#sschat is a network of educators, resources, and ideas that started on Twitter, but has expanded to Facebook, an annual NCSS unconference, and more. Join us to chat asynchronously on Twitter or Facebook, or chat with us live on Mondays from 7-8pm EST.
Today in 1917: The U.S. enters #WWI after #President Woodrow Wilson declares war on #Germany#OTD and after Congress approves the resolution. The Senate votes 82-6 in favor of declaring war on April 6, and the House votes 373-50 in favor on April 8.
Dan-- high school social studies- philosophy, government, US history. Des Plaines, IL
Favorite Q. Two-part: What is the right thing to do? How do you know?
Those 2 Qs always sparks some sort of discussion. It reveals unquestioned assumptions and incomplete thinking.
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Hi #sschat, this is Bill Chapman, a retired secondary social studies teacher, checking in from Berkeley, CA. A question I liked to discuss with students is, "What do you need to forget/ignore in order to come to a real understanding of a past person or event?"
Hello #sschat. Happy to be here. I’m Anthony Golding, current Principal and former history teacher in Mississippi.
Favorite question: Explain why you believe that to be true.
I love justification.
Julie, edprof from SC here... multitasking while I cook dinner and PD
I teach preservice teachers, so my fav question is
How does this relate to what we are experiencing now?
Or
When have we experienced this before? What did we learn then?
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#sschat As far as content areas, I teach civics- students always like to wrestle with the question, "How should government balance individual rights with the common good?" In World History, "What principles are worth fighting for?". In general, "How should we live together?"
Good afternoon/evening! I'm one of the #sschat co-moderators, checking in from a crowded Panera outside Boston Mass.
The right thing to do is that which you would not mind anybody finding out about. The absence of guilt is how you know!
#sschat Starting our w/the tough questions huh? Right thing = just outside your comfort zone. B/C it’s taking a risk but not something that makes you feel 100% uncomfortable.
Hey there! I'm Katie from PA - I teach 7th grade Geography at a Cyber School! When it comes to big questions, I like to always ask why and how things are related to their lives! Gotta keep it relevant #sschat
A1: Maggie McClowry. I am a student at the U of I in Urbana-Champaign. I am a prospective Special Educator and I strive to help my students learn in all content areas, including social studies. #sschat
Hello #sschat, I'm Rachael Collins from Southern CA. I teach 8th grade U.S. I love this topic, very relevant!
In class, we discuss "Why did this matter then?" "Why does this matter now?"
Eric from Minneapolis. Taught Civics, US History, and Philosophy, now running @playfanschool
Big Question I love = What is the American Dream and to what extent is it achievable? #sschat
Good afternoon/evening! I'm one of the #sschat co-moderators, checking in from a crowded Panera outside Boston Mass.
1 favorite question for my gr.8 US History class: How well is America living up to the ideals of the Declaration & Revolution?
Chris from Bloomington, IN. Teach world history for private online HS. Will be popping in and out as recovering from crazy day (all is well). One big question is why do groups of people interact and what happens when they do? #sschat
A1: Big questions always lead to engaging discussion, good debate, and getting to know each other's beliefs and backgrounds. It builds classroom character while deepening understanding of content. #sschat
Big questions allow students to answer in various ways. They can be revisited multiple times throughout the year and always produce different answers! #sschat
A2- Isn’t life based on big questions? I don’t know what can be more relevant than teaching kids to research and argue critically, which most citizens do every day! #sschat
A1: Big questions matter because we need to set the precedent for Ss to ask questions and explore. If we're not asking questions, they're not finding the courage to begin to ask them as well. #sschat
A2 - Big questions make for great reflection questions and often provide a purpose to education that so many students crave. Imagine a final of all Big Questions #sschat
A1. Your big questions help establish a common theme or thread throughout the class. In history, they help students understand that events do not happen in isolation and history is more than a collection of facts. #sschat
#sschat Q1 - A1, relevance means everything when students need to understand how the world works around them, not just simply remembering facts. They need to apply the information that is useful to them.
