I realized that in many of our recent historical discussions (The New Deal, The Vietnam War, etc), the role of race was a central yet divisive theme. For our final discussion of the academic year, I wanted to craft a central question that would invite nuanced participation while staying grounded in the text. My goal was for students to leave with a comprehensive understanding of the United States’ role in the Cold War, including the importance of international multiracial solidarity during that era. But when trying to create that perfect central question, I struggled with balancing a question narrow enough to prompt deeper interpretation, but broad enough for students to make meaningful connections about the US’s global role throughout the Cold War.
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Sigal
10th Grade
US History
Third Year Teaching
- What is the teacher's dilemma? Consider the teacher's goals, possible actions, beliefs about the situation and the students, and their own self-perceptions.
- Complete or modify the following sentence in a way that captures the teacher's central tension in the situation: "While on the one hand, the teacher believed/wanted/felt/did __________, on the other hand, they believed/wanted/felt/did __________."
- Thinking about your own discussion facilitation, how do you determine whether a question is framed tightly enough to encourage nuanced thinking, yet broadly enough to promote insights about big ideas in history?