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Brenda A. Dyck

Learning from the Pygmies and Robin Hood

Professor Susan Gibson of the University of Alberta asks pre-service teachers to think about their own experiences with social studies as students and to recall what stood out. When I did this, I expected to have a vast array of learning landmarks from which to choose. Strangely, the experiences that rose to the surface said more to me about teaching pedagogy than they did about social studies content.

Memory One:
A film (not a filmstrip) had arrived at our school and our two fourth grade classes gathered in the hallway (the darkest place in the school) to watch. No matter that the film was about Pygmies—a subject we weren't studying. This was our first chance to have film included in our social studies program. We sat on the floor mesmerized. This event taught me about the enormous impact that images have on learning and how much more powerful the use of multimedia would be if it were used in concert with meaningful pre-instruction and follow-up activities.

Memory Two:
It's sixth grade and we'd been studying medieval history. As a culmination activity our class embarked on the production of a play about Robin Hood. The script had been written by the teacher's previous sixth grade class. The girls all clamored for the chance to try out for the one female part: Maid Marion. I ended up with the role of a herald. I can still recite my lines 40 years later. The medieval history I learned from that play is as clear today as it was in 1965. I wonder if my teacher knew that active learning was a sure-fire way to transfer short-term learning into long-term storage.

There is a common thread woven through these memories. They happened when my teachers deviated from a lecture/textbook format and they often included the unexpected. The following Internet sites offer opportunities to infuse these key elements into your teaching by implementing an inquiry approach to learning that, when used with sound teaching practices, will lead to long-term learning.

Social Studies in Action
This professional development site from the Annenberg Foundation offers free online videos that document 24 teachers and their students in K–12 classrooms actively exploring social studies.
www.learner.org/resources/series166.html

Downshifting: Teaching (for Understanding) in a Lower Gear
This article explores the concept of "slow teaching" and its potential to support academic rigor and excellence.
www.educationworld.com/a_curr/voice/voice111.shtml

Historical Thinking Matters
This site focuses on American history and how to teach students to critically read primary sources and critique and construct historical narratives.
http://historicalthinkingmatters.org

EyeWitness to History
What was it like to be present at key historical events? This Web site explores this question.
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com

History and Politics Out Loud
Take a look through the searchable multimedia database that offers authoritative audio files relevant to American history and politics.
www.hpol.org

Historical Treasure Chests
Students learn about primary and secondary resources through online or printable activities.
www.k12science.org/curriculum/treasure

Globalization
Explore the first of National Geographic's five sections on globalization.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/2000/culture/global/main.html

Globalization and Education
Examine some of the key questions surrounding globalization and its significance for education and educators.
www.infed.org/features/index.htm

Dining with Historical Figures
A printable PDF worksheet asks students to select six dinner guests and prepare questions for them.
http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_ss/teacher99/toolkit/TOOLKT08.pdf

Teaching Tolerance
This site supports the efforts of K–12 teachers and other educators to promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity.
www.splcenter.org/center/tt/teach.jsp

Common Ground
This site archives radio's weekly program on current affairs. Search for programs from 1980 to 2004.
www.commongroundradio.org

United Nations Homepage
Welcome to the United Nations Web site, which offers a comprehensive perspective about such topics as economic and social development, human rights, terrorism, the UN agenda, and current events.
www.un.org/english

Please Note: These links were active at presstime.

Brenda A. Dyck is a teacher at Master's Academy and College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.