Posted by:
Dennis Szymkowiak
K-12 Classroom teacher
Mundelein, IL

Topic:
Background Reading and Discussion a Starting Point

Message:
Based in part on my background, I would begin with some reading. For the past nine years, when a group of us present, we usually include a "theory" piece. We know that this is not the most popular part of the presentation. Nor is reading, unfortunately, a popular piece with many educators. The background information, however, is a very important part. Without that background, I believe, people honestly and sincerely attempt to "do" educational theories and pedagogies, but they are often not successful. Success comes form understanding not only how to do something but also why it is done. I have and continue to recommend that interested people read journals published by their content area organizations. All of these organizations have wonderful journals filled with practical suggestions for use in classrooms The research journals of these same organizations, many of which are available online at their websites, are also wonderful resources.

In addition to journals are professional texts. Three tests I would heartily recommend are Reading Counts by Borasi and Siegel (2001), The Interdisciplinary Teacher's handbook: Integrated Teaching Across the Curriculum by Tchudi and Lafer (1996), and Curriculum Integration: Designing the Core of Democratic Education by Beane (1997). Richard Beach and Jamie Myers have a text which has just been published, Inquiry-Based English Instruction: Engaging Students in Life and Literature, which I have just begun to read but feel it will also be a valuable resource.

One thing that any interested individual needs to keep in mind is that resources can be found in many places. At the secondary level so many of us have become so locked into our own content areas that we often fail to look in other areas. We need to not share but also discuss once we have shared. Because real historians and real mathematicians and real scientists read and write, we all need to be aware of what those individuals are reading and how they are writing. And so I would begin an apprenticeship with background reading and discussion.

To reply, please first log into The Knowledge Loom

Back      Return to the Forum

This resource is developed and maintained by The Education Alliance at Brown University. Seed funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Send comments to: loom@alliance.brown.edu