Civics in the Spotlight at #NCSS2017

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

This past weekend, thousands of educators from across the nation gathered in San Francisco for the annual National Council for the Social Studies conference. Civics took center stage at many workshops with recognition of innovative practitioners, new resources for classroom teachers and affirmation of the importance of empowering ALL students for college, career and civic life.


Dr. Shawn Healy, Director of the Democracy Program at the Robert R. McCormick Foundation led an exciting session about the Action Civics initiative. The highlight of the presentation was the participation of a panel of youth from around the country that shared the significance of informed action in developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions of effective civic engagement.

With support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) debuted a new resource called Civic Online Learning designed to help students acquire, “the ability to judge the credibility of the information that floods young people’s smartphones, tablets, and computer screens.” Educators will find a series of flexible assessment tools in both paper and digital form for classroom use.

Joe Kahne and Erica Hodgin from the Civic Engagement Research Group highlighted materials they developed in partnership with the Teaching Channel. Educating for a Democracy Deep Dive provides a curated collection of videos accompanied by educational resources related to preparing youth for civic and political life in the digital age. It provides a way for educators to see civic education in action and find resources to support their efforts.

I was privileged to serve on a panel related to using current and controversial issues in the classroom and present on behalf of PolitiCraft, an action civics card game. In PolitiCraft, students construct a narrative around an issue of importance in their community and learn the various avenues they can pursue in order to take informed action. The game has curriculum aligned to both the Illinois Social Studies standards and Common Core Literacy standards.


One of the more exciting events I attended at #NCSS17 was the planning session for next year’s conference in Chicago on November 30- December 2, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency. The theme of the conference is Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, The Future of Social Studies. Proposals for the conference will be open in December. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help with planning and volunteer efforts to make #NCSS18 in the Windy City a success.

Did you attend the NCSS Conference in San Francisco? What were your favorite sessions from the conference? Please comment below. We would love to learn from you and share with others how to best prepare students for civic life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Talk About the "Required" Constitution Test

Image
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor As I have traveled around the state of Illinois to support implementation of the high school civics requirement and pending middle school civics legislation , one of the biggest concerns I have heard is, “How will we have time to prepare students for the required Constitution test? I will never have time to cover all 200 questions on the test if I have to make time for student-centered inquiry, discussions, simulations, and service learning!” The Illinois State Board of Education states: American patriotism and the principles of representative government, as enunciated in the American Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the proper use and display of the American flag, shall be taught in all public schools and other educational institutions supported or maintained in whole or in part by public funds. No student shall receive a certificate
Read more

Resources to Respond to Tragedy and Violence

Image
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist All educators are civics teachers. Teachers send messages to students about power, justice, and representation by the content we select, the way we engage student voice, the norms we employ, and the stories included in our classroom. We have a responsibility to prioritize our students’ lived experiences, putting Maslow before Bloom , to inform the essential questions we address in our curriculum. When violence or tragedy occurs, classrooms provide a safe venue for students to process, ask questions and be given context to understand current events as they happen. While current events unfold, it is not the time to debate policy. Educators will not have all of the answers to the questions students pose. Teachers can create a classroom space where we can be present, listen, and create a safe environment for our students to do the same. Start with Reflection Your students may be wrestling with a range of emotions. We cannot assum
Read more

Where Do We Go from Here? Resources to Help Classrooms Process the 2020 Election

Image
by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist While the 2020 election season draws to a close, IllinoisCivics.org is committed to helping classrooms prepare for what comes next after a contentious and polarized election season. Students will need help processing the election results and their impact on current and societal issues their communities face around justice, power, equity, and safety. As all educators are civics teachers, we have a responsibility to prioritize our students’ lived experiences, putting Maslow before Bloom , to inform the essential questions we address in our curriculum. Educators will not have all of the answers to the questions students pose, but we can create a classroom space where we can be present, listen, and create a safe environment for our students to do the same. Here are a number of ideas and resources to support this work beyond the 2020 election. Start with Reflection Your students may be wrestling with a range of emotions post-electio
Read more