A1) Asking big questions and allowing the STUDENTS to ask the big ?s allows students to break away from being passive learners & also view content through multiple perspectives and lenses. #sschat
A1 The "big questions" remind students that our class is not all about memorizing facts. (It's good for teachers to keep this in mind as well!) #sschat
A1) Life is full of big questions. That's where you use the facts you're learning and give them purpose. And history is full of big, messy questions. #sschat
A1: Big questions give the direction to the discussion and are pivotal to understand how a particular theme fits in with the curriculum standards #sschat
Intro- Steph from Vt, world history & US gov. Big Q this year for my SS- is the US still a functioning democracy & how can we continue to uphold our values in current pol climate #sschat
A1
Big questions are the things that really get Ss thinking. They are the things that inspire learning. NOT memorization. NOT Googleable facts. Questions that have no clear right/wrong answer and can be debated forever... #sschat
A1: Big questions help frame & form thinking about a content area. While specifics are great & have their place, the big questions are what help weave the big picture together. #sschat
A1: "Only the curious will learn and only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient." - Eugene S. Wilson #sschat
A1 Big questions make learning relevant to the real world. Big Q's take history out of the past and make the lessons learned part of the present. There is no single right answer. And there is always more. #sschat
A1 Big Questions, if facilitated well, provide great opportunities for student inquiry & opps for critical analysis skill building for students #sschat
A2 -- some students do not WANT to think deeply, however much value we might see in the endeavor.... That's not necessarily a matter of laziness, but sometimes it's just a conflicting notion of what SocSt class is for. They would rather memorize/repeat facts.
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A2. Perhaps the biggest is simply not know how to or what to ask. During the whirlwind of a school day, it is hard for novice teachers to take the time to discuss big questions. Our more experienced teachers must be an asset to our less experienced teachers. #sschat
#sschat Q2 - A2, frustrations are common with big questions, but appropriate scaffolding leads to student success. Don't send them on a goose hunt with no clues!
A2 State & district mandated requirements (i.e. testing), lack of time to seek out the resources for students to go to analyze in order to answer the BQ #sschat
A2 It's not an obstacle, it's a shift. For years I thought that my job was to GIVE students the answers.
Now I realize my job is to help students find an answer, and then questions some more!
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A2) I think HS Ss are not used to being given opportunity to develop meaningful ?s. I have my 2nd semester Ss watch this video & it's depressing to hear how many of them say that they were dissuaded from asking ?s as they got into higher grades. #sschathttps://t.co/ir6JQ8t1AK
A2: It requires being extremely intentional with what you are teaching. Because of past experiences, students need modelling on how to attack these questions and how to digest big ideas and questions. We have to make sure we give enough time. #sschat
A2 Crafting big questions that are student centered and engaging. Empowering students to contribute to crafting big questions to guide their inquiry. @RightQuestion QFT is a great tool I use to help with this. https://t.co/IkywaDowcz#sschat
A2: lack of Philosophy resources for high schoolers. I'll never forget googling "philosophy" before teaching it and the first link was a makeup company called "philosophy" #trouble#sschat
And I guess it is. There is a definite right/wrong dichotomy. We just need to convince those Ts that there is a lot of gray between black and white! #sschat
As a future special educator, my students may not understand the complexity of these questions. I think it is important to take small steps first and scaffold them to equip them with the knowledge to answer big questions #sschat
That’s where the #QFT is helpful. Come up with an engaging QFOCUS and the students will brainstorm their questions. Then they are more meaningful.#sschat
A3) One way is to ensure that they are presented w/ sources that provide multiple perspectives. Another is to model asking Ss to support claims that they make. They should then get in the habit of asking each other. #sschat
A2 It also takes time to establish norms of dialogue to create a civil and collaborative space that allows Ss to deliberate big questions. I love this resource from @facinghistory in thinking about what that might look like. https://t.co/rbDvZPoGnZ#sschat
A2- assessment! I’m lucky that VA is pushing performance based assessments, but there are still multiple choice state assessments in several grades that we have to prepare students for. #sschat
A3 - Ask a big question divide the class up into 3 or 4 answer groups and have them explain their response to each other. Ask students to share best answer that was not their's #sschat
A3 Big Questions must have supporting questions. Bringing in multiple perspectives/viewpoints for Ss to analyze when exploring these supporting questions helps them see issues aren't black & white #sschat
A3 I have them explore things that seem obviously black/white so they find that even seemingly the most obvious "facts" are usually more complex than they are usually presented. For example, see https://t.co/Y7iP9emrJj#sschat
A3: Always showing multiple perspectives and encouraging examining different sides. Also, seeing that we don't always know the answers as the teachers in the room! They need to know we're still questioning and learning too! #sschat
A3 - I look at my students deadpan early in the school year & tell them opinions aren’t allowed in class, but arguments are. From early on we are preparing & building arguments. #sschat
A3: use a counter argument to get Ss to talk—what if _______ didn’t happen or what would the world be like if ______had went in another direction? #sschat
A3: I think the teacher's job is to come up with the best questions possible, then know how to structure / facilitate discussions + writing #sschat
5 Whys is a favorite framework of mine:
https://t.co/t1fbW1gPfY
A3 questions have to be debatable but don’t necessarily necessitate the right answer. History is constantly being rewritten and therefore always up for interpretation. Our students need to see that and make their own interpretation. #sschat
National Poetry Month - Pablo Neruda about questions in Extravagaria.
