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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

TeachHUB.com: 5 Strategies to Teach Social Responsibility


 
Social Responsibility Lesson Plans

What does it mean to teach for social responsibility? At Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, it means intentionally teaching young people to understand themselves, each other, and the world.

We help teachers create classrooms where students can air and solve conflicts, discuss controversial topics, have a say in what and how they learn, ask questions and engage in dialogue, and are sometimes moved to action as a result of their study.

Here are five essential ingredients to teaching for social responsibility:

Make Your Classroom More Democratic and Participatory

In the spirit of Occupy Wall Street, many teachers are considering how to “occupy the classroom” by infusing democratic principles. Think about how to give your students more say in the curriculum and what happens in your classroom.

Are you willing to let students determine classroom rules/guidelines and consequences?
How can students share their ideas about reading assignments, areas of study, and homework?
Can some decisions be made by consensus?
How about letting students take turns teaching the class, either individually or in groups?

Remember that it is human nature to be more invested in something if you have a say about it.

We’ve all felt the frustration of watching the same five hands shoot up over and over again in whole class discussions. Think about ways to get more students to participate. Mix up your teaching strategies to get more kids to contribute to the conversation: try small groups, pairs, fishbowls, collaborative groups, and micro-labs. Students who are usually quiet in class can sometimes be motivated to participate through activities that involve writing, theatre, or art.

Teach Kids to Solve Conflicts

Conflict is part of life. In fact, conflict often makes life interesting and can lead to greater understanding and deeper connections between people. Unfortunately, conflict in schools often causes disharmony, fighting, or even violence. That’s where social and emotional skill-building comes in. Having these skills will help students navigate their social world, and help them do better academically (as a new study of Morningside Center’s 4Rs Program – and other studies like it – have shown).
  • Begin by helping your class develop a sense of community by doing team-building activities and collectively determining the classroom rules (see above).
  • Teach active listening and practice “I-messages” (saying how you feel rather than blaming the other person) to cut down on the number of conflicts.
  • When conflicts do arise, don’t brush them under the rug; use them as an opportunity to teach skills and promote healthy relationships.
  • Help students learn concrete problem-solving and negotiation strategies. Teach them how to stand up for what they need without putting down the other person in the conflict. We call this being “strong not mean.” Help them get underneath their position to identify their underlying need. Work towards win-win solutions.
Be aware that sometimes prejudice and stereotyping are the root causes of conflict. To address this, integrate concepts of diversity and intercultural understanding into your curriculum as much as possible.

Address Controversial Issues

We live in a world filled with controversy. It is all around us, and it is compelling. Students are usually passionate about the hot topics of the day, and will want to discuss them in school. Be both proactive and reactive: Bring up difficult or controversial topics yourself, and also respond to their questions.

If students’ questions come up at a moment when you don’t have time for a long conversation, don’t just change the subject. Acknowledge the question and come back to it if you can. Let the students know that nothing is off-limits.

Be sure to bring parents into the loop: Let them know what you’re doing and be sensitive about what topics might hit particularly close to home.

And of course, always consider what’s appropriate for your students’ age. For example, if your third grade students want to discuss a devastating earthquake that has been in the news, you might focus on the science of earthquakes, how people have helped the victims, and perhaps how students themselves could help. High school students can better handle discussions about the death and damage the quake caused.

Ask Essential Questions & Promote Dialogue

When you begin a new area of study, determine what students know and don’t know by listing and analyzing their questions. Start off by discussing content questions -- who, what, where, why, and when. But eventually get students to dig deeper until they reach some “essential questions.”

For example, instead of asking “What is the role of different branches of government?” students might consider: “What would happen if we had no government?” Or if you’re discussing a piece of literature, a question might be: “What causes some people to prevail in the face of adversity and others to fail?” These kinds of questions will help students think more deeply and critically.

Help students explore their own opinions as well as others’ points of view. Do an “opinion continuum”: Read a statement expressing a particular opinion about something, and have students choose: I agree, I strongly agree, I disagree, I strongly disagree, not sure. Then have students explain why.

Assign opinion articles reflecting different points of view. Have your students interview people with different perspectives -- each other, friends, or family members. This will complicate students’ thinking and encourage them to reflect more on the opinions they hold.

Develop Social Action Projects

Find ways to encourage your students to take action on issues that concern them. This not only fosters active citizenship and builds students’ leadership skills, it provides an antidote to feelings of powerlessness or apathy.

Whether the topic is the war in Afghanistan, climate change, or gay marriage, social action projects can connect students to your curriculum and to the wider world. Begin by having the students identify the problem(s) that need to be addressed. Brainstorm possible solutions, including a wide range of possibilities. Then vote or use consensus to narrow it down to a few options.

Actions can range from activist projects like letter writing, protesting, or testifying, to service-oriented projects like raising money or working at a local organization to help a group of people. Making the leap from investigation to action can be a powerful experience for young people.

How do you teach social responsibility in your classroom? Share in the comments section!


 For more information about Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, visit our website at www.morningsidecenter.org.

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eCampus News Digital Edition: March 2012


eCampus News Digital
Vol. 5, No. 3
Technology News for Today’s Higher-Ed Leader
March 2012

Technologies
Best Practices
Funding
Research
President Obama
     


 


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NEA Today: Burnout vs. demoralization



NEA.org
In this issue:     How to Involve Parents     |    Free Democracy Day Curriculum     |    Tip: Let Students Teach

Kim Williams
How One Teacher Helped Her School Go Green
Kim Williams is one of the Center for Green Schools' "Coolest Teachers in the World."

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Quiz: Do You Have the Facts on Job Creation?
Take this short quiz to make sure you have the facts about who actually creates jobs!

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5 Tips for Better Relationships With Your Students
Goodwill with your students helps improve their learning, and reduces your stress.
Huffington Post: Teachers Unions Step Up to Lead
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel addresses the gap between affluent and poor students, and how local teachers unions are stepping up to the challenge.
Judy Near From Colorado Named NEA 2012 ESP of the Year
Judy Near, a health technician and attendance clerk at Skyline Elementary School in Canon City, was honored for her commitment to her students and colleagues.
How Bad Education Policies Demoralize Teachers
We often hear the term “teacher burnout,” but is the real problem that educators are demoralized?
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Tips Box

Let Your Students Teach the Class

“When I notice that students are beginning to disengage with the lesson or need a motivational boost, one of the things I do to reengage them is to have groups of students present the lesson for me,” says Robert Emerson, an English teacher.
Have you tried this? Share your ideas!



For more news from NEA Today, visit us at Education Votes, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and neatoday.org  
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NEA Today Express is sent to NEA members as a benefit of membership.
 
Published by the NEA National, 1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-3290.

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IEA: Webinar @ DU: Increasing Student Engagement in Course Evaluations



DU Faculty are invited to view a webinar (Tuesday, March 20 at 10am CST) designed to offer strategies for increasing student response rates in course evaluations. Click on the “Register Here” icon below to register.

Remind students that:

·         they will receive an email invitation (only via their DU email) from the Educational Testing Service by March 25;
·         they should complete the online evaluations as early as March 26;
·         courses with low response rates will be required to go to the computer lab, if already scheduled to do so.
·         the course evaluation window WILL close on April 5.




Free Webinar 
Next Week!

Register Here:

March 20
  
Tuesday
March 20, 2012
11:00 am EST


Increasing Course Evaluation Engagement:
New Patterns in Response Rates
Phyllis,

Online course evaluations have become an integral tool for measuring and improving the quality of higher education.  As more institutions transition from paper to an online format, the benefits are clear: time and cost savings, rapid results, and easy tracking.
 
Yet the concern still exists that going online could reduce response rates.  Student engagement is the solution to this potential threat.
To learn about survey fatigue, incentive campaigns, and long and short term solutions, sign up for the "Increasing Course Evaluation Engagement: New Patterns in Response Rates" webinar. Join us as David Nelson, PhD, Assistant Director of Evaluation and Assessment at Purdue University, discusses how the online format has changed the evaluation game.            

Discover how to leverage online evaluations to implement successful engagement strategies and increase response rates.  Register today!

ConnectEDU is a technology company, founded and grounded in education, committed to transitioning 21st Century Learners on their pathways from school to college to career, helping them realize their potential, achieve a secure financial future, and ultimately connect to life's possibilities.


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