Suggestions For Apsi From Billie Jean Clemens - 937 Words

Suggestions for APSI from Billie Jean Clemens 1. A misunderstanding still exists as to the approach of the redesign. What does it mean to teach history in the digital age where students have access to facts at the swipe of a finger? Teachers need to understand that the redesign represents a paradigm shift in the way history is taught, no longer does one need to cover it all at breakneck speed and hope something sticks. However, how does one teach a conceptual approach to history that emphasizes the application of historical thinking skills while still holding students accountable for a core of knowledge? The workshops, through collaborative conversations and the development of quality lesson plans, need to educate teachers as to what this really looks like in the classroom. 2. Above all, the workshops need to emphasize the crucial role of historical thinking skills; how one would teach those skills; AND, how those skills are assessed on the test. While the new Curriculum Framework has done a nice job of explaining these skills, teachers need explicit instruction on how the skills are assessed on the exam. For example, in the CF, neither the description nor the proficient expectations explain that in a periodization essay students must explain how the period was different AND similar to the developments that preceded and/or followed. Even though this is clearly stated on the rubrics for the exam, a teacher new to the course would have to realize that both