"The sons of the sons of the son - what will they make of the world?
will they turn out good or bad?
worth flies or worth wheat?
You don't want to answer me.
But the questions do not die.
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A3 We have to model it. Look at current issues & find the areas of compromise. Look at compromises in history.
More importantly, we need to model that there isn't always ONE correct answer. DBQs are great at this -you can answer the Q in a lot of ways and still be right! #sschat
A2 Crafting big questions that are student centered and engaging. Empowering students to contribute to crafting big questions to guide their inquiry. @RightQuestion QFT is a great tool I use to help with this. https://t.co/IkywaDowcz#sschat
#sschat Q3 - A3, the gray is often overwhelming, illustrate that not every question has a singular answer and consider all possibilities before drawing a conclusion. "Hidden Figures" - look beyond the numbers!
A3) Encourage students to support both sides w/ reason & evidence. Currently, my students are looking at Manifest Destiny: progress or unjustified conflict? Why can't it be both? As some have shared already, we don't live in a true false dichotomy. #sschat
A3
[puts on Devil's Advocate hat]
The concept of "gray area" may be taken too far. We need some stable facts to use for footholds and traction, or else everything is a slippery slope.
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A3 you ask students to take on the side of the oppressor and ask them to evaluate their actions using multiple perspectives. History is always written by the victors therefore putting them in the gray is a challenging but meaningful learning experience for them. #sschat
A3, While I am not a fan of the title, the "Socratic Smackdown" from the Institute of Play is also useful- especially for younger students to engage in more nuanced conversations on big questions. https://t.co/PBjjgK7lg8#sschat
Totally agree, especially in middle levels. Unit focus questions have "gray" areas, but supporting questions are more focused to help Ss tackle bigger questions #SSchat
Unfortunately, reality is almost always a slippery slope. It is not that all conceivable answers are created equal, clearly that is untrue. However, while most answers may be false, a few contradictory ones can all be true. Think POV. #sschat
#sschat Q4 - A4, answer their question with a question to make them apply their knowledge. Offer another perspective besides the one they are considering.
A4 By making the classroom one of inquiry & Ss coming up with questions relevant to the topic a part of the assignment. Make the Ss also explain the relevancy for the question. Integrate frequently & it becomes 2nd nature for Ss to do this #sschat
Definitely in agreement with the need for some stability. Fact: There is a Second Amendment. Argument: What people interpret the Second Amendment to mean. #sschat
A4 I like to have them build on things. Start with the basic questions, then dig it deeper and deeper. I love giving the Ss a picture or document without context to see them pull the questions out! #sschat
Have we defined what a big question is yet? Some techniques for getting at shades of grey involve exploring microhistory. It takes a fair amount of evidence to get to shades of grey. #sschat
I'm willing to show my Ss why slaveowners thought the practice was beneficial (Mudsill Theory, George Fitzhugh...). That's their POV.
But I will not open a debate about "was slavery a positive good?" Nope. Will not happen. And I will tell Ss why I think so. That's my POV!
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I like this! Heard a story a few weeks back about how the potato led to the Civil War! Need to start looking up stories! Any particular ones you can think of? #sschat
A4, Besides the QFT, I like to use the Q-Matrix from Kagan to help students craft different levels of questions. I have also use the "5 Whys" technique from Toyota. #sschat
A4: I like beginning units with wonder walls. Ss often generate questions from questions and begin their thinking before the unit even begins. Good stuff. #wonder#sschat
Yes, I just gave one; "Which is noisier, a worm digging, or a plant growing?" Another would be, "Which is worth more, your weight in pennies, or your height in quarters?" #sschat
I especially like to pose "I wonder . . . " questions/statements such as, "I wonder what x would have thought of [some event]?" or "I wonder why this event seemed to be a turning point of y?" Model curiosity! #sschat
Q4: I try and show as provacative of whatever I am teaching as possible. For our institute day today we showed the trailer to zimbardo prison experiment. Ts had SO many questions #SSchathttps://t.co/r5fWToosoP
A4: Foster background knowledge and relate activity to the students. Presenting the info in engaging ways and encouraging students to think outside the box can help them develop creative thoughts #sschat
A4: We spent nearly a week engaging with the question of what happened at the Boston Massacre... what motivations Revere would’ve had to mislead, whether the Americans or British were to blame. #sschat
I'm with you! Also wary about using Big Qs too early or exclusively.
We teachers find them engaging because we have abundant content knowledge ... not so for our young students #sschat
A4: I have been using @DBQProject units and the idea of the hook activity, similar in some ways to @burgessdave engagement strategies, drives Ss questioning and wondering. #sschat
A4) Being intentional w/ planning. Each unit has 3 essential ?s, all lessons connect to one of these 3. At the end of the unit, Ss select 1 of their choice & support their answer in writing w/ evidence directly from class learning. No outside research #sschat
#sschat Q4 - A4, answer their question with a question to make them apply their knowledge. Offer another perspective besides the one they are considering.
A5: That's easy...TIME. I always want to go deeper and further but then am forced to move on to the next topic. So much to learn, so little time. #sschat
A4 Questionstorming is an iteration of brainstorming in which students generate questions and then zero in on “the best question we need to answer right now.”
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I definitely think the context is important. I did a “why did Americans move west?” Inquiry. First block didn’t really get into it, but later on I showed a couple of maps and framed it as “why did America go from this to this” and they “got” the q more. #sschat
A4: Frame entire course around ?s: Turn unit titles into ?s, always talk about curiosity, + just ask! I'm always blown away by the ?s they think about! #sschat
Once, I only asked ?s for 2 weeks.
Or, I ask a class for ?s and the next unit turns into just answering them!
A5: My students and I would use Big Questions more if the curriculum was narrowed and for our AP test they didn't need to know 500-1000 terms ... #SSchat
A4 Teach types/levels of questions:
googleable v. non-googleable
literal v. below the surface
Not "who or what", but why that "who"rather than someone else, & "so what" of the what?
Focus on Qs that address the context & effects
Using visuals to generate questions
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A4: Contextualizing events and topics through testimony drives Ss to ask amazing questions and teaches Ss to consider perspective and to build empathy. #eduwin#wonder#perspective#sschat
A5 I'm not in the K12 classroom anymore, so I'll base it on when I was, "...if the state & district weren't taking away my students' learning time w/ misguided high-stakes testing." #sschat
A5 - My students and I would use Big Questions much more if... If prompted them with big questions more often. My Qs of the day need a little reworking. #sschat
Q5.Many did not feel disenfrancised . This makes it harder to except info to build informed answers. Instead they lean on answering froma place of mistrust/ which is fodder for using conspiracy based info to answer the big questions over info presented to them, #sschat
A5: I would use big questions more if my class periods were longer! I only get 45 minutes with the students - I can only imagine the discussion we would get if I simply had more time! #sschat
Although I do believe the tests take away time, the tests are at least testing high level literacy skills, skills that are promoted by excellent questioning and critical thinking skills. I don't change my curriculum or lessons to prepare for tests. #sschat
we are doing an interesting hybrid schedule net year. Monday and Friday are 50 minutes. Tues/Thurs are blocked 1.5 hours. Thursday 45 minutes. Goal is 90 min day is around inquiry...#SSchat
A5: There was a curated clearinghouse of good Big Questions and ideas for use by subject-area. Sometimes, someone else just asks it better than you can and the best ideas are rarely original... #sschat
A4) Being intentional w/ planning. Each unit has 3 essential ?s, all lessons connect to one of these 3. At the end of the unit, Ss select 1 of their choice & support their answer in writing w/ evidence directly from class learning. No outside research #sschat
Truth. This is why I start the unit with questions and make my projects big question focused. At least this way big questions are driving the curriculum and learning in my classroom. #sschat
We talked about the idea of the "ungooglable" question today in our workshop. Have to shoutout @1ghoffman1 for helping create the idea last year. #sschat
In reply to
@coachaldridge, @teylaramsey, @1ghoffman1
Depends on purpose of activity. If you are looking for students to ask questions; Yes they can be assessed. If you are using questions to encourage further discussion; they don’t have to be. #sschat
I would say it probably depends on the state that is doing the high-stakes testing. I can't say that was the case in the state I taught in at the time (FL). I absolutely agree w/ you though about a teacher not changing their curriculum #sschat
Very basically, I think yes.
Maybe a 3-level rubric to distinguish questions that are
"not yet 'big' or clear enough"
"proficient"
"super-awesome"
#sschat#workinprogress
A6: YES! Ss without effective questioning skills will have ineffective research skills. In information flood we have to be able to ask questions to find the best information and potential answers. #sschat
A6: Formative yes; summative no. As a T, I can always encourage deeper Qs by continually asking more from the S. The summative Test needs to be more of their knowledge & self-reflecting. #sschat
The "flipped" model works for me here: Not every day, but students getting the content outside of class more enables bigger questions and better discussion in the moment #sschat
A6 We can assess questions, & can do so in similar ways we already use. Research is based on questions in search of answers, and we can assess Ss pursuit of answers to those questions. #sschat
A6 - Yes, but not every question is perfect and reflection is necessary. Ask yourself, is the question easily answered by a Google Search or must they apply their prior knowledge and skills. #sschat
A6: We can create assignments/activities based on a driving question developed by a student about the content we are teaching. Assessment is possible! #sschat
A6 Yes. With their Qs, have the Ss include the relevancy to the topic, what can be gained from the answer, types of places they can go to seek the answers, etc. #sschat
A6 It depends on the assessment at hand. Asking clarifying questions is part of participating in a Socratic Seminar. Developing, revising and answering big questions is consistent with research projects. #sschat
I encourage students to be creative & model creativity through the creation of my own YouTube videos on what we do in class. Here’s my latest: https://t.co/xy3bRDUs8S#sschat
Yes! I'm still wrapping my brain around it at times. It's tricky for me - as a cyber teacher, we're not right there with the students. Love the fact you stress discussion! Giving me some ideas for the week on Israel that I'm currently planning! #sschat
Resources https://t.co/1fCp4Yr1BJ check out this years topic
2018 Philosophy Slam Topic
Truth or Deceit: Which has a Greater Impact on Society? #sschat
#sschat Q6: Yes. Have students create assessment questions and then try them out with the class to differentiate where the questions fall on Blooms taxonomy.
Resource: The University of Washington Center for the Philosophy for Children has a wonderful library of lesson plans based on children's books. Several of the questions on my blog were inspired by this website. Kids books work. https://t.co/og1ODhSvBN@JanaMohrLone#sschat
Yep. It's a shame. Makes it hard for Ts to not give in to pressure of "teaching to the test" even when an inquiry classroom actually promotes the skills Ss need to be successful in future. If high-stakes testing did that across the board, I'd be less resistant to it (HST) #sschat
RESOURCES: If you aren't teaching #history with #questions like this, what are you teaching? (search "historical thinking" for more or for a great book "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" #sschat
Here is a great blog post by @daneels_m on "Courageous Conversations" using essential questions. She has posted several resources to inspire discussion of controversial topics. Questions work great with current events.
https://t.co/gH85fb6qQF@IllinoisCivics#sschat
Resource: I use the 60-Second Philosopher @60SecondPhilos to motivate Qs. Wonderful book. Very short, quick, chapters on deep issues of ethics, free will, identity. Useful in variety of subjects. Check blog or message me for more info
https://t.co/TQzGm7p7UB@MrFritz8#sschat
A6/ we are moving to proficiency based grad req. inquiry is one. We have been asking this Q of ourselves for 2 years. I think yes but we have bugs to work out for sure. #sschat
RESOURCES: @TheSchoolOfLife always starts with relevant questions and seeks answers through content. See some of their videos https://t.co/ezuBi4dBWc for how to frame academic content through ?s... #sschat
Thanks BIG time for hosting tonight, @dmfouts!
An archive of this chat will be posted very soon in our new @Wakelet collection.
#sschat will return next Monday April 9 for "Creating Podcasts with Your Students" with guest host @listenwiselearn
Thanks All! Shout out to @jacq_mccarthy for the help.
Stay connected with my blog https://t.co/Y6PiiomNIC For my next post I'm highlighting comments from this chat.
I'm also trying to develop online PD this summer through an Illinois University. Stay tuned!
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