitfalls
of teaching in urban
settings did she
avoid?
Corwin
What does “Mama
Moultrie” do that
distinguishes her
from other
teachers?
Why does she teach
her students about
using different
vernacular in
different settings
(also known as
“code switching”)?
How does she help
students connect
with Hawthorne’s
Scarlet Letter (and
with content in
general)?
Debriefing
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In your small groups
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What are some unique challenges students in
urban or rural settings might face?
What are some unique rewards teachers might
experience in urban or rural settings?
What are some unique features of teachers
that might be required for teaching in urban or
rural settings?
What are some strategies teachers should
employ in any school settings?
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What is a deficit model
What is a self-fulfilling prophesy
Lesson Plan Workshop
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Go over assignment details
Any questions?
What is your topic