“On the day I observed [Katzenberg], she seemed to pour boundless energy into her class, never lecturing but always leading another activity: the Four Corners game, or a reading passage followed by quick questions and oral answers, or a speed-writing assignment as a warmup to a more formal paper to come. Her students didn’t sit and listen; they did things.”

Click here for the full article.

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Title: Teaching New Immigrant Youth in the Social Studies Classroom

Event: November 6, 2012 and/or January 28, 2013
Contact: Ashley M. Taylor at amt2161@tc.columbia.edu

Middle and high school social studies teachers are invited to participate in a workshop where scholars and practitioners will discuss theories and methods for teaching English Language Learners. Sessions are designed to have teachers experience a variety of strategies currently being used in NYC public schools. Teachers are invited to participate in the workshop at Teachers College, Columbia University. For further information, including a tentative schedule, click here. Please RSVP to Ashley Taylor by October 26th.

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Dr. Gaudelli writes, “I have the good fortune of speaking about global education with educators, scholars and policymakers around the world as part of my work.  What is most remarkable is that no matter where I go, the global is always somewhere else.  Global, this loose signifier of our time, is too often used as a means of deflecting the real problems that are close to home.  Local concerns are often viewed dismissively as too parochial to concern the globally-minded. When visiting a school in Jordan, I observed two students who rendered a map of the Middle East and blacked out Israel from the map.  When I queried the Minister of Education about this glaring misrepresentation, he explained that this was too sensitive an issue to raise in schools. I point to this example to illustrate the tension yet there are so many other examples. Such an approach teaches students to think about their lives in an alienating manner, to encourage them to fix their gaze on others problems rather than to see the difficulties of their own community against the wider backdrop of the world.”

To read the full article, click here.

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Read the whole article here: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/11/my-view-get-students-to-think-beyond-the-numbers/

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In addition to his work as both a teacher and a student, Holland has also taken on the role of a cooperating teacher at Teachers College for the past two years. “I think it is important for educators to remain connected with institutions of higher education and help mold the craft of our newer teachers as effective and reflective practitioners.  I hope that through example, deep discussion, and critical reflection, I can help newer teachers develop their own philosophy of education.”

Holland’s work as a cooperating teacher allows him to put into practice something he feels is a crucial component in the teaching profession. “I value cooperation and collaboration among teachers, especially from a multitude of school settings.  Cooperation and collaboration make teaching stronger for teachers in every stage of their careers.”

Holland has had the chance to experience both rewards and challenges in his role as a cooperating teacher. “The benefits lie in the cooperation and collaborative experiences I share with my student teachers.  The challenges lie in my ability to prepare student teachers for the dynamic qualities of every student.  I think that this is something we can all see when we enter the classroom.  I feel that one semester is far too short of a time to develop adequate skills to prepare lessons that meet the challenge of diversity in the classroom.  So in many respects, I think the challenges of a dynamic classroom extend beyond the reach of a student teaching experience.  Although, with the proper support, I can assist pre-service teachers in beginning to understand the value of this diversity in the classroom.”

Like any good teacher, Holland has a clear sense of what he hopes his student teachers will learn from their experience in his classroom. “I hope they see that every student deserves a good teacher and that most teachers want to be great at their craft.  I am privileged to work at a school with amazing students and a faculty that works hard to ensure that each kid has the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.  I also hope that my student teachers understand the value of being critical of their teaching abilities.  Just as it is important to find what works in the classroom, it is equally important to determine why it works and seek new ways to improve their craft.  Finally, I hope that pre-service teachers see that students that are not homogenous or predictable. Rather, they always change.  I stressed to my student teachers that the human element of the teaching and learning process must never be overlooked and should be openly embraced in the classroom.  It is what makes daily classroom events enjoyable, engaging, and very challenging.”

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On May 2, 2012, Teachers College hosted the launch of a new high school curriculum on Understanding Fiscal Responsibility. The event created a platform for conversation among leading policy analysts, educators, and economists on how to engage students in the nation’s fiscal challenges. The curriculum, created by TC faculty and students, is designed to explore issues around the federal budget and national debt.

Dr. Anand Marri, Professor of Social Studies and Education at TC, is the project leader and principal investigator of the Understanding Fiscal Responsibility project. He hopes the launch will create an awareness for educators across the country of not only the existence of this new curriculum, but of the importance of teaching kids about these issues.

Often times, Dr. Marri explains, there is a division between teaching about economics and teaching social studies, one that he feels should be broken down. “I think what happens with a lot of work in public policy and economics education is people think it’s just for economists or for people who are not necessarily interested in what happens in social studies and civics classrooms. We want to say that it is connected, that to be a civically engaged citizen you should have economic literacy.”

