The Hechinger Report

DECEMBER 10, 2022

New Jersey is set to become the first state in the nation to mandate teaching media literacy to students of all ages as a bill with the requirement heads to Gov. Spikes, director of Teach for Chicago Journalism at Northwestern University and co-founder of the Illinois Media Literacy Coalition. Subscribe today!

Teaching 137

Teaching Civics K-12 Social Science 137

TCI

JANUARY 14, 2025

Engaging students in social studies goes beyond simply covering the material; its about helping them connect historical events to current issues and develop critical thinking skills. Youll also learn about HQIMs impact on academic performance and civic readiness, along with strategies for effective implementation.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Civics Civic Engagement Critical Thinking 52

ED Surge

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

They do this by mapping courses and activities to institutional competencies: critical thinking, analytical thinking, communication, social awareness and responsibility, creativity and innovation, and leadership and collaboration. “We

Civic Engagement 109

Civic Engagement EdTech Civics Leadership 109

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 26, 2018

School systems are failing their students with outdated and inconsequential civics education that is only focused on facts and memorization. The simple multiple-choice questions found on most civics tests require memorization of unconnected facts in order to pass. In short, they are demonstrating what real civic engagement looks like.

Civics 97

Civics Civic Engagement Government High School 97

TCI

MARCH 25, 2025

Yet, studies show that integrating social studies into the curriculum can significantly enhance reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and critical thinking. Incorporate Inquiry-Based Learning: Engage students in discussions, debates, and primary source analysis to deepen comprehension and critical thinking.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Primary Sources Civics Critical Thinking 52

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

To fix this, we need to deepen our investments in civics and history instruction, bolstered by an emphasis on critical thinking skills. Only one-third of native-born Americans can correctly answer the basic civics questions required of naturalized individuals to achieve U.S. We are not setting our children up for success.

Civics 124

Civics Education Critical Thinking History 124

The Hechinger Report

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

West, an associate professor, and Professor Carl Bergstrom teach “Calling BS: Data Reasoning in a Digital World” (although the actual course listing uses the more colorful language). Related: Can we teach our way out of political polarization? We’re teaching web credibility as if it’s 2002,” he said.

K-12 145

K-12 Civics Critical Thinking Middle School 145

Let's Cultivate Greatness

DECEMBER 10, 2024

Its easy to focus on just the President when teaching the Executive Branch, but its important also to stress the role of the four million other people who make up this branch of government. Here are some of my favorite lessons and activities for teaching the executive branch in my high school Civics and Government class.

Civics 52

Civics Government Critical Thinking Social Studies 52

Dangerously Irrelevant

MAY 31, 2017

For instance, if I was teaching Social Studies today… My students and I definitely would be tapping into an incredible diversity of online resources. Instead of being limited to my teaching and our textbook, we’d have access to an entire planet of experts. We could find history games at Playing History or Flight to Freedom.

Social Studies 76

Social Studies Teaching Archiving Geography 76

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

The rate of failure for aspiring Black and Latinx teachers is even higher than for aspiring white teachers, making lack of content knowledge preparation yet another obstacle to the diversification the teaching profession so dearly needs. Only 42 percent have said they felt very well prepared to teach social studies.

K-12 128

K-12 Civics Social Studies Geography 128

Digital Promise

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

Across the country, schools are adopting new approaches to teaching and learning in order to prepare students for life in a technology-rich world. Challenge-based, problem-based, project-based, and civic learning through community engagement are approaches that share a common interest in authentic learning. Why is this important?

K-12 120

K-12 Education Civics Middle School 120

C3 Teachers

MARCH 14, 2025

The Impact: Student and Teacher Growth By embedding IDM into our districts Social Studies framework, we cultivated a culture of inquiry that benefited both students and teachers: – Students became active participants in their learning, developing skills in critical thinking, analysis, and civic engagement.

Social Studies 40

Social Studies Public School Primary Sources Civic Engagement 40

Political Science Now

JULY 16, 2024

Engaging Citizenship introduces foundational concepts in political science through the lens of citizenship, democracy, and civic engagement, highlighting the relevance of the discipline to students’ lives and encouraging them to become engaged and empowered citizens. McHugh, Merrimack College (Discussant) Richard M.

Political Science 54

Political Science Civics Civic Engagement K-12 54

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 18, 2018

But if this civic action is to be sustained and to extend to topics beyond gun violence and school safety, schools need to do more to nurture these students’ dispositions toward political participation so they can continue to engage in informed and effective ways. Related: COLUMN: Making America whole again via civics education.

Civics 91

Civics Social Studies Critical Thinking History 91

ED Surge

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Brown loves — and has long loved — learning about history, civics, geography and government, in part because he had teachers who brought infectious energy and enthusiasm to those lessons. But nothing felt quite right, until he considered teaching. But I did enjoy teaching. This month, we are featuring Caleb Brown. Is that right?

History 128

History Museum Social Studies Geography 128

Let's Cultivate Greatness

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Teaching the different forms of government seems easy enough – go over some definitions and provide examples, then quiz your students. But that’s not creating any real meaning for them, especially if your high school Civics students are somewhat familiar with them already. Here’s how I teach government systems meaningfully.

Government 52

Government Teaching Civics Critical Thinking 52

Teaching American History

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

To give students insight into the work of historians, Czarnecki assigns research projects in all of the courses she teaches at Bishop Seabury Academy in Lawrence, Kansas. How MAHG Expanded Czarnecki’s Teaching Czarnecki’s MAHG studies more than prepared her to take on such questions. She also pursues her own research.

Social Studies 98

Social Studies Research Archiving American History 98

ED Surge

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Class discussions about climate change news can help students see connections between their news practices and their academic work, while showing that familiarity with news is a social practice and a form of civic engagement. There is still much work to be done to help students translate climate anxiety into shared action.

Civic Engagement 134

Civic Engagement Civics Library Social Science 134

The Hechinger Report

JUNE 3, 2018

That’s why advanced reading correlates so highly with critical thinking skills. But even back when every school taught civics and American history, very few students attained adult literacy. He is a former New York City public school teacher and a founding director of Teach For America. Sign up for our newsletter.

Civics 105

Civics American History Elementary School Critical Thinking 105

Digital Promise

DECEMBER 15, 2014

More importantly, I'd like to see those competencies focus on the skills needed in a globalized, information-rich economy – skills like empathy, collaboration, information literacy, critical thinking, resourcefulness, communication, and creativity.” ” Melissa Gedney. League of Innovative Schools.

Education 114

Education Civics Pedagogy Lesson Plan 114

The Hechinger Report

NOVEMBER 12, 2018

But if there’s one job that can’t be taken over by artificial intelligence, it’s teaching. The best civics lesson requires you to leave the classroom. The higher-order thinking that researchers predict will survive impending technological advancement is precisely the one in teachers’ toolkits. Related: Go vote.

Humanities 111

Humanities K-12 Civics Professional Development 111

The Hechinger Report

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Related: One state mandates teaching climate change in almost every subject — even PE. While 95 percent of 58,000 primary and secondary teachers in 2021 felt that teaching climate change is important, just 32 percent felt they can explain climate change in their local context. You have more critical thinking skills.”.

Civics 111

Civics High School Critical Thinking Social Studies 111

Students of History

JANUARY 3, 2023

It's the year 2023, and teaching social studies is more of a challenge than ever before. By actively engaging with the material in this way, students are able to develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. I have a thorough World History PBL packet that can be used in any unit.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Teaching Historic Sites Primary Sources 52

Let's Cultivate Greatness

JULY 5, 2023

Pick Content-Focused Classroom Décor Wall Maps – Hang the largest-size wall maps you can fit, depending on what you teach. Founding Document Posters – Post poster-sized replicas of key founding documents related to your US History and Civics classes. Again, I point at them daily in my US History and Civics classes.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Civics Sociology History 52

Students of History

JANUARY 10, 2023

If you are teaching high school, this likely means that you can broach most news-worthy topics. Additionally, look for events that connect to the themes and concepts you're teaching in class. This is easiest to do in a Civics or American Government classroom. 3) Encourage critical thinking.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Civics Critical Thinking World History 52

C3 Teachers

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

This blog post delves into the power of inquiry to transform traditional classrooms into dynamic spaces of discovery, fostering critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. Teaching with inquiry can feel like this scene — especially in the back-to-school months of August and September.

Critical Thinking 52

Critical Thinking Social Studies Civics Pedagogy 52

Diane Ravitch

MARCH 8, 2024

State legislatures these days tthjnkbthat they should pass laws telling teachers how to teach reading and what to teach in social studies. Ohio Republicans have decided that teaching about capitalism is more important in troubled times than strengthening student learning opportunities about democracy. That’s right.

Social Studies 86

Social Studies Critical Thinking Public School Teaching 86

Students of History

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

These activities will include primary source analysis and critical thinking practice that is essential to getting kids ready for their assessments. In addition to the US History curriculum , there are also similar curricula available for World History and American Government / Civics.

History 52

History Primary Sources Lesson Plan American History 52

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

In undergraduate business and technology programs, pressure to confer marketable, quantifiable skills crowded out the broader systems thinking that ultimately makes great innovators and entrepreneurs. That broader view would inform their critical thinking in their respective fields.

Civics 48

Civics Tradition Critical Thinking History 48

The Hechinger Report

DECEMBER 6, 2023

Sessions examined ways educators can navigate state laws that limit conversations on race and other difficult topics, as well as how they can develop the high quality materials and instruction those attending said was vital to preparing students for civic life.

Social Studies 142

Social Studies Teaching Civics Advocacy 142

The Hechinger Report

OCTOBER 30, 2019

When it was confirmed that I would be developing and piloting our school’s first civics course, I began to think about my eighth-graders more intently. I, Mr. Billups , would be entrusted with the task of teaching civics in a politically polarized atmosphere at a culturally and racially diverse school in Boston.

Civics 103

Civics Charter School Government History 103

ED Surge

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

“News literacy is fundamental to preparing students to become active, critically thinking members of our civic life — which should be one of the primary goals of a public education,” Kim Bowman, News Literacy Project senior research manager and author of the report, said in an email interview. “If

Civics 145

Civics Psychology Critical Thinking Teaching 145

The Hechinger Report

AUGUST 2, 2023

This story also appeared in Mind/Shift This summer, teachers around the country are planning these lessons and more, in professional development programs designed to answer a pressing need: preparing teachers to teach about the climate crisis and empower students to act. “I She said that just giving kids facts is not going to be effective.

Teaching 96

Teaching K-12 Professional Development Civics 96

The Hechinger Report

MAY 19, 2016

You can gain the same skills — critical thinking, civics, writing — through different content that feels more relevant.”. I worked at Columbia [University], and a lot of those kids are given permission to think critically, but not all of our young people have been,” said Marta Esquilin, the new associate dean for the HLLC. “I

Tradition 101

Tradition Sociology Civics Critical Thinking 101

The Hechinger Report

MARCH 7, 2018

Lessons like these help students gain critical thinking skills and give them an opportunity to learn about workers’ rights and labor history, subjects that are often missing from classroom discussions, educators say. Adam Sanchez found this to be the case when he started teaching U.S. Working people standing together did that.”.

Education 92

Education Economics Civics History 92

C3 Teachers

MAY 23, 2022

In my own work, inquiry has become much more than a way to deploy content and sharpen skills; the lexicon of inquiry has become the way I think about teaching and learning more broadly. Like all good teaching, I started planning backwards. For example, when I write a syllabus, I always start with questions.

Social Studies 52

Social Studies Social Justice Controversial Topics Pedagogy 52

The Hechinger Report

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

Credit: Jennifer Ray, Center to Support Excellence in Teaching, Stanford University. Related: A study on teaching critical thinking in science. Janet Carlson is an associate professor at Stanford University and faculty director of the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching (CSET).

Education 145

Education Civics Critical Thinking History 145