| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
| Teaching & Learning
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- Ky. school's black history lessons expand beyond Feb.
Black history at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Ky., is studied throughout the academic year. The class, which started this school year, is taught by teacher Amy Madsen, who is pursuing her doctorate in black history and obtained a grant to design the course. "I wanted this class to not concentrate on slavery. I feel like classes can get stuck there. It's very important to our history, but we wanted to go beyond that in this class," said Madsen, who based her class on one taught at Northwestern University. The Winchester Sun (Ky.)
(2/18)
 
- Is the latest teaching trend right for all classrooms?
It seems every few years, educators are urged to adopt the latest and greatest teaching method, writes high-school English teacher Nicholas Provenzano. In this blog post, he writes that while teachers should be open to better methods of instruction, he cautions them against succumbing to pressure to disregard other approaches. Instead, he writes about the advice a veteran teacher once gave him: "Teach to the students in your class and you will always be right." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(2/25)
| Professional Development
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- Teacher: Educators should look to peers for professional development
 Peer coaching is a way to help teachers grow and improve through professional development, teacher Anthony S. Colucci writes in this blog post. Among the benefits, he notes, is that peer coaching revolves around the teacher, allows educators to collaborate as part of a team and allows teachers to take on leadership roles without leaving the classroom. The method also provides opportunities for the coach to grow and learn as well, he writes. TransformED
(2/26)
- Principal ponders changes he'd make if he replaced Arne Duncan
Most educators have considered how they would act if they were chosen U.S. education secretary, writes elementary-school principal Peter DeWitt. In this blog post, DeWitt writes that if he were in that role, he immediately would place a moratorium on testing and then consider new ways to assess schools' performance. He then would direct money currently spent on testing to professional development for teachers and invest in prekindergarten programs and higher teachers' salaries, among other things. Education Week/Finding Common Ground blog
(2/22)
| Technology in the Classroom
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- Using technology for instructional, practical purposes
Technology can have instructional and practical benefits in the classroom, suggests Scott Steinberg, a speaker and author who shares seven such uses in this blog post. He recommends using an application to track students' attendance and behavior, using digital tools to foster collaboration, recoding lectures and notes and establishing digital ways to communicate with families. Other suggestions include using electronic books and focusing on technology as a tool used to reach goals. The Huffington Post/The Blog
(2/25)
| Social Studies & Civic Life
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- Iowa students take environmental concerns to the capitol
A school project studying food waste and the environment led three Iowa City middle-school students to present their case in support of a landfill bill in the Iowa state Senate. The students, ages 11, 12 and 13, spoke about methane gas emissions from food waste in landfills during a legislative subcommittee meeting at the state capitol. One senator credited them with changing his mind on the bill, which could make it to the Senate floor in mid-March. KCRG-TV (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
(2/23)
- How to inspire student leadership
Students of all backgrounds can be empowered to become leaders, middle-school math teacher and coach José Vilson writes in this blog post. He writes how his own students recently decided to take the lead in raising money for Hurricane Sandy relief. Vilson suggests that teachers frame the lesson as a story, feel comfortable with silence if students do not respond immediately and encourage students to be independent. Edutopia.org/José Vilson's blog
(2/21)
| NCSS Updates
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Call for CUFA Conference proposals -- Deadline March 1
The College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA) of National Council for the Social Studies invites proposals for scholarship to be presented at its Annual Meeting, which will be held on Nov. 20 to 22 in St. Louis, Mo., in conjunction with the NCSS Annual Conference. The theme of this year's conference is Gateway to the Core of Learning. The CUFA program will include papers, symposiums and alternative format sessions focused on empirical research or conceptual analyses of social education. In addition, the conference will feature invited speakers as well as CUFA- and NCSS-co-sponsored Research Into Practice (RIP) sessions. Learn more and submit a proposal.
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NCSS awards
NCSS is accepting nominations and applications for the following 2012 awards and grants: Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year; Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy; Award for Global Understanding; Larry Metcalf Exemplary Dissertation; Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award; Jean Dresden Grambs Distinguished Career Research Award; FASSE Christa McAuliffe Reach for the Stars Award; and FASSE-IA International Understanding Grants. Learn more about NCSS awards and grants.
| SmartQuote
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 | If you want to truly understand something, try to change it."
--Kurt Lewin,
German-American psychologist
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NCSS SmartBrief Issues:
- Monday, February 25, 2013
- Friday, February 22, 2013
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- Monday, February 18, 2013
- Friday, February 15, 2013
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