One hundred years have passed
since DeTocqueville wrote the
classic "Democracy in America,"
and the issues confronting a
democracy are still at the heart
of what is important for students
to understand. In fact, today,
with our diverse classrooms
it is more important than ever
to have an understanding of
the struggle for democracy in
America. The two questions guiding
our inquiry are:
- How has democracy evolved
throughout American history?
- What have been our democratic
aspirations? To what degree
have they been realized?
The goal of our project is
to increase student achievement
and engagement in the study
of American history. We believe
that through providing a powerful
theme, and linking that theme
to the best pedagogy and practice
in history, we will achieve
our goal.
This project will bring together
5th, 8th and 11th grade teachers
(those responsible for teaching
American history in California
schools) to develop a shared
understanding of democracy and
develop an articulated series
of lessons so that students
will study a consistent theme
when they learn American history.
Teachers will, through the benefit
of our partnerships with the
University of California, work
with some of the nation’s
best historians and have access
to primary source documents.
Through this opportunity, which
would be the envy of many history
graduate students around the
country, teachers will enrich
and enliven the classroom.
Using California’s state
standards and Oakland’s
standards that stress historical
thinking, teachers will be creating,
teaching, modeling, and reflecting
on lessons that ask students
to critically examine evidence,
to consider multiple points
of view, and to evaluate different
interpretations. In short, students
and teachers will be asked to
think like historians and in
this process students will be
given the tools to build a future
on which democracy rests. |
