Loewen, Chapter 13

In the final chapter of Lies My Teacher Told Me,  Loewen states that students are encouraged not to think about society, but to instead simply trust that it is good. Students go through history classes memorizing facts and then data-dumping as soon as the test is over. This creates a society that knows nothing about anything. Students can't be expected to grow into educated citizens if the work presented to them in school is so easily manipulated- children can work the system so that they can get an A, and they don't even have to learn anything!
 

I think that students need to be more emotionally connected to the past because once they find something to actually CARE about, they will be more likely to remember it. I mean, if you think about it- we remember the big events in our own life and this is because we are tied to those moments as having a big impact on the course of our life. As a teacher, it is my job to find ways to get history to impact my students on that same emotional level. To get students connected to the past it is important to connect the past to the present by doing things like involving current events, or getting to know the students well enough to tie their interests in with whatever we may be talking about at the time.

The following link is a good place to start to find good sources to get students interested in the past: 'Best of History Web Sites'

Loewen closes his book by arguing that "Students will start learning history when they see the point of doing so, when it seems interesting and important to them, and when they believe history might relate to their lives and futures. Students will start finding history interesting when their teachers and textbooks stop lying to them" (354, Lies My Teacher Told Me). I love everything about this statement because it is true. Growing up in the American public school system, I went through the type of  education that Loewen so deplores. I also went through AP history courses which showed me what a history class that actually does go beyond the lies of a textbook should be like. I'm grateful for my experiences in a good school because I got a more in-depth look at the past, and it is probably due to this that I love the subject as much as I do. I wish to work in a school district less fortunate than my own, and I will be sure to hold Loewen's warnings close as I go about constructing lessons that will help connect my students to the past.

Cantu, Chapter 13

The final chapter of Cantu discusses the use of primary sources, specifically the Library of Congress. Primary sources are going to be a great way to help students gain a well-rounded understanding of history, which is important because, as argued by Loewen- textbooks just don't do the past justice. Primary sources are important because they make history real. If students can read a diary page written by a real person, if they can see emotional pictures, or analyze different art forms, it becomes more interesting for students to look into the past.

I plan on integrating primary sources along with every lesson that I teach. They embellish the overview of data by providing proof to back up my claims. This makes me more legitimate as a teacher because if I am able to support what I am saying, students have reason to believe in my teaching and trust me as a mentor. In addition, they will become better researchers themselves, as well as being great critical thinkers. Primary sources are awesome because they are unapologetic- these sources aren't necessarily free of bias. This, in my opinion, makes them even more legitimate because it adds a human quality that students can relate to.

Outside of The Library of Congress, there are several great sites for primary sources that can be utilized. For example, this PBS site is full of great sources to help students understand the Vietnam War. Of course, the BIG QUESTION regarding primary documents is- how can we ensure we give both sides of the story since it is so much easier to find pro-American/European sources? How difficult is it going to be to give a full picture of the past with such one-sided data, even outside of textbooks?

Loewen, Chapter 12

I think that no quote could better speak for the problems in American history classrooms today: according to Marc Ferro, "there is no other country in the world where there is such a large gap between sophisticated understanding of some professional historians and the basic education given by teachers". I think this quote speaks volumes of the problems in our curriculum. Teachers are presented with textbooks that lack any meaningful data and are expected to educate students with only half the picture. Of course, we can deviate and add in our our resources and agendas- but how far can we go before we've left the curriculum and teaching standards behind? Teachers have to remember that not only are they teaching history, they're molding patriotic citizens who are ready to make an impact in our democracy. According to Loewen, textbooks are written with student audiences in mind, and this means that the books are going to focus on optimism, and most importantly- in presenting an American society that students actually want to be a part of. In a way, textbooks are huge modes of propaganda for our nation.

Part of the problem with education today is that it is reflective of the stratified class system in America. Schools cater to upper class students, while working class students face limited opportunities. Upper class students are going to the theater and museums and gaining bachelor and master's degrees, working class students are barely graduating high school. The conflict between the classes creates a strain which leads to crime and all the other ugliness in society which our educational system opts to ignore, or else to teach in such a negative light so that students have no question in their mind on what makes a good citizen and what makes a criminal.

Overall, it seems that the publishers of textbooks are in charge. Even when people go up against publishes, nothing has changed in the way that these books are presented to our students. In my classroom, I will keep this in mind and always go the extra step to find primary documents that go beyond the fairy tales presented in textbooks. I have to be an open-ended teacher as suggested by Loewen, because it seems that there is no winning against textbook publishes in the near future. There are many great resources that I can use to veer away from the bland representation in American textbooks, including a look at the Japanese Internment following the attack on Pearl Harbor. By investigating controversial issues in our past, students will receive a refreshing, honest portrayal of the past- and this is definitely something that can be done without tainting any pride in the United States of America.

The Big Question- How do we ensure that we are finding reliable sources, and how do we know what topics to expand on and which ones to trust to textbooks?

Cantu, Chapter 12

This chapter talks about the behavioral sciences which includes anthropology, sociology, and psychology. What I find most interesting is the lack of representation for anthropology- the study of human behavior. I think that this sector of social studies gets the most left behind because you can talk about human behavior under the broader umbrella of sociology. The behavioral sciences get less recognition than the rest of 'social studies' but I think that this is a shame because much can be learned about the world simply by studying the types of people that inhabit it.

Psychology is definitely one of the more popular under this section, probably because it looks at human behavior more objectively than the other two in that psychology is considered a science. Psychology is also popular in the media- as seen in popular television series such as Criminal Minds. Students are exposed to psychology in and outside of school, which makes it more applicable to them than other areas of study.

I think it is important to incorporate all three of these sub-topics into every day teaching because it helps students become more well-rounded. When they are studying history, they will be able to understand the choices people made thanks to their understanding of the human psyche. In my classroom, I want to add more empathy to my  lessons so even when we are talking strictly history, students can get in the shoes of the people of the past and understand the shifts in culture, the choices made, and the occasional tormented figure- what led people like Adolf Hitler into infamy? Was it genetic? Embellishing history with the interesting topics covered in sociology, anthropology, and psychology makes learning about the past more interesting because the people of the past become more real. One great tool for teaching the behavioral sciences in the classroom is this PBS link which explores the impact that war has on people- thus tying war and psychology. Psychology of War

The BIG QUESTION- How can we get anthropology some recognition in high school?

Cantu, Chapter 11

Geography is definitely an interesting section of social studies curriculum. Geography includes topics which students find intriguing- the wonders of the world, different environments, space, and more. I really like how geography is taught starting from a personal level all the way out to a global perspective. It's important for students to learn how they relate to one another, their school, their community, their state, and further and further outwards from themselves. I think this can help generate a selfless quality in students because they come to realize that the world is not only about them- its about everybody. Geography also includes skills like reading a map and orienting the world. Even though we live in an age where your phone can get you from point A to point B, it is still crucial for students to have a general awareness of the world and their community.

Videos, such as this one on the tundra, are a great visual way to allow students to explore the world from within our classroom. We can also get out of our building and discover terrain right outside our school, and learn some about our community in that way. 

In my classroom, I definitely want to impress how today's world is globally flat- which influences how nations interact with one another. Outside of that, however, I think that it is important to see what makes every area so different as well as what brings us together. By discovering different types of weather, terrain, and more, students will be able to understand what shapes cultures which is definitely a great way to teach acceptance. The cultural aspect of geography is important because in the differences between people we also discover similarities, which is a happy surprise in many instances.

I think that geography is a great chance to do some myth busting, or just myth pondering- there are so many engineering feats scattered across the earth that students can study and question how they could come to be. In many instances, history forgets to debate the 'what if', but I think that geography is a great venue to touch on that.

The BIG QUESTION: How can we continue to incorporate geography lessons into history lessons or other sections of social studies- since in many cases, geography shapes decisions, outcomes of battles, and many other factors.

Loewen, Chapter 11

The next topic under attack by Loewen is the end of history textbooks, which all tend to end on a high note. American history textbooks are full of hope and promise, and highlight the progress made, and the projected progress to come. Ending books like this- if the class even makes it to the end of the book- gives students a sense of false hope. One of the biggest problems that Loewen points out is that textbooks fail to discuss ideas, so students lose out on a lot of back-story which leaves gaps in the story of the past. By discussing ideas, students can look critically towards the future which has the potential to help them make a difference by not repeating the past. According to Shakespeare, and highlighted by Loewen, 'past is prologue', which means that we are currently living in the prologue to the future. If we adjust how we live and come up with innovate ways to enter the future, then perhaps we can create the happy ending fantasized about in our text books.

To teach students to look at the present as the gateway to the future, and as the groundwork for tomorrow's history, I think that it would be helpful for students to compare an ideal that they are all familiar with to reality. A site like this is a good starting point to get students thinking about the American Dream and how achievable it really is. Understanding the myths rooted in this dream will help students see that the false depictions in history textbooks leave more to be analyzed. 

One of the critical issues discussed in this chapter is the finite number of resources that we have. I think it will be important to impress upon students that this world is all we have to sustain our life, and so perhaps bigger isn't always better because bigger just leads us closer to the end. However dismal that thought it, it is important that we figure out how to conserve and recycle if we hope to continue being successful as a nation. Also, when times get hard it is important that we don't brush problems aside in order to create a prettier picture- allowing students a chance to discuss how to tackle problems head-on will create a smarter generation more able and willing to step up and make a difference on their own- whether it be in the government, an environmental agency, or any group that serves to propel America into a successful future.

The BIG QUESTION: How do we impress the finite nature of our planet without sounding too soap-boxy, and how do we present history and the pathway to the future accurately without depressing students?

Cantu, Chapter 10

In this chapter, Cantu discusses the teaching of economics to our students. Econ has always been grouped as one of the more "dismal" sciences (Cantu, 10) but we have come to learn that educating oneself about the economy positively impacts an individual on so many levels. According to economists, it is important to teach students about the economy and finances and like in order to ensure their ability to make well-informed decisions that will effect their own financial success. Studying the economy also allows us to get a more in-depth analysis of other topics that we might find in history because a lot of major decisions have been made as a direct result of the economy. For example, the Great Depression which began in America in 1929 is definitely teeming with economic factors including credit and micro and macro lenses.

I think that economics is a vital part of the curriculum simply because it directly impacts everyone. Even more-so than a traditional math class; a student's economics course, especially in high school, will help them make it outside of the walls of the school by teaching them how to create and manage a budget, how to file taxes, and so many other relevant real life skills. To teach economics, I would definitely want to get students involved in role-playing activities such as tracking the Stock Market, creating a budget, and learning about the evolution of the economy starting from barter economies.

There are many videos which make the learning of economics far less painful for students. One great example would be School House Rock. I think that even high school students can gain something beneficial from a video such as this, plus its something more interesting to listen to than just a teacher lecturing. This website also includes many lesson plans that would be applicable in a high school setting to help educate economics students.

 The BIG QUESTION: How do we engage students in a class that students take only because it is a graduation requirement, and not necessarily because they are interested?

Cantu, Chapter 9

This chapter in Cantu discusses one of the roles held by teachers in the United States- forming good, democratic citizens. I find this a little funny and propagandistic, but on the whole I do think that educating students on the formation and daily execution of our government is important because the more informed they become, the more they stand to make a difference in the years to come. In order to create democratic citizens, we teach students to follow laws. We discuss why we needed to break from Great Britain and what ideals we hold dear as Americans. Students learn about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the functions of the three branches of government. We teach them to vote, to abide by societal norms, and to be proud of our nation. I think that there are many ways to instill any of these values on a daily basis.

Current events are a great way to link students right into the main issues of the day. Students can learn about bias by watching different news stations, and they can remain updated on global issues as well. Current events allow students to understand how our country deals with problems, stirs up nationalism, and helps them remain informed on candidates running for any position in the government. I believe that the CNN Student News offers a great display of current events spoken in terms that students can understand and relate to. By helping students decipher the news, they will hopefully become more inclined to go out on their own and gather more information on the world on their own because now they can more easily understand it.

Other than current events, I think that getting students involved in the classroom discussions of American government is a great way to help them see exactly how our government works. When I was novice teaching, I had an interactive project for each branch of government to help enhance understanding- for the Executive branch, students played a matching game on the board that reviewed all of the 'hats' of the President. For the Legislative branch, the students were split into the House and Senate and they all created and voted on the passage of bills so that they could live the journey of passing something into law. Finally, we had our own classroom trial based on a real court case to help students act out the goings-on in a court room to help teach the Judicial branch.

The BIG QUESTION for this chapter seems to be how do you deal with issues that arise from talking about the government in class- will students from differing political parties go home to mom and dad and complain about any biases accidentally portrayed by anyone in the classroom? How do we teach such debate-worthy topics objectively?

Lies My Teacher Told Me, Chapter 10

This chapter of Loewen discusses what we know as the recent past. For my generation, we think of the current war on terror, the attack on September 11, and now the current government shutdown. For past generations, this was the war in Vietnam, the attack on Pearl  Harbor, the stock market crash in 1929. As these things are happening, they don't register to us as a moment in history because they aren't- they're NOW. I think that understanding how NOW effects the future will help a lot in teaching these recent moments in history. It will be important as an educator to approach teaching the recent past in much of the same way we teach that which has long ago been forgotten. Loewen describes the African approach to the make-up of society as having the living, the living-dead, and the dead. When we teach about the living-dead, we are talking about people who have recently passed or events that have recently transpired which still have members of the living around to remember. It is said that humans die twice- on the day of their death, and then again some time later when somebody says their name for the last time. In history, we are going to be in charge of teaching many events that still have people alive to remember. Loewen argues that textbooks today ignore answering "why". When we teach about events that happened a long time ago, we question and analyze and tear to pieces the facts surrounding every inch of history-until we get to the present. In the present, we are timid. We  honor the dead but we don't question. We don't judge, and we leave out a lot when teaching our children in order to be sensitive and respect those who died. But why is this any different than studying World War I? Industrialization? Any part of the past? I think that it is important to teach about the recent past in the same, analytical way.

This link takes you to an interactive timeline of the events surrounding September 11. This could be a good tool for helping students understand what happened that day to our nation. Teaching 9/11

I believe that students deserve to understand why we give a moment of silence on September 11 rather than just doing it before we move on with our day. To prevent repetition of the past, we must understand what took society down pathways of war and destruction. I think that it is actually hugely beneficial to be taught by somebody who was there. In middle school, we used to get guest speakers who were survivors of Nazi Germany, and this was awesome because it made everything that happened during World War II real as opposed to just another story. Once students can make a connection with a real person who remembers what it was like to be there on a day that was worthy of text book publication, that moment in history becomes larger than life to them as well. Some may argue bias, but I think that when students get to hear my story about waking up and walking to school with my friend Dennis, listening to him tell me about the awesome plane crash he saw on the television that morning, and then our realization once we got to school that something awful had happened- that it wasn't some cool stunt for morning news-watchers to enjoy- once students hear how my father was scheduled to fly into Boston on the morning of the attacks and only didn't go once the government shut down the airports, once students hear how something that they think doesn't matter anymore effected every part of my life and the lives of every American citizen, once they hear that I eventually came to date a US Marine who deployed to Afghanistan twice during the War on Terror- history comes to life, and the living-dead are honored.

The Big Question- how do we help students if we are the ones in the role of authority if something like 9/11 were to happen again during a school day? How do you approach something before it even falls into the memory hole?

Ancient China Unit Prezi

http://prezi.com/0mpaa9wecig_/discovering-ancient-china/

Lies My Teacher Told Me, Chapter 6

"To make no sense is to be crazy" (Loewen, 177). Lies My Teacher Told Me opens its 6th chapter with an argument that history textbooks fail to present ideas to its readers. Ideology behind certain events, according to Loewen, is beyond the mental capacity of textbook authors and so any idea that wouldn't make sense to them is published as insanity. The example given in the text is the case of John Brown, who was executed after his raid on the Harper's Ferry arsenal. According to Brown himself, his raid was sure to stir up some reaction regardless if he failed or succeeded. This reckless abandon with with Brown threw himself into his plans comes across as mentally insane by old American textbooks. I think the lesson to be pulled from the discrepancies is that textbooks have had to have time to adjust with changing ideals. Textbooks are published right after new data is presented- I am sure that the information on 9/11 is presented differently in textbook editions today than it was initially in textbooks after the attack. This makes sense- people react to something, and they write about it. I think the most important thing to take from this chapter is that textbooks will always be riddled with some sort of bias, and as teachers we have to work around this roadblock. I believe it will be important to teach my students how to find truth in textbooks by getting affirmation from primary documents. I also will impress upon my students that the history presented is the agreed upon truth- which leads to my big question- what is truth? Why do we deliver history from the perspectives of the winners, when further possibilities are out there. I think this chapter delves into this question by talking about the ideas that fill history- but are virtually ignored by textbooks. I think it will be hard as a teacher to pick and choose which ideas are worth discussing without overloading the students' ability to comprehend my lessons.

The following link explores the story of John Brown by debating his position in history as a hero or as a terrorist. The Story of John Brown 

This chapter goes into great detail discussing people who were against slavery but ignored by textbooks. According to Loewen, our legacy of anti-racism was admired around the globe but we at home forget about our unsung heroes. I think that textbooks do this in order to continue their blatant black-and-white, right-or-wrong discussion of history. If texts took the time to talk about all of the people who lost, the impression that southerners were bad people who wanted slaves and northerners were good people who didn't have slaves would be lost. This would just make history even longer to teach, which is hard with such a vast curriculum as it is. I think the important thing to do as a teacher who has to stick to certain timelines every year is to remember to bring in voices from the other side and give them to students alongside the traditional text so that they understand there was another side to every story without it becoming overbearing.

Cantu Chapter 8

R. G. Collingwood believes that history is a type of science because it involves interpretations- in our case, of the past. I agree with this because we put a lot of faith on our accepted truths of the past in order to come up with a cohesive (ish) history of the world. This chapter in Cantu discusses the social studies curriculum as being complex and large- indeed, it is a lot to take in as a teacher. Social studies education aims, on many levels, at creating good U.S. citizens. Does this then limit the way we look at nations abroad? As a future teacher I plan on incorporating numerous lenses through which my students will look at moments in the past. I think that by avoiding traditional frameworks, my students will get a more well-rounded look at the past, while still gaining knowledge on how to be an active participant as a citizen of the United States.

One aspect of this chapter which I found to be rather interesting was the mention of contrasting historical events to their movie counterparts. The example given was The Titanic. I think that adding things like this into class is a great way to link popular culture with significant moments in history. By showing clips of a well-liked film alongside a formal documentary, students can connect things that they like and understand with their history lessons. This is also a helpful way to help teach students how to sift through historical data and pull out only the truth as opposed to the Hollywood fantasy. In a similar vein, I believe that the most important of the National History Standards is the student ability to conduct research. Discovering on our own has always been an effective tool at keeping somebody interesting in something, and to be able to do it correctly can only help.

An example of using media as a link to history: The Great Gatsby and life in the 20s in America
The Great Gatsby

One final aspect worth noting from this chapter is the opening discussion on the order in which we teach history. Because history includes thinking chronologically, it seems that it is critical that we choose proper order for teaching our students about the past. I like that history starts out at the family level and slowly works its way outwards to state and nation and world history. This definitely will help me in creating lesson plans because even with my high schoolers, it will be important to start off  hooking students with something that they can personally relate to before we jump into the big picture.

The Big Question: how do we get students to view history through an almost scientific lens?

Cantu Chapters 6 and 7

Chapters 6 and 7 of Cantu investigate the impact that technology has in the modern classroom. Chapter 6 opens by claiming that "teachers who are unwilling to learn, unlearn, and relearn new classroom technologies will soon find themselves to be pedagogically illiterate in the classroom" (Cantu, 6). These struck me as powerful words because oftentimes we think about how we have to remain up-to-date in our content are that we forget we have a second concentration- technologies. I think that being competent with technology is important because it allows you to remain connected to students who undoubtedly know their way around the internet.

In order to stay ahead of the curve, and our students, it is important that we remain lifelong students in the field of technology. There are many arguments for technology in the classroom as a means towards enhancing learning, so it is important to become on board. I believe the most important aspect of technology in a classroom is making sure it WORKS- students need to be learning; it is not enough for them to be happy that you have set up a web-quest instead of presenting them with questions from the textbook. Students have to be able to enhance their skills in ways that are beneficial towards their future in a global society. I think the biggest component of technology I will be using will be targeted towards developing collaboration between students. If they can work on a project together without having to worry about the travel to get to a meeting point, they are still learning how to work with others as well as becoming more proficient at navigating sites such as Blogger or Google Docs.

Finally, just as teachers are tasked out at creating good citizens, we now also are responsible for forming their digital citizenship- the internet is available to us all, but we have to be models and guides for the proper way to use it.

Technology helps us reach higher standards of learning than were expected in the past, so it is important that we keep up with the changing times in order to have a digital classroom that works rather than one run by students who know more than we do. One example of a useful digital classroom tool that was mentioned in Cantu is survey monkey. This is something that students can use for their projects outside of the classroom, or one we can quickly utilize in class in order to start a discussion. Survey Monkey

Big Question: When does technology take away from direct classroom instruction, and how do we achieve a good balance between digital learning and traditional methods of teaching?

Lies My Teacher Told Me, Chapter 5

This chapter discusses the impact that slavery has had upon our nation. Unlike most of the chapters in Loewen up to this point, American textbooks seem to have done a better job at describing the 'peculiar institution' which was slavery. However, while the life of the slaves and their lack of rights illustrates the negativity associated with slavery, Loewen argues that history does a poor job of explaining the impact of slavery on white citizens in both the North and in the South. Also, we must take into consideration that while we no longer have slaves, we still have racism. According to Loewen, white people feel that they are elite in terms of class in comparison to African Americans and much of this superiority complex is rooted in the existence of slavery. Slavery taught civilizations that it was natural for whites to be on top and blacks to be on the bottom (Loewen, 144).

While I  understand to an extent Loewen's critique in which he bashes textbooks for failing to connect slavery to racism, I can't quite help but argue that he is wrong. Perhaps the connection is rarely explicitly published but I believe that the link is truly a no-brainer. Our ancestors made it okay for races to create a hierarchy, and we are left today with the racism that obviously arose from institutions like slavery. Especially in America, economies revolved around the use of slaves, and when an entire lifestyle is uprooted, the remnants of the past don't simply disintegrate. I do agree with Loewen, however, in his argument that the way racism is taught should be shifted. It would be beneficial for students to see how the ideals behind racism shifted over time. It also would be great if students learned about the types of people who had and who did not have slaves. By giving a fuller picture, a more accurate history is displayed and it is easier to connect the past to the present.

I believe that in my classroom I will focus on presenting racism as a problem that hasn't gone away, and it isn't something that is confined only to problems between blacks and whites. When I teach slavery, I will impress upon my students the reality of an issue that is prevalent even today. I think that current events are important, so clips such as the one found in the following link will be great tools to utilize to connect the past to the present. 2013 Miss America

The Big Question: Can we look towards a society void of racism, or is this problem here to stay?

Cantu, Chapter 4

As new teachers, there are going to be many unknown obstacles that are going to come at us from all angles and we have to be ready to go with the flow and make adjustments. The fourth chapter in Cantu goes into detail on several classroom strategies that will help get students involved in discussion and hopefully also keep the class engaged and on track with the day's lesson. There were many strategies that I would definitely implement in my classroom. Graphic organizers are probably one of my top picks to help students gain an effective tool for note-taking. In addition to helping students make connections between parts of our lesson, graphic organizers can be used in so many versatile ways. If you need students to understand a chronology, you can have them construct a timeline of events. Flow charts of cause and effect would also be  a great way to help students link important events or people within a unit of history.

Aside from the note-taking aspect of class, discussion is going to be a great way to keep history alive and interesting in the classroom. Cantu offered some helpful hints to get students involved in class. I like the idea of having student's call on one another to participate, because this helps them hold each other accountable. Another idea that I believe is a good way to keep discussions lively is to use some form of think-pair-share, because students might feel more comfortable sharing if they had a chance to get a second opinion on their answers first. Finally, I think it is crucial to watch how we respond as teacher's to student answers. Sometimes students might respond with something completely incorrect, and we have to watch their feelings when we correct them. Cantu argues that we should respond to student interaction in a non-evaluative way to help coax further thought out of them. You have to give students time to collect their thoughts and fully articulate their beliefs, and sometimes this may take a minute. While we do have to keep the discussion moving, it is important to be mindful of brainstorming time.

One question that I have about incorporating numerous strategies into the classroom is how can we be sure to fit in all of the multiple intelligences without dragging on a unit past a reasonable time frame?

The following page could be a helpful tool for teacher's to use to coach them through a successful lesson conducted via student discussion: Teaching With Discussions

Lies My Teacher Told Me, Chapter 4

In 1815, "Americans" became the proper terminology with with to refer, not to Native American Indians, but now European Americans instead. In this chapter of Lies My Teacher Told Me, Loewen explores yet another aspect of American history told through the eyes of textbook writers rather than through the eyes of truth. History textbooks describe the Native Americans as savages- a stark contrast to the classy civilization attributed to the Europeans. Indeed, the idea of European superiority was noted in the Sioux word for the white men which means "one who has everything good". History textbooks leave out the tragedy faced by Native Americans at the hands of the white men because people like to hear feel-good stories;

"Feeling good is a human need, but it imposes a burden that history cannot bear without becoming simple-minded. Casting Indian history as a tragedy because Native Americans could not or would not acculturate is feel-good history for whites. By downplaying Indian wars, textbooks help us forget that we wrested the continent from Native Americans" (Loewen, 131).

This chapter is relevant to myself as a future educator as I go about deciding the best and most true portrayal of history for my students. If I am going to be teaching European and American histories, the plight of the Native Americans will fall into my curriculum. I believe that it is important to discuss the whole story rather than creating a short, albeit sad, story of the Native American's timeline. We cannot act as though our entire past is full of sunshine and butterflies- I believe it is okay to show students that there are cases when the past was dark, because this offers perpetual hope for a bright future: it is thanks to the Native Americans for many of the ideals presented in our own Bill of Rights. Native Americans taught our early settlers how to work the land, engaged in trade, and did so many positive things to help jump-start our new country that I believe they need a truthful tribute.

The Big Question: How, since textbooks like to present feel-good stories for students as opposed to accurate portrayal of past events, would American history textbooks have opted to tell the story of the Holocaust if the execution of all those Jews and other minorities had happened, not in Germany, but in The United States?

The Genocide of Native Americans is a documentary which presents a deeper look at the downfall of Native Americans starting with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. At least a segment of this could be shown in class as a way of illustrating the darker sides of colonization of the Americas.

Cantu, Chapter 3

Creating lesson plans is one of the jobs that will never end- even if you have a set of units that you must teach on a yearly basis, the students that you have in your classroom are always going to be different, thus you will need a different skill set and plan of attack for each new group. One of the most important parts of being an educator is keeping up-to-date in all arenas of teaching: popular culture, technology, new research in your field, and the culture of your school. In order to stay ahead of the curve we must be constantly learning ourselves- this is how we attain the best results.

While lesson planning, it is clear that we are going to have to adhere to common core standards. It is argued in this chapter that these standards are necessary, but are also merely a compass. Once we find true north, it is on us to maintain an engaging environment that not only targets state standards of education but also captures the imagination and potential of our students. In order to do this, we must target every level of Bloom's Taxonomy as to maintain  diverse curriculum. I feel that lower levels of the Taxonomy are definitely more targeted towards state tests and standards- simple knowledge base questions and rote memorization are very much "to the test". I believe it is important to insert the general knowledge into curriculum, but it is far more important to explore the higher order end of the spectrum. Questioning beyond the norm forces students to actually think about what they're learning and apply it to themselves- by creating an exciting world of discovery in the history classroom, students will WANT to discover where they came from, how they are going to fit into the bigger picture that is history, and develop a legitimate interest in a subject that maybe once was the most dreaded part of their day.

As a future educator, I plan on working simple knowledge based questions into general teaching, but assessment will definitely revolve around more than just multiple choice tests. I think that it is great to challenge students with projects and papers that test their research skills and give them a chance to be creative and maybe disagree with history instead of simply accepting it as something that happened for a change. Overall, while lesson planning I will remain conscious that I am creating a blueprint for the success of my students and will make the plan as diverse as possible- games, papers, technology- the works! My only question- how do you stay on track as far as timelines go when you are trying to fit in all the higher order thinking alongside state mandated curriculum? When I have been in classrooms, the one consistency between every school I have been at is that time flies by and teacher's are always forced to edit so that enough information is covered each unit. I want to ensure that student's have time to both learn AND challenge themselves so that history is something they think about even when they leave my classroom at the end of each day.

