Strategies
"All great undertakings are risky, and, as they say, what is worth while is always difficult."
Plato, The Republic
The Unit is designed to cover an intensive 6-week period as the introduction to my senior American Democracy Course. I will utilize guided activities that are anchored to and geared toward illuminating the significant and diverse political/philosophical views studied. The reading of both primary and secondary sources, compiled into a student resource - Democratic Theory and Practice Reading List, will be the main text used for the unit.
Due to the difficult level of the vocabulary, as well as the abstract nature of many of the concepts discussed, success of this unit will depend upon a dynamic employment of a multiplicity of activities and tools ranging from the use of various forms of media (music, art, film), organized student interactions, Socratic seminar and strategic teacher lectures (all formatted using Keynote - Apple's equivalent presentation software to Powerpoint - to be visually appealing).
The principle of reciprocity will be emphasized. They are expected to be diligent in their work so as to understand the concepts. My effort, organization and implementation of a system to support them in their process, will match their collective energy.
I will set the table, so to speak, by informing the students of what is at stake when it comes to their education. Each year I tell my students that they need to value their education in the manner in which they value their most prized possessions. I give my secular "fire and brimstone" sermon in an effort to convince my students that they must treat school as if their lives depend upon it - that they must use their education as a means for their liberation.
The following educational principles will run throughout the class: 1. "take the best and leave the rest", 2. "honor the histories of our ancestors," 3. "liberative synergy," 4. "Education for Liberation". The following teaching tools will be implemented to facilitate student success: 1. Critical Summa-flection, 2. Socratic Seminar, 3. Team-up/Break-it-down, 4. Student/Teacher/Student
Educational Principles
"Take the best and leave the rest" is the principle of finding something valuable in any and all lessons (SOUL 2000). Given the conditions that my students survive on a daily basis, it often shapes their outlook, thus inhibiting them from seeing anything positive - whether in school, in interactions with adults or exposure to new ideas. I always tell my students that very few things, if any, are 100% good or bad. That they must be able to find a positive lesson in any interaction, lesson, experience, etc.
"Honor the histories of our ancestors," roots our study beyond the present. It holds us accountable to furthering our journey for progress. It gives us the long view to the immediacy of our struggles - individual as well as collective (SOUL 2000).
"Liberative synergy" - takes into account and encourages the use of my students' cultural capital of collectivity. I want to take what often is characterized/demonized as a regressive quality toward "self-improvement" and utilize it for just that, and more. The community in the classroom will emphasize mutual benefit, individual integrity, group work and collective strength.
"Education for Liberation" - emphasizes the goals of using education to serve our respective communities. This principle encourages our students to see progress as measurable not merely by the advancement of the individual, but the progress and well-being of our communities - Less incarceration, more education; less violence and more peace; less exploitation and more justice.
Teachers Toolbox
"Critical Summa-flection" - is a tool for active note-taking. Similar to the process of meta-cognition, it encourages the reader to "think about her/his thinking". Students take an aggressive approach (as opposed to a passive) to reading by 1. reading as if their lives depended upon it, 2. being okay with not knowing all the words, 3. concisely taking notes and 4. actively reflecting, questioning, connecting, opining/postulating alternatives.
"Socratic Seminar" - "The Socratic method of teaching is based on Socrates' theory that it is more important to enable students to think for themselves than to merely fill their heads with "right" answers. Therefore, he regularly engaged his pupils in dialogues by responding to their questions with questions, instead of answers. This process encourages divergent thinking rather than convergent thinking (Greece Central School District 2008)."
"Team-up/Break-it-down" - teams students in groups of 3-5 (sometimes self-selecting/sometimes identified mixed-ability groups). Students critically summa-flect upon the text and share questions, connections, insights with each other. Teams then share an insight with the class until all information is exhausted. The team with the most positive contributions to the discussion are rewarded (to be identified).
"Student/Teacher/Student" - is the process of 1. beginning with where the students are, 2. teacher incorporating their knowledge of their students and adjusting/tailoring the lesson to build bridges, 3. deliver an effective lesson to the student . The teacher recognizes the classroom as a potential space for destruction or creation, and utilizes his/her understanding of the power relations existing within the space, for the purpose of maximizing learning (from student to teacher and from teacher back to student).
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