Posts com a Tag ‘Escola secundária’
Immigrants a les escoles – DEUSDAD (I-DCSGH)
DEUSDAD, Blanca. Immigrants a les escoles. Resenha de: BELLATI, Ilaria. Íber – Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales, Geografía e Historia, n.79, abr., 2015.
Con Immigrants a les escoles, Blanca Deusdad, doctora en sociología y docente en la Universidad Rovira i Virgili, ha ganado en 2008 el décimo segundo premio Batec a la investigación e innovación educativas. Las conclusiones y reflexiones de este libro son el fruto de un trabajo acerca de los efectos del aumento de la población extranjera en la sociedad catalana y sus consecuencias en las aulas escolares. Leia Mais
Is That Right? Critical Thinking and the Social World of the Young Learner – WRIGHT (CSS)
WRIGHT, Ian. Is That Right? Critical Thinking and the Social World of the Young Learner. Toronto: Pippin Publishing, 2002. 144p. Resenha de: BRILEY, Ron. Canadian Social Studies, v.39, n.1, p., 2004.
Is That Right? is a useful volume for any teacher who would like to introduce critical thinking into the elementary and middle school curriculum. Although Ian Wright is currently a professor of social studies education at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, his years as a classroom teacher are most evident in this book. The practical lesson plans included in the volume provide concrete examples for teachers. The book is addressed to the everyday concerns of teachers and does not become overly bogged down with theoretical concerns. For example, Wright defines critical thinking as making judgments about what to believe and what to do in situations that are problematic that is situations where we do not know initially what to believe or do (p. 56).
Wright acknowledges that he has not always practiced critical thinking in the classroom, but he has become an enthusiastic convert. Nevertheless, the environment in both the United States and Canada is increasingly hostile to critical thinking. High stakes standardized testing, which determine grade placement and faculty retention, have placed considerable pressure upon teachers to focus upon more rote memory of factual material. In the United States this educational approach is embodied in the No Child Left Behind Act and standards movement.
It is a fallacy, however, to assume that critical thinking is not about standards and excellence. As Wright points out, not all opinions are equally valid. Critical thinking is all about developing measurements and assessment tools, for both students and teachers, to ascertain which arguments or opinions are most valid and best supported. The ultimate goal for an educated community is not memorizing or regurgitating information, but learning to become intelligent citizens who are capable of making informed choices.
Critical thinking provides the foundation for such a citizenry by developing practical tools for evaluating evidence. Teachers seeking more concrete means of evaluation in the classroom might consult the critical thinking rubrics developed by Wright. But the bottom line for those who obsess upon objectivity should be recognition that in our daily lives we must deal with ambiguity, and the classroom under the guidance of a caring teacher is an appropriate laboratory to begin this process. Our best students and citizens are those who develop a healthy respect for the roles played by ambiguity and paradox in historical causation and human motivation.
While Wright asserts that critical thinking skills may be employed in most academic subjects, his experience and examples focus primarily upon the field of social studies. And here we encounter another level of controversy. Some in the discipline of history assert that the social studies are too present minded and expect too little from children. Indeed, many of the sample lessons provided by Wright deal with such issues as what makes a good friend or what to do about garbage. Groups in the United Sates such as the National Council for History Education maintain that young learners are capable of historical understanding and that the social studies approach is ahistorical and lacking substance or context. But in many ways this debate between history and the social studies is a tempest in a teapot; for the critical thinking approach fits well into the history classroom.
In evaluating a primary document or actions taken in the past, the skills of analyzing which argument is best supported still applies. And this works just as well for a classroom mock trial as a more traditional research paper. Was John Brown a terrorist who murdered innocent people or was he a freedom fighter against the tyranny of slavery? Or is reality too complex for such bipolar thinking? The key point is that critical thinking provides an approach to historical inquiry which accounts for the complexity of the past and demonstrates how the past may shed light upon the present.
Those who may really challenge the critical thinking approach are individuals and groups who assert that history should simply be about patriotism and indoctrination rather than the questioning of ideas and even values. Some argue that in the age of terrorism our children might learn to unquestionably embrace Western Civilization against threats from alien ideologies. Yet, as fewer and fewer media conglomerates control mainstream access to information, real security flows from an electorate trained to critically evaluate ideas and resist political or corporate manipulation.
Thus, as usual, teachers are on the front lines of dealing with a complex world. Critical thinking should make this heavy responsibility a little less onerous; for teachers who embrace critical thinking techniques are not authority figures who must always provide the right answer. Instead, the teacher is an intelligent guide working alongside the students to develop and foster the tools necessary to make critical distinctions.
Wright’s book is both inspirational and practical. His ideas may be applied to the university as well as the elementary school classroom. The inclusion of sample lesson plans and a bibliography, complete with appropriate web sites, make Is That Right? a volume which should find a place on most teachers’ bookshelves. More than just a teaching tool, critical thinking is essential to the preservation of a democratic ethos.
