Even when considering yesterday's screw up (which I found out today that I was not the only one to make), getting drenched on my three block jog at the end of the conference to get to my Caravan, and whatever's going on with my intestinal system tonight (most likely a reaction to the pizza from lunch, which was good, but greasy), I am glad that I attended today's conference.
The session itself was book-ended by presentations from Bob Bain about the problems with teaching world history to any level of student, but especially to the disinterested high school student. The middle two sessions were more specific. The first one, by Eric Schewe, discussed the waqf system in Cairo from about 1200 to when it ended in the 1950s revolution. Now, if you're thinking, "I don't know what the waqf system is," you are not alone. Basically, the waqf was a way for a wealthy person or family in an Islamic country to create a charity that would be funded ... well, hopefully forever. The second presentation, by Kenneth Hall, showed the interdependence and competition between Southeast Asian regions and cities.
There was a LOT of information, the lights were low for a good portion of the session (and all of the middle presentations), and I was fighting sleep ... while sitting in the front row. I even tried drinking non-mocha coffee to keep my mind from wandering into dreamland. The two men weren't bad presenters, but one of my take-aways from the conference was that this is what some (or many ... or most) of my students have to deal with. I need to find better ways to break up my presentations.
Aside from my personal revelation, I found several other interesting concepts that I would like to incorporate in my future teaching:
1. Start each unit, lesson, and day with a (I refuse to use "an") historical problem. Example of historical problems are "Why was Europe able to develop a hegemony in the 19th and 20th centuries?" or "What makes a great leader?" While I start my classes with focus questions or readings, they tend to have "correct" answers which my students just wait for me to tell them. These problems require evidence and critical thinking.
2. End lessons by asking students (perhaps as a journal writing) how what they learned that day supported, extended, or challenged their current beliefs. This is a good practice for anyone after receiving any piece of information.
3. I need to spend more time helping students learn how to read like historians: Look at who's doing the writing, make connections between readings, don't just read from top to bottom, realize that authority does not equal truth, and learn how to group the documents (don't just read them in the order presented).
There's more, but it's late I need to sleep now so I don't sleep during tomorrow's session.
The session itself was book-ended by presentations from Bob Bain about the problems with teaching world history to any level of student, but especially to the disinterested high school student. The middle two sessions were more specific. The first one, by Eric Schewe, discussed the waqf system in Cairo from about 1200 to when it ended in the 1950s revolution. Now, if you're thinking, "I don't know what the waqf system is," you are not alone. Basically, the waqf was a way for a wealthy person or family in an Islamic country to create a charity that would be funded ... well, hopefully forever. The second presentation, by Kenneth Hall, showed the interdependence and competition between Southeast Asian regions and cities.
There was a LOT of information, the lights were low for a good portion of the session (and all of the middle presentations), and I was fighting sleep ... while sitting in the front row. I even tried drinking non-mocha coffee to keep my mind from wandering into dreamland. The two men weren't bad presenters, but one of my take-aways from the conference was that this is what some (or many ... or most) of my students have to deal with. I need to find better ways to break up my presentations.
Aside from my personal revelation, I found several other interesting concepts that I would like to incorporate in my future teaching:
1. Start each unit, lesson, and day with a (I refuse to use "an") historical problem. Example of historical problems are "Why was Europe able to develop a hegemony in the 19th and 20th centuries?" or "What makes a great leader?" While I start my classes with focus questions or readings, they tend to have "correct" answers which my students just wait for me to tell them. These problems require evidence and critical thinking.
2. End lessons by asking students (perhaps as a journal writing) how what they learned that day supported, extended, or challenged their current beliefs. This is a good practice for anyone after receiving any piece of information.
3. I need to spend more time helping students learn how to read like historians: Look at who's doing the writing, make connections between readings, don't just read from top to bottom, realize that authority does not equal truth, and learn how to group the documents (don't just read them in the order presented).
There's more, but it's late I need to sleep now so I don't sleep during tomorrow's session.
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