Jeffersonian Civility

I had the opportunity to drive to a nearby town today to pick up two sewing machines my wife had taken in to be repaired. Of course - as on any journey of reasonable length - I turn on a podcast.

While the journey is not really a point of discussion for this blog, I think that the podcast is.

The podcast I listened to today originally aired on January 30, 2011, and was from the Thomas Jefferson Hour, a weekly interview with Clay Jenkinson as President Thomