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Findings: Impact On Students
The following is a sample of the examples
teachers provided in response to the evaluation
question: Please provide an example that
demonstrates the best/ greatest impact that a
"Doing History" lesson had on your class or a
student. A wide range of examples was
shared. They fell into five broad categories.
Engaged students
- (Kid who loved
using podcast technology) ...whether he knew
it or not, he was reviewing the content over
and over.
- Doing the podcast,
students who took little pride or care in
their work became obsessed with making every
detail perfect.
- A student with
many learning disabilities was very excited
about analyzing historic paintings. Student
was attentive, made good observations and
connections, even late in day when his
attention is usually diminished.
Increased
student understanding or knowledge
- When the mayor
met them (students on historic walking
tour), he asked them questions about the
history of the city and they knew...they
were experts.
- Story of fifth
grader who had experience "doing
history" in third grade classroom...when
they began a lesson in 5th grade she
told other fifth graders " you have to
think differently"...showed them how to
work with primary sources.
- Overheard at
the library: A student looked at the
time capsule and noted that "someday
people will look at today's stuff the
same way we look at the Indians'
things". This was an epiphany of
understanding that history is about
people and the connections between them.
Expanded
student curiosity
- Use of old
maps led to fascination with changes
in community which I was then able
to address with Google Earth,
leading to more, deeper discussion.
- Reading
the original Belinda Royall petition
(i.e., former slave petition for
compensation) led to discussions of
language, the geography of where she
came from, her inability to read,
who received education at the time,
and also the idea of reparations.
- A group of
students who had decided to
participate in the History Day
competition on the Vietnam War chose
to include a local component by
doing oral histories, interviewing
Winthrop residents who served or
were involved in anti-war activism.
Made the
textbook real
-
Immigrant students could see the
similarities between current
immigrants they interviewed and
what they read about immigration
in the text.
- When
they learned about slaves in
Medford, in their community, it
became their history not someone
else's history.
-
Students really enjoyed getting
out and talking to members of
the community and taking
pictures of locations where
events occurred.
Got
students excited about "Doing
History"
-
One student was so excited
by her elementary school
experience "Doing History'
that she enrolled in
Sturbridge Village summer
program with history role
playing, etc.
- We
had 100% attendance (at the
community event)...middle
school kids
excitement...they didn't
want to go (home). One kid
was overheard saying "I
didn't know History could be
such fun".
- A
few students chose to write
about their projects for
their college application
essays!!
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