I had the great privilege this week of attending a meeting at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, KS. The purpose was to identify concretely some ways the partnership between K-State and the Eisenhower Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home could continue to grow. The experience was wonderful as we were able to visit the Director’s office which at one time was occupied President Eisenhower himself. Additionally, I was afforded the opportunity to go through the museum, which was fabulous! Great exhibits were filled with the artifacts of the life and times of the president. Continue reading “I Still Like Ike” & A “History Day” Training Opportunity
Category Archives: professional development
HGSS + KCCRS = Integrated Lessons
I spent last Friday at a workshop in Salina with a group of fifty dedicated teachers learning how to implement the new History, Government, and Social Studies standards in their districts. It was “training the trainers” as districts look at writing curriculum and implementing best practices, literacy expectations, standards and benchmarks. Continue reading HGSS + KCCRS = Integrated Lessons
A different type of professional development
Ok, we all know that one of the perks of being a teacher is that for about a month and a half we can think of this other than school. But if any of you are like me (which I’m guessing since you’re reading this blog in the summertime – you probably are!) summer isn’t as leisurely as people think. I feel that summer is a perfect time to reflect on my teaching philosophy, think about new things I want to try in my classroom, read blogs, maybe attend a workshop here and there, find ideas on the internet for experience-enhancing activities, and so on. The beauty of being a teacher is that we get to try things over and over again if we messed up the first time! I’m so happy that I get a new set of kiddos in August because I learn so much over the summer. USE YOUR FREE TIME WISELY! There aren’t many other careers where employees are given almost two months to just…reflect. Continue reading A different type of professional development
Teaching with Artifacts
I am a museum geek. I grew up going to museums in Chicago, part of our annual trip to see my grandparents. That, plus my love of American history, led me to the museum field and teaching with artifacts. Nothing can bring history to life like the things left behind.
Don’t believe me?
Check out the German U-boat, the U505, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Or examine the pike at the Kansas Museum of History, one of the actual pikes John Brown purchased and shipped to Harper’s Ferry to start a slave insurrection. Looking at the pike you can’t help but ask yourself
Who used it? What happened to that person? Why did he buy pikes and not rifles? Why did the revolt fail?
This is why I love artifacts. Continue reading Teaching with Artifacts
Writing your own textbook isn’t as scary as you think . . .
Well, it’s a little scary . . . but the rewards outweigh the scariness, I promise!
Our social studies department has been working for the past year to come up with a new curriculum that replaces textbooks from a publishing company. There has been a lot of discussion at PLC meetings and a lot of attending professional development workshops.
I first heard the term eBooks from Glenn Wiebe when he met with elementary and middle school social studies teachers to discuss the new state standards and strategies we can use in our classroom to go along with them. But it wasn’t until I attended the workshop “Creating Content with Apple’s “iBook Author” with Kendall Warkentine (Derby USD) at the KCSS No Citizen Left Behind conference last fall in Topeka that I really started processing the idea of creating my own content. Continue reading Writing your own textbook isn’t as scary as you think . . .
