We speak with Lee Schere, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Office of K-16 Initiatives of CUNY about the Debating U.S. History Program, an inquiry-based curriculum and teacher learning program. Students learn that history is not one set of agreed-upon events and interpretations. Though designed for NYC schools, the curriculum is available free to teachers everywhere.
Overview
00:00-00:37 Intros
00:37-02:42 Debating U.S. History
02:42-04:58 Why CUNY developed a high school course
04:58-06:32 Why this is a more ethical way to teach history
06:32-08:23 Examples of inquiry-based learning
08:23-12:28 Differentiation in working with documents for students at different reading levels
12:28-14:23 Key skills and strategies
14:23-17:41 Historiography and uncertainty
17:41-19:20 Students grappling with ethical questions
19:20-20:53 Program logistics
20:53-23:03 Collaboration with ELA teachers
23:03-24:00 How schools become part of the program
24:00-26:14 Regents exam
26:14- Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcript of this episode.
References
CUNY K16 Initiatives: Debating US History (website)
Ellen McHugh, long time activist and Public Advocate Williams’s appointee to the NYC Citywide Council on Special Education, delves into the challenges facing parents ...
We speak with Melissa Svigelj-Smith, graduate fellow at University of California at Santa Cruz, about her experience teaching high school students awaiting case outcomes ...
We speak with Dr. Andrea Siegel and Michelle Vitale of Hudson County Community College about the ways they bring art into students’ everyday lives....
