Classroom LIVEBLOGGING!!!!

With Chris over my shoulder, we are liveblogging from class! Today has been focused on solving America's educational problems and, as Chris will attest, we have succeeded! Hooray! Back to class...

UPDATE: Classroom liveblogging failed miserably. Perhaps next week will go better. Stay tuned!

Letters to Your Congressman

Following up on the Lesson Success! post, my class discussed ways that constituents can influence policy. In general, at least at the federal level, it is very difficult. Still, we had a decent conversation in class and then started writing letters to our congressman. It's a good writing assignment because it gives the students reason to achieve perfection beyond pleasing their instructor or trying to get an A. That doesn't mean all of them perfected their letter, it just means there was more effort in getting there.

In addition, I had a couple students send their letters to both Oregon senators and our representative so that we can compare the different responses. Just another thought on how to scaffold the lesson into the future.

New Poll!

"Ray's Poll" will end next Thursday night and I will report the results to class on Friday. If you have any suggestions, please include your "Other" name suggestions in comments.

Lesson Success!

Today four students walked out of civics class and said (or some variation), "That was an awesome class Lauritzen!" It felt truly amazing, especially considering it was the first time it has ever happened. The credit for the lesson, however, must go to a fellow Gold Cohorter, Ian, who is blogging over at Obien's Blog. The basic lesson:

a. Discuss the daily political cartoon to get them thinking
b. Discuss a political cartoon in the textbook about how Congressmen determine their vote
c. Individually read a passage out of the textbook about methods for contacting a Congressman
d. Share ideas that we read
e. Tell them that we are going to call one of our Congressmen ("What?!?!? Huh?!?! What do you mean?!?!")
f. Explain that we are going to talk to a staffer on Capitol Hill, but that anyone can call any time
g. Formulate questions individually
h. Share questions and choose top six to be asked per time constraints
i. Call!
j. Have students tell you how great you are

It was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was also short-lived. My afternoon psychology lesson bombed. C'est la vie!

Riddles, Puzzles, Brain Teasers, Oh My!

I open each psychology class with a riddle/puzzle/brain teaser/etc. I am finding it difficult, however, to find good ones! I thought it would be very easy, but it turns out that is not the case. Therefore, I need your help! Do you have a favorite brain teaser? A puzzle that always makes people think? A riddle with a clever answer? Let's hear'em in comments.

Teaching Psychology

I teach a course on psychology and know there are nearly limitless topics we could pursue, but also know that I cannot think of them all. That is where you all come in. Did you take psychology? Are you a psychology guru? Do you simply have a good idea? Put your "I'm a student" shoes on and answer this question: What topics do you think would be awesome?

Here are some ideas to get your brain warmed up:
*Male-Female interaction
*Phobias and Anxieties
*Addiction
*Love

The floor is yours...

Testing... 1, 2, 3: Welcome!

Welcome to "Yes, Students, Understanding the World Is Cool!"

You may be thinking, "Wow, Zachary, that is a long title." And you would be correct. Next question?

Okay, okay, your answer: The title is inspired by how difficult it can be to excite students to the idea that understanding the world in which they live is, in fact, cool. There are many amazing things out there to learn and I find it so hard to believe how disinterested many of our students are about learning. However, it's not their fault! It's the fault of parents and teachers who have made learning uninteresting, shameful (grading!), and bland. I am looking forward to using this forum as a way to share great teaching ideas for the social studies classroom.

Vamos!