Presentation by the Capitol Forum team at the
2007 OSPI Summer
Institutes.
Background on the Workshop
prepared by Carol Jo Coe
Our public schools are charged with the task of preparing students
for participation in a democratic society. Research indicates that
skills of citizenship are most easily acquired when instruction involves
both understanding and application of specific concepts. Perhaps this is
why Washington State requires students to demonstrate civic competence
through various Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs). These CBAs can be
assessed in several ways; discussion is one such possibility, and it is
at the heart of this workshop.
While the literature is replete with studies indicating that
discussion increases learning, there is, nonetheless, a dearth of
discussion in most classrooms. The vast majority of teachers avoid
classroom discussion altogether. Instead they rely on a question-answer
format, what researchers label IRE (teacher Initiation, student
Response, teacher Evaluation). Consequently, most students leave high
school ill-equipped to participate effectively in this rudimentary
process of democratic citizenship.
The absence of discussion in our schools is a serious problem, one
that can be addressed by increasing teacher competence and confidence as
discussion leaders. Research indicates that the key to effective
classroom discussion lies with the teacher. So an important question
follows: Can teachers provide effective instruction and facilitation of
discussion? In short, yes. Several studies point to the fact that with
appropriate training most teachers use more discussion-based classroom
activities.
By providing direct instruction and application of basic discussion
formats, this workshop deconstructs and demystifies the discussion
process. Participants learn and practice proven discussion strategies
for bringing democracy to life in their classrooms and schools,
exploring such applications as social contracts, class meetings,
deliberation, debate, multicultural lesson design, and the use of
restitution.
Democratic schools, like democracy itself, do not happen by chance.
They result from explicit attempts by educators to put in place
democratic processes and practices. We, the leaders of this workshop,
believe that our society will not fulfill the dual mission of our public
schools – (1) to ensure that all students master important content and
skills, and (2) to prepare all students for active citizenship – until
we move from Education FOR Democracy to Education AS Democracy.
Increasing classroom discussion is an important first step.
Focus of the Workshop
The Capitol Forum on America’s Future
is a civic education initiative developed at the Watson Institute for
International Studies at Brown University in Rhode Island that uses
Brown University’s highly regarded Choices Curriculum. The Choices
Curriculum engages high school students in civic practice and
consideration of current international issues. Prof. Walter Parker of
the University of Washington describes it as
“[one] of the best resources for the high school
social studies classroom, especially history and government
courses…[which] engages students in the kind of deliberation that
develops their understanding of one another, of the array of
alternatives, of the problem itself, and of its historical context.”
Walter C. Parker,
“Teaching Against Idiocy,” Phi Delta Kappan, January 2005.
(For full text, see
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v86/k0501par.htm.)
The Washington State Capitol Forum is a
year-long program open to any high school in Washington state,
culminating in a day at the Capitol in Olympia. There, students interact
with policymakers and deliberate on important issues, such as
immigration, trade, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and environment,
as well as exploring four alternative futures for America’s role in the
world.
In this workshop, you’ll experience a “mini” Capitol Forum based on
the Choices curriculum, U.S. Role in a Changing World.
We’ll show you how to use these materials as a resource for Social
Studies Classroom Based Assessments, such as U.S. Foreign Policy.
Teachers can use the materials in their classrooms to engage students in
meaningful discussion and deliberation to create culturally responsive
classrooms.
Handouts & Resources
For more information and to participate in the 2008 Capitol Forum in
Olympia,
visit Washington State Capitol Forum.
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