This post was started in November 2012...
My grade 12 students are unengaged. I cannot do anything to inspire them or engage them. I've tried getting them to find answers to historical questions on their own, using their own devices, class iPads, laptops and textbooks. The questions are 'boring.' I've tried getting them to create questions on a topic on their own to research. They sit with blank pages in front of them. I've tried engaging them with music, art, the guillotine, science, religion. Other than a knee jerk anti-religion rant from a few it was blank stares or more interest in their own conversations which they are unable/unwilling to give up no matter what we do in class.
So, I tried to have a discussion with them about why they were taking this history course. "I need a credit to graduate." But why this course? "I've already taken all the tech courses I can take." OK, so you need a credit. Is there anything else you might be able to get out of this course? "Huh?" Try again: what do you have to do to get the credit? "Show up every day and get pass." How does one pass? "Show up everyday and do the assignments." There is a distinct lack of familiarity with the word learning. They don't want to do it. Or maybe they don't know how to do it. These students are in their last year of school and they have figured out how to get through the system, but not how to learn.
One of the great ironies I find in my grade 12 course is that my "Big Idea" for the course is "Knowledge is Power." The focus is actually on the relationship between knowledge and power, because often in history the case is that the person with power lacks knowledge or the people with knowledge lack power. They don't see the irony ~ if they remember what the word means after they finished their literary devices test in English class.
My plan for the next unit is to divide the class into 4 groups and have each group tackle an -ism from the 19th Century (nationalism, romanticism, imperialism, industrialism). I am doing a brief introduction of each of the -isms before they start. They need to develop some questions to focus their study of the -ism. I will need to approve their questions before I want them to get too far. We are going to work at creating various types of questions. They are going to have to learn about the -ism and its relationship to the Knowledge is Power big idea. They are going to have to create something that will demonstrate their learning and share their learning with the rest of the class. I want to be excited - I was when I started planning this in the summer. I want them to be engaged in their learning, I want them to be excited. I don't think this is going to happen. My fear is that after 2 weeks I will give up. They will not have done anything substantive. I will have 'helped' (given) them formulate questions. I will have found research for them to answer their questions. A few might have a couple basic definitions or timelines of the events pertaining to the -ism. Even fewer might have some understanding of the significance of the -ism on the time period. One or two may have attempted to make a connection to knowledge is power. Someone in a group may have started to create a prezi with the definitions and/or timeline. It will be quite zoom-y and will be very colourful, but it won't be done and it won't demonstrate deep thought.
Update: They did get it done. It took them 3 days to believe that I actually wasn't going to to be "teaching" them anything.
