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Full-Text Articles in Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching
Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John H. Bickford Iii
Examining Spiraled Elementary Curricula On Columbus: A Case Study, Maegan Wilton, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
Educators’ content background and use of accurate, age-appropriate teaching materials generates quality teaching. Content in every grade level should supplement content from previous grades in a spiraled format. State test results on students’ math and reading indicate, but do not prove, the presence of these two presumptions. Because history is not tested, the authors examined the basis of these two presumptions for history in two school districts that require every elementary educator to teach about Christopher Columbus. Findings reveal significant interconnections between these two presumptions and have consequential implications as states consider standardized testing in other curricular areas, such as …
Original Political Cartoon Methodology And Adaptations, John H. Bickford Iii
Original Political Cartoon Methodology And Adaptations, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
This paper is grounded on the premise that effective educators base lessons on rich and intriguing content which is relevant to students’ lives, implement the content using engaging and age-appropriate methodology, and measure students’ learning through authentic assessments. In order to support practicing teachers’ effective implementation of best practice methodology and assessment, educational researchers investigate the interconnections between content, methodology, and assessment. As technology facilitates teaching methodologies and learning assessments, meaningful activities such as students’ original political cartooning should be examined, detailed, and adapted. In this article, the methodological suggestions for, and adaptations of, students’ original political cartoons guide educators …
Students’ Original Political Cartoons As Teaching And Learning Tools, John H. Bickford Iii
Students’ Original Political Cartoons As Teaching And Learning Tools, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
A meta-analysis of educators’ uses of political cartoons suggests they are mostly used for teaching interpretation skills and then usually only with gifted and older students. This demonstrates creative stagnation, limited elicitation of higher order thinking skills, and age bias. The researcher previously examined young adolescents’ use of effective and efficient technologies to express historical understandings through original political cartoon construction. This methodology elicited students’ higher order thinking as they expressed learning within their creations, which were then used as a teaching tool to facilitate constructive whole class interpretative discussions. The following questions extend previous research and guide this article: …
A Comparative Analysis Of Two Methods For Guiding Discussions Surrounding Controversial And Unresolved Topics, John H. Bickford Iii
A Comparative Analysis Of Two Methods For Guiding Discussions Surrounding Controversial And Unresolved Topics, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
Debates, a popular classroom method, elicit students’ participation and critical thinking. Debates’ focus of winning, at times, generates arguments. Constructive controversy, a researched-based methodological alternative, similarly facilitates students’ engagement and critical thinking while also inventively diminishing arguments through cooperative negotiation (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). The author examines both methods’ impact on students’ engagement, students’ thinking, and the dialogues’ productivity. Three findings and three educationally significant insights emerged.
Examining Original Political Cartoon Methodology: Concept Maps And Substitution Lists, John H. Bickford Iii
Examining Original Political Cartoon Methodology: Concept Maps And Substitution Lists, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
Previous research on classroom uses for political cartoons identified two negative trends: creative stagnation (as teachers utilized them solely for interpretation) and age limitation (as researchers suggested they fit best with gifted and older students). Recent scholarship has addressed both trends by enabling young adolescent students to creatively express newly generated understandings through construction of original political cartoons. During such authentic assessment activities, students demonstrated high levels of criticality by using effective and efficient technologies to create original political cartoons, which then elicited constructive whole class interpretative discussions. This prior research did not detail specific methodological steps that positively influenced …
Complicating Students’ Historical Thinking Through Primary Source Reinvention, John H. Bickford Iii
Complicating Students’ Historical Thinking Through Primary Source Reinvention, John H. Bickford Iii
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
To best challenge students’ thinking, researchers and educators must locate or create innovative ways to spark enthusiasm and facilitate criticality. This paper investigates how middle school students analyzed various primary and secondary historical documents to construct original political cartoons. Students articulated newly generated understandings about the complex historical event within these original political cartoons. Students then examined and discussed peers’ original political cartoons. This approach was novel because the research literature indicated students rarely are asked to construct original political cartoons to express opinions and understandings. Political cartoons mostly are used as tools for interpretation and usually only with gifted …