Exploration and Cities

[Arlo Hettle]

My image comes from the unit that the Global Studies class was doing on cities and city planning. I think it typifies the kinds of lessons I’ve learned about social studies education this term. The students were first given a lecture on some vocabulary of the city, particularly the idea of the central business district, the economic heart of the city. Mrs. McDonald showed them some examples, like downtown Northfield, the loop in Chicago, and downtown Minneapolis. The students were put into groups and given the open-ended task of coming up with what qualities they think are most important for the heart of the city (schools, hospitals, public transit, parks, etc). The students were really engaged in the assignment and were having super interesting conversations. I talked with one group where a student was excitedly sharing how he had previously lived in Salt Lake City and how his perfect city would be surrounded by mountains. Another group told me about how they were not going to allow cars in their city to encourage pedestrians and cyclists. However, after just a few minutes of discussion, the bell rang and the students all rushed to pack up. There was no “so what”, no opportunity for them to share what they were discussing with each other, or even concluding thoughts to tie the lesson together.

I feel a little disappointed that this is the most representative image for me, but I think it shows the great potential that exists in the global studies class and the way that I have rarely seen that potential fully realized. There are so many things that the global studies class should have going for it. Mrs. McDonald is warm, engaging, and cares deeply. She works hard to make her classroom a safe space for her students and I have never seen her use harsh words or not work to give students the benefit of the doubt. Global studies is one of the only untracked classes at the high school, which should allow it to fully take advantage of the benefits of MKO’s that we have discussed. The class covers a variety of interesting topics, from immigration to border disputes to culture. And yet, it feels like students are not learning as much as they could be. Too often, the lessons feel either too simple and full of rote memorization or too broad and heady to be relatable to the students. The course moves through topics quickly and students will often be asked to speak about complex global issues without having the background to do so in ways they feel confident about. This example with cities stood out to me partially because urban planning is one of my favorite topics and something that I would love to teach to high schoolers and partially because I could see how much engagement there could be when the students had some stake in the material and prior knowledge to build from. All of these students have lived in a community and can talk about what they think makes a good community. I know that the students could be capable of having these kinds of rich discussions on other topics, but the class is not giving them the background knowledge or the time to be able to do so. Even with this topic that they were interested and engaged in, they were still cut short and the next day would have to move on to something else.

The biggest consideration raised with this image and the class in general is the idea of balance. How do you make sure that students are learning what they are supposed to, while being engaged, while not going too quickly, while taking the time for exploration? This discussion on cities could have been the start of a rich constructivist lesson, where students built models of their dream city or conducted research on innovative city planning techniques or looked at the historical roots of urban design. Instead, it got 20 minutes of lecture and discussion before moving on to the next thing. I understand the need to get through all of the content, but it seems like this need is so often put above what would help the students actually engage with the material. I think the amazing thing about social studies is how deeply applicable it is to students’ lives and their understanding of the world around them (maybe this is just my bias, sorry STEM and English people) and being in the Global Studies class confirmed it. The students were rarely fully unengaged and I could see that a lot of them found aspects of the material interesting, but they were not often able to give it the time and attention needed to turn that vague interest into real learning.

My conclusion is that teachers should seek to create a constructivist classroom where exploration and intellectual curiosity can drive learning. The image of those students animatedly discussing their dream cities for five minutes before being cut off and forced to move on to the next thing will stay with me as a reminder of the untapped potential in that Global Studies classroom.

[Logan Robinson]

Arlo,

Thanks for your thoughtful blog post and selection of a meaningful image. I think you do a wonderful job highlighting a huge issue in our education system. The image you depict of the bell ringing without a “so what” moment is dead on. This concept of class as almost a “means to an end” is sad and ultimately I think is one of the reasons we have such a difficult time. So often as you mention it seems that in public school classrooms the great potential is not given a chance to be met. The focus on getting through material instead of granting space for the students to dictate more where their learning goes is a major flaw, but is also one that has proven to be very difficult to fix in our system.

Your passion for students and in particular this topic really shines through in this post. This question of balance is one that I myself have been struggling with all term. It makes teaching seem almost an impossible feat to do correctly, efficiently, and well. I think you have an amazing eye for creativity in the classroom and it seems that tutoring was a experience that made you want to grant students the time they deserve to fulfill that potential.

[Izzy Charlton]

Thank you for sharing your experiences in Ms. Swan-McDonald’s classroom. I have also noticed that student engagement increases when students have the opportunities to speak on their own experiences and as an observer, it is exciting to watch. Students want to be able to share their thoughts and experiences with each other, and this urban planning activity was a great way to accomplish that. It is a creative and imaginative activity that is grounded in their real-life experiences and what they value in their living spaces. It was disappointing to hear that students did not have time to share their thoughts with the class and have a conclusion to the activity. Often, I think the conclusion is just as important as the activity. Sure, it is fun to think about your ideal city, but what is the point if students do not see the point? If given the proper conclusions, this could have been a really impactful lesson. As you said, social studies is deeply applicable to human life. And as a STEM person myself, I agree with you that the topics in Global Studies are interesting and applicable to students’ lives. However, I do want to point out that there are connections between fields and this impactful lesson on urban planning is not exclusive to the humanities. For instance, I took a Global Change Biology class that talked about urban planning; lack of plants and green spaces in urban areas can often lead to something called the urban heat island effect, meaning that urban areas are disproportionately affected by climate change. This is all my way of saying that even though Global Studies is a social studies class, the topics can cater to many different student interests and experiences. I think you really touched on that importance of Global Studies and how applicable it is to human life. It is a shame that students did not get the opportunity to fully discuss the activity and come to a meaningful conclusion. I know you mentioned that this is a topic that you feel passionate about and would love to teach to high schoolers, so thank you for your insight. It really drove home the importance of not only having an interesting activity but also following it up with a meaningful discussion and conclusion.

[Author]

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