The following link speaks to the technology geek in all of us- apps for smart phones and how they apply to the different levels of Bloom's! Bloom's Taxonomy on Your Phone

Lies My Teacher Told Me, Chapter 2

Loewen describes Christopher Columbus as an original myth- a character so stripped of his actual personality that we can describe him as one of history's good guys, and somebody that we should emulate. Of course, once again, history text books leave out much detail- including slave and sex trades, the murky background that makes up Columbus' biography, and even the idea that Columbus was the one to prove that the world is round- with further research, it seems that the global population already knew that. While it has already been touched on that history textbooks create heroes, I feel that the main argument in this chapter that will be important to me as a teacher is the disturbing fact that history textbooks don't agree on material. For example, so many triumphs have been attributed to Europe, but further research indicates that most advances have been a fusion of numerous countries. This is something unpublished by textbook companies because their target audience wants to hear that the white man brought about all the success of the past. However, according to Loewen, "diffusion of ideas is perhaps the most important cause of cultural development" (39). I will definitely take into consideration the bias that goes into publishing classroom textbooks and do extra research, mainly on primary documents, to find evidence for my students that presents a more well-rounded story of the past. This is especially necessary in multicultural classrooms, but even in classrooms that are predominately white- students should hear the truth which is that maybe the white man wasn't always the hero. Learning this way can potentially cut back on racism amongst youth because white students won't get the normal lecture that they're number one- in reality, they're just one of many who worked together to create, trade, and develop.

The following video argues that Africans were in America before Columbus; this could be shown in class as a discussion starter- going against the grain of the traditional story of the discovery of America.
African Presence in Ancient America

I think a main goal I should set for myself after reading about the discrepancies between books, and further reminders that much of what is presented in history books is heroification, is to always put forth the extra effort to find research which presents a full back-story for my students rather than relying only on the textbook supplied by my school.

Overall, it seems clear that textbooks are written to please a target audience and it is my job as an educator to, rather than be a people pleaser, tell the truth and give the whole story.

Digital and Standards Based Classroom, Chapter 2

This chapter encompasses the core learning standards that teachers are to adhere to within their classrooms. I believe that these standards are an important guideline for teachers to use to keep their units on track. In my opinion, it is probably best to shoot for standards beyond what would be traditionally expected at each age group. This way the students are challenged and held to a higher level of competence, which I believe will in turn serve to boost their confidence if they can tell I greatly believe in their ability to master content. The core standards cover a wide array of topics in social studies, including tracking individual development. I believe that we can turn back to Loewen's argument that history textbooks create too many false heroes when we tackle this standard. By creating heroes that are actually normal people- by telling the whole story of the past- students can look at themselves as individuals with the potential for great, world-changing success. Other standards that are laid out include the necessity to create competent American citizens. I believe it is important to instill a certain degree of nationalism in our students and teach them how they can become involved in our government because a sense of pride will help create a future of citizens who can work to make a positive impact in our nation as well as the world. Indeed- global connections are another thing to keep in mind when we are teaching our students. The world is much flatter than it used to be, and it is important for students to realize the impact that technology has had on bringing the world's population far closer together. I think that a great way to touch on this core goal is to create an activity that bridges a classroom of students in America to a classroom of students across the globe. By utilizing media such as Skype, the two classes can communicate and work on a collaborated unit from across the sea. This would truly open student's eyes to new worlds, as well as building tolerance for people different than us and an expanded curiosity towards international populations.

Sites like this one can help teachers connect with other classrooms to open the door to expanded learning possibilities for their students:
Skype in Schools

This chapter also offers an impressive selection of lesson plans that target each of the core standards. Keeping an archive of links and ideas like this will definitely be a great idea for me in my future classroom, so that I always have something new to pull out for my students to keep class interesting. By giving students research projects that start from web pages, they will be allowed to utilize their skills with technology as well as putting them in charge of their own education by researching- whether it be a web quest, a paper, or a simple reflection.

Overall, I believe that the standards set are good ones that work to help students develop into well-rounded individuals. It is the teacher's responsibility to fit the standards into curriculum while still ensure diverse lessons that capture the imagination of students. In the history classroom, this is a daunting task as we are combating the stereotype of being the boring subject- but with passion and time, teachers can definitely bring history up into the list of favorite classes in school. 

