How do We Teach the Hard Stuff?
As educators, it is our job to teach the students how to read, write, add, subtract, etc. But what we don't think of right away is how to teach the students the uncomfortable but vital information, for example, slavery.
The hard topics to discuss are the MOST IMPORTANT! They are how we got to be the world we are today. Students are not too young to learn about slavery, it is just how you teach it.
Sadly, there is no handbook or curriculum script on how to introduce these topics and answer questions regarding these topics, at least not where I work. When I observe teachers discussing these topics, they seem so knowledgable and they know how to word the answers to difficult questions. When I ask them how they do it, they always respond with "I have been doing this for 15 years."
Sooo... what if you haven't been doing it for 15 years? What if you've never done it? How do you know how to do it for the first time?
A resource I find very helpful for this topic is https://www.learningforjustice.org/
This resource has it all from lessons, student text, student task, posters, workshops, articles, and podcasts. I recently discovered this resource through my college class, but can already tell that it will be a resource I utilize in my student teaching as well as when I have my own classroom.
I personally love listening to podcasts. They are so convenient! Whether it is on a walk, driving to work, or doing laundry. I love learning how to better teach my students whenever I can. Check out the podcasts Learning for Justice has available on their website. I have listened to an episode of Teaching Hard History and can confidentially say I will be listening to more.
Another part of this resource I love is the Student Task section. This section has performance tasks to get the students engaged and using their creativity, as well as critical thinking skills. Try one of these out in your classroom, I would love to hear others thoughts on how this went in a classroom!
The last section I will talk about is Teaching Strategies. When it comes to social studies, at least at my school, we are not given a curriculum or strategies to teach arguably the hardest topics to young minds. Usually, teachers share strategies with co-workers. This section has strategies to support your students and get them engaged and informed in the important topics we must teach them!
Reference:
Learning for Justice. (n.d.). Learning for Justice | Education Resources. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/
Chole,
ReplyDeleteTeaching social studies and hard history, especially, does seem to lack strategies. I find that it's difficult to open the conversations and lesson topics on hard history in my first grade room because I don't know how without scaring them. It's also a matter of what my administration would allow to be taught to that level of academics. This is another portion of teaching hard history that many resources are not guiding, but I agree that Learning for Justice is a great place to start.
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteMy school currently does not have a social studies curriculum and I am often left to flounder about wondering what is okay and not okay to teach. Just this past January when we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day I was left wondering how much should I really bring up in our discussion on MLK. In the end I decided to talk about how MKL fought for justice for all and did it with peaceful protests. I'm hopeful going forward I can use Learningforjustice.org to guide my lesson planning.
Jennifer
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteI also loved exploring Learning for Justice this week! In addition to all the things you mentioned, I also love the self-guided professional development for teachers. Having these options and others, like recorded webinars, are so helpful and beneficial for teachers. It seems from your post that you agree with me, and we need to be prepared as educators to teach these topics to the best of our abilities. The best way to do this is to be informed, be understanding, and be prepared for questions from students. Hard topics of social studies may make us uncomfortable at first when teaching, but eventually we will be able to teach them with ease!
The Learning for Justice resource offers so much. I feel confident that I can be better prepared for hard questions after this course, I think the best way to feel confident is to be well informed and be prepared for tricky questions. I can appreciate teachers in middle and high school that teach these subjects on a much deeper level than I will have to! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJessika