Academic Language and Student Voice in an inquiry lesson about Iraq

Presenter Information

Khodadad Kaviani

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC 271

Start Date

17-5-2012

End Date

17-5-2012

Abstract

How can teachers know that their students are meeting the learning targets? How can teachers ensure that their students are participating in knowledge construction? As the moves toward greater accountability in teaching and evidence-based student learning are gaining prominence in standard-driven education, this paper provides an effective model based on inquiry teaching. This model shows that it is possible to teach content knowledge, as well as civility and higher order thinking skills in a lesson that deals with a controversial topic. In an inquiry lesson about the Iraq War, students learn to distinguish between a hypothesis and a thesis. They learn to warrant their claims based on reliable evidence, question their sources of information, and recognize their assumptions about the reasons for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Various informal and formal assessment strategies are used to assess student engagement and student learning in this lesson. Therefore, in this presentation, the audience learns about this inquiry process and learns about the fifteen various data sets that are used to present a wide range of perspectives on an important issue that continues to be discussed in history classes. The sources include excerpts from statements made by the U.S. government officials, scholars, and news sources. The idea is that all verifiable information used to formulate a thesis should be sufficiently strong in order to avoid a hasty generalization or a long/tedious argument.

Faculty Mentor(s)

Khodadad Kaviani

Additional Mentoring Department

Education

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May 17th, 8:50 AM May 17th, 9:10 AM

Academic Language and Student Voice in an inquiry lesson about Iraq

SURC 271

How can teachers know that their students are meeting the learning targets? How can teachers ensure that their students are participating in knowledge construction? As the moves toward greater accountability in teaching and evidence-based student learning are gaining prominence in standard-driven education, this paper provides an effective model based on inquiry teaching. This model shows that it is possible to teach content knowledge, as well as civility and higher order thinking skills in a lesson that deals with a controversial topic. In an inquiry lesson about the Iraq War, students learn to distinguish between a hypothesis and a thesis. They learn to warrant their claims based on reliable evidence, question their sources of information, and recognize their assumptions about the reasons for the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Various informal and formal assessment strategies are used to assess student engagement and student learning in this lesson. Therefore, in this presentation, the audience learns about this inquiry process and learns about the fifteen various data sets that are used to present a wide range of perspectives on an important issue that continues to be discussed in history classes. The sources include excerpts from statements made by the U.S. government officials, scholars, and news sources. The idea is that all verifiable information used to formulate a thesis should be sufficiently strong in order to avoid a hasty generalization or a long/tedious argument.