Lies My Teacher Told Me- Introduction and Chapter 1

This book opens with the immediate claim that high school students hate history. History is easily the most boring subject in school in the eyes of students because teachers turn the subject into a lecture hall that requires only regurgitation of memorized dates and names, and no critical thinking or excessive thought. Generally, history text books create heroes rather than telling the full truth. Indeed, Loewen provides the example of Helen Keller. Students learn of her valiant struggles to learn to communicate- but they miss out on hearing about her support of the Communist party and her staunch alliance to socialism. History textbooks elevate certain characters from the past by only highlighting their positive impacts on the course of history, rather than delving into some of their falls from grace- for example, Woodrow Wilson used his power as president to segregate the federal government (19), but students don't tend to hear that side of the past. History is written by the victors, and textbook authors wish to present these victors as positive images that people can look up to as role models. Textbooks lie by omission when they leave out dirty facts, and the lies spun make history a dry subject that no student would have interest in. Sadly, even when the truth is presented to the public, it is often hard to convince people of the truth because so many heroic attributes have been drilled into our heads since elementary school.

In my classroom, this definitely applies to my future teaching style. It will be my responsibility to go beyond the textbook and present the other side of history to my students. In order to foster critical thinking, students must engage in the darker side of history. This way, they can learn how changes occurred and why many stories of the past are not as cut and fresh as they seem to be. Primary sources from the other side will be a great way to shed some light on the darkness. I believe that by illustrating historical figures as they truly were, and not as some false hero, they will become more relate-able. This is important for young people to learn because it gives them all a sense of self-worth and potential. Of course, I will be working against the grain of established writings, so I will be sure to provide accurate and trustworthy cited sources to prove credibility.

I think that one big question this chapter fails to answer is how should we touch on the positive aspects of history's villains? Loewen makes a great point when he argues we are lying by creating heroes, but are we also committing lies of omission by leaving out the good that our villains did? By making history so black and white between good and evil, we take away the legitimacy and realistic quality that history actually does have, it's just that nobody gets to hear about it unless they do some digging on their own. For this reason, I believe a research paper in which students are required to either find a positive impact of a stereotypical bad guy or a negative impact of a stereotypical hero. 
For a helpful start, students could pull from the following sites;

Woodrow Wilson- Progressive Racism
A Blog About Adolf Hitler

Overall, the opening chapters of Lies My Teacher Told Me immediately work to open our eyes to the information lacking from our history textbooks. It will be my job as a future educator to present the whole picture of history- not just the fairytale endings that textbooks are always eager to publish.

Digital and Standards Based Classroom, Chapter 1

Chapter 1 opens with a quote by John Dewey claiming that we must teach children how to think rather than what they should be thinking. I feel this perfectly sums up the job of teachers. It is our duty to encourage critical thinking and allow for creativity in the classroom so that students may be innovative and possibly discover something new. This is how we as teachers continue to learn throughout our profession- from our students. As I was reading the Tyler Rationale for lesson planning, it struck me that probably the most important step would be the reflection. If a lesson falls short of the needs of our students, it is important to actually take note of that and make adjustments. I think an important note to make at this point is that these adjustments will need to be made every single school year, because no two classrooms will be alike so as a teacher I will have to be ready to alter my lessons to cater to the needs of new groups of students. Hunter's mastery also includes a need for reflection to make sure students are truly understanding classroom material, and that they can perform on their own. Of course, this is no easy task. Every unique student has a myriad of needs. Blooms taxonomy goes into greater detail of each tier of knowledge that students can master- from rote memorization all the way to synthesis and evaluation. ASCD's 'The Whole Child' talks about good education requiring teachers to notice the whole picture. According to the video, we don't outgrow what makes us children and teachers need to realize this and cater to emotional needs of students in order to keep them focused on school because their basic needs are met.Also, we have to realize once again that no two students are alike and therefore we cannot teach them all the same way.

Outside of reflection, I think that it is also very important to get students involved in their education in a hands-on manner. I will use teaching strategies such as 5-E to get my classes to become active participants. Once you are successfully able to do something and teach somebody else how to do it, you really have mastered a skill and I believe that interactive classroom time will greatly help advance the learning process. I think this idea of interactive learning can be tied in with the jurisprudential inquiry approach. It is healthy to debate controversial opinions in a safe environment such as the classroom. By teaching students how to effectively communicate touchy subjects in a school environment, they will learn to take their opinions outside of the classroom and broach taboo topics in a politically correct manner. Debates can be used often within units, especially in history, as our past is littered with so many make-or-break decisions.

Overall, I believe the lesson to be taken from this chapter is the importance in learning who are students are as individuals so that we may be able to best teach them how to think and come upon their own answers throughout their education. One simple assignment that could be fun for the students and informative for the teachers is a quiz to determine if one is right or left brained, thus discovering if they will be a more analytical or artistic learner.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Finally, a question to walk away with- at what point is it time to move on in order to keep up with the curriculum rather than slowing down the class to ensure total comprehension? Sometimes you don't have the time to take multiple approaches, or to backtrack after a batch of poor exam results. Is there a point where teachers have to move on at the expense of a students success in their classroom?