Ron Briley – Sandia Preparatory School. Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Canada: the culture – KALMAN (CSS)
KALMAN, Bobbie. Canada: the culture. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2002. 32p. KALMAN, Bobbie. Canada: the land. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2002. 32p. KALMAN, Bobbie. Canada: the people. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2002. 32p. Resenha de: BRADLEY, Jon G. Canadian Social Studies, v.37, n.2, 2003.
The Land, Peoples and Culture Series consists of a colourful collection of volumes aimed directly at what might be termed the elementary/young adolescent coffee-table/library market. Published by Crabtree, and slightly oversized at 21 cm by 28 cm, the glossy coloured pages and hardbound volumes are visually appealing as well as physically durable.
Twenty-two countries are currently represented in the series and the selection of the specific countries deserves a comment. The two unique continents of Antarctica and Australia are not represented at all. At first glance, this is a surprising omission. However, as the criteria appears to be a three-volume set for each country (a single volume for each interconnected theme of the land, the people, and the culture) one can perhaps understand these omissions. Nonetheless, while Antarctica certainly does not have a culture or human inhabitants within the parameters of the series framework, the omission of Australia does offer a moment’s pause. The selection of representative countries for the remaining five continents is quite diverse and certainly does provide for a wide and varied selection. Africa is represented by Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa; Asia by China, India, Japan, Tibet, The Philippines and Vietnam; Europe is heavily favoured with France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Spain and Russia; North America’s sole representative is Canada; while Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru showcase South and Central America. In total, then, Crabtree has undertaken a somewhat ambitious project by producing sixty-six high quality books!
Neatly packaged within a common physical arrangement, the books are bright and colourful, and clearly would appeal to both a non-reading and early reading clientele. With some deviations, most pages are evenly split between short snippets of written text and visuals. While the majority of the visuals are coloured photographs of people and/or geographic locations and scenes, there is a smattering of art reproductions as well as the odd black and white rendition. The books appear to follow a set, if somewhat monotonous, pattern of a two page (or even multiples) spread for each topic or item within the theme. Canada: the people, for example, has the following chapter titles: ‘Faces of Canada’, ‘The first people’ (4 pages), ‘History and heritage’ (4 pages), ‘From around the world’, ‘Canadian families’, ‘City life’, ‘Country life’, ‘School’, ‘Haley’s skating lesson’, ‘Canadian cuisine’, ‘Sports and leisure’, and ‘Canada’s future’.
As there is no introduction or letter to parents or other such directional statement, the reader has to sort of guess the target audience envisioned by the publisher. There are no activities to do, no follow-up or research questions, no referenced web sites, and no bibliography of additional readings. The volumes are self-contained and inclusive and, interestingly, do not even direct the reader to the other books within the three volume subset of the same country.
From a readability point of view, the vocabulary seems straightforward with short and direct sentences. There is a small and select glossary at the back of each book along with a brief index. Certain key words are sometimes highlighted within the text and each visual has its own captioned notation.
As my maiden aunt used to muse, I am torn betwixt and between. I really, really like some aspects of the series (glossy paper, strong colour, short narratives) and, at the same time, I quite strongly detest other features (overly simplistic, tendency towards characterization). My personal dilemma is to attempt to take a reasonable professional stance and to offer an informed educational opinion.
While there is much that is positive within the series, there are comments as well as omissions that cause one to pause. In Canada: the people, for example, the description of elementary education (p. 22) is clearly of an Ontario model that is not applicable to the rest of the country and, furthermore, why is such a big fuss made of children wearing a school uniform? Additionally, while the story of Haley and her figure skating lesson (pp. 24-25) has much to recommend it as a blended family story, the picture accompanying the story does not reflect the facts as described. In Canada: the culture, no mention is made of either Pierre Berton or Farley Mowat as children’s authors although Margaret Atwood (pp. 16-19) gets prime billing for The Handmaid’s Tale. I am not at all sure of the relevance of a black and white photograph of Mary Pickford or a coloured picture of a very young Jim Carrey (pp. 20-21) as being of any interest to anyone. Canada: the land refers to Nova Scotia as Scenic, Quebec as Unique, Ontario as Bustling and British Columbia as Beautiful. I am a tad surprised that the other provinces were unworthy of a snappy qualifier. Is Montreal still the second largest French-speaking city in the world? Notwithstanding that choices are always difficult, the ‘Canadian places’ four page spread could have been far more creative and representative than brief descriptions of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Historic Quebec City, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, and Dawson City along with a full-page view of the Chateau Frontenac overlooking the St. Lawrence River.
On balance and in the interests of reaching a decision (no sitting on the proverbial Canadian fence, eh?), I guess that I should not be too critical and more positively side with the opinion that something in print is better than nothing at all. After all, the books are very, very colourful and do attempt to do what some might well view as impossible in the first place; that is, describe this country historically, culturally, and geographically in less than 100 pages! Notwithstanding my own reservations and even though Kalman may only be able to present a somewhat simplistic view of this broad and complex society, I feel that these books would do well in a community children’s library, the junior section of a school library, and perhaps even be appropriate for children’s anniversary gifts if for no other reason than the wonderful visuals and pictures.
Jon G. Bradley – Faculty of Education. McGill University. Montreal, Quebec.
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