The launch brought together a number of special guests, including Peter Orszag, Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama Administration, and Peter G. Peterson, whose foundation is responsible for the three-year $2.45 million grant that is making the development and distribution of this curriculum possible.

Additionally, Kathryn Swallow, a teacher who has piloted the curriculum at the Community School for Social Justice in the South Bronx, shared how she has integrated math to teach about tax rates in her social studies classroom and how it has impacted her students.

Dr. Marri asserts that implementing fiscal education into the high school curriculum is critical. “Some people will say, ‘Oh, the kids shouldn’t learn about this,’ but we’re saying, ‘Why shouldn’t kids learn about the federal budget? It affects their lives.’”

The first ten lessons of the curriculum are now available on the Understanding Fiscal Responsibility website and more will continuously be posted. After registering on the site for free, all resources are free and ready to use.

Visit the Understanding Fiscal Responsibility website.

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Held in Vancouver, BC, the conference centered around the theme “To Know Is Not Enough.” Presentations, panels, and other events were aimed at promoting discussion on how the organization’s members are operationalizing AERA’s mission, as well as present new ideas on how the education research community can ensure that research knowledge is used to improve education.

Presenters emphasized innovative approaches to educational research, reviewed literature on how other organizations use research to improve education and serve the public good, analyzed poststructural critiques on the promotion of educational research, and explored the future of AERA’s mission.

Social Studies doctoral student Aviv Cohen attended the conference and participated in a professional development workshop titled “The Use of Theory in Qualitative Research,” which he describes as a great opportunity. “In this workshop I got a chance to engage in conversations with some of the leading figures in this field and hear about different aspects of numerous educational and research theories.”

Cohen has no doubt that this workshop will have an influence on his own dissertation, as it expanded his awareness of different ways to look at his own research.

Ellen Livingston, another attendee representing TC’s doc students, was a presenter at the conference. She presented the findings of her dissertation pilot study, “Skimming the Surface: Documentary Film in the Social Studies classroom.”

In addition, she particularly enjoyed a session called ”The Challenges of Being a Good Citizen and a Good Teacher: Lessons From the Wisconsin Protests,” in which classroom teachers shared their experiences during last year’s protests against attempts by the state government to eliminate collective bargaining rights for unions. “The session was an important reminder that real learning doesn’t take place only in classrooms, and that playing an active role in civic life is really what social studies education is all about.”

Ms. Livingston was also grateful for the opportunity to see some old TC friends, including Prof. Margaret Crocco and recent doctoral graduates Jennifer Cutsforth and Li-Ching Ho.

Doctoral student Yoonjung Choi gave a paper presentation called “Voices from Korean American Social Studies Teachers: Toward Culturally Relevant Pedagogy,” as well as a roundtable presentation titled “Model Minority Myth and Korean Immigrant Students in US Schools.” Choi was pleased to present her paper, which was grouped with others dealing with the socioculturally situated experiences of teachers, right after her dissertation defense. “I was able to have rich, meaningful conversations with other presenters and share my thoughts during and after the session.”

Choi also had a hand in the organization and administration of the conference through her role as co-section chair of Div B Curriculum Studies and Section 2 Globalization, Decolonization, and Liberation for the past year, an experience she describes as absolutely exciting. “I, with tremendous support from advanced scholars and Div B officers and program chairs, reviewed conference proposals, selected papers and symposiums, and organized sessions of Div B. Throughout the process, I was able to learn conference organization and administration, read outstanding papers and their fresh ideas in the curriculum studies field, and more than anything else, meet great people that I admire and respect in the field. It was very exciting for me to see that the sessions and events that I planned and organized were actually executed and went smoothly.”

Dr. William Gaudelli, Associate Professor and Social Studies program director, thought the conference was great as it demonstrated the strong presence that the TC Program in Social Studies maintains nationally, evidenced by the many panels involving TC faculty and students. “Particularly enjoyable was the many international scholars who presented at the conference and contributed to broadening the conversations.

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Now the coordinator for the History department’s Secondary Education program at TCNJ, Marino is seeking to follow up on that research as he examines what kind of world history is taught in classrooms. Other research areas include looking at local history and the idea of “finding” history in innocuous places.

As a teacher educator, Marino aims to share some of the ideas he gleaned from his time at TC with his students. “I try to impart TC’s pedagogic philosophy to the students here, who tend to be somewhat traditional in their practice and outlook. I think my time at TC has made me a much better teacher and more aware of what goes on in the classroom.”

In his spare time, Marino likes to go see plays, read, and walk around New York City because “you can always learn something new just by looking around.”

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