As someone who grew up with teachers who either simply shoved textbooks in our face (not literally…whew can you imagine?) or made copies of pages from other textbooks in an effort to teach social studies, I really appreciated the lesson modeled in class. Mind you, I found myself losing focus because I feel like we may have been allotted too much time to answer questions, but even so, the lesson was extremely effective. I don’t think I ever had one teacher explain the importance of looking at things in historical context, then again, I’m 33 and it’s been awhile so my memory could be off.
This new perspective is invaluable and this teaching technique seems critical to help students fully understand concepts in social studies. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of I say, you say, and so when it was first discussed, but after seeing how it can be used to examine different types of primary sources, it seems like a no brainer. One thing I might change would be to maybe say “so what…?” rather than “and so…” I fear some of us may have gotten caught up in the way it was worded thus keeping us from understanding the effectiveness of this model.
I do find myself stuck on the question I asked in class…how does an elementary school teacher find the time to teach this in-depth when faced with the tedious task of teaching to an SOL test in not only social studies, but multiple subjects?
Hi Sarah,
Providing a cut and dry answer to your question is a challenge and very difficult for you to clearly see right now because of where you are in the pre-service process. But, let me try and give you something to think about. This is how I think things through.
First, I think about what is required of the lesson based on the pacing and the alignment to the Standards of Learning. I may list these things out on paper because I am very visual. I think through what content needs to be taught and then I look at the skills required for the grade level. I ask myself, what required skills can I use to teach the content and how much time do I think it will take? I also wonder how I am going to assess the learning along the way and summatively. I think about ways that I might get two bangs for the buck. For instance, teaching vocabulary in a creative way can also frontload the lesson which saves time and allows me to jump right in the “good stuff.” Also, teaching vocabulary in a creative way allows me to formatively assess what students already know. This is all happening simultaneously. Tricky? You bet it is. However, in time, it will become second nature. It is OK to begin teaching in a very structured manner because you have to give yourself time to learn! But, you can take a structured lesson to a higher level by choosing one question at the end of the lesson to ask students that gets them to think differently about the content. If you allow them to turn and talk about their answers you have allowed students to think critically. For example, think about the boycott lesson. You could ask: If the bus driver had not called the police that day on Rosa Parks what do you think would have happened? Turn and talk with your classmate. Then, you walk around and listen in. You could even make that a writing exercise.
It will come! Be patient with yourself and let it all unfold. Thank you for your reflection. I truly appreciate your zest for learning! Lynne