Comments on: Essential Questions and Teaching http://wahistory.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/essential-questions-and-teaching/ A Place for Department Discussion Tue, 26 May 2009 07:40:21 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Kirk Upton http://wahistory.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/essential-questions-and-teaching/#comment-4 Kirk Upton Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:02:07 +0000 http://wahistory.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/essential-questions-and-teaching/#comment-4 Do you think this is similar to starting a unit with the big, broad essay question that will be used at the end? For example, right now APUS is working through the Depression and New Deal so I started the section with 3 questions actually: How did the Depression alter the American social fabric, To what extent did the New Deal attempt to establish economic stability and social equality, and How effective were the New Deal programs and how did they alter the role of the federal government. I'm not clear if these are sufficiently open-end (there's not one answer we're looking for but instead a conceptual understanding of the ramifications of the period) or too narrow in light of this article. Thus far the kids seem to be picking the questions apart, looking for useful information, and examining a variety of possible approaches to each of these. They've also been told that they will need to write an essay on one of these questions (my pick so they need to understand all three). The conversations in class seem to be about understanding what was happening and why, instead of just trying to remember the names and dates. Just to throw another factor, my main focus has been the idea that not everyone loved FDR and the New Deal and why he would have faced so much opposition. Am I on the right track by starting with the questions? Do you think this is similar to starting a unit with the big, broad essay question that will be used at the end? For example, right now APUS is working through the Depression and New Deal so I started the section with 3 questions actually: How did the Depression alter the American social fabric, To what extent did the New Deal attempt to establish economic stability and social equality, and How effective were the New Deal programs and how did they alter the role of the federal government. I’m not clear if these are sufficiently open-end (there’s not one answer we’re looking for but instead a conceptual understanding of the ramifications of the period) or too narrow in light of this article. Thus far the kids seem to be picking the questions apart, looking for useful information, and examining a variety of possible approaches to each of these. They’ve also been told that they will need to write an essay on one of these questions (my pick so they need to understand all three). The conversations in class seem to be about understanding what was happening and why, instead of just trying to remember the names and dates. Just to throw another factor, my main focus has been the idea that not everyone loved FDR and the New Deal and why he would have faced so much opposition. Am I on the right track by starting with the questions?

]]> By: murnane http://wahistory.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/essential-questions-and-teaching/#comment-3 murnane Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:56:22 +0000 http://wahistory.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/essential-questions-and-teaching/#comment-3 Here is the link to the article: http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/19_1nl_1.asp Here is the link to the article:

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/19_1nl_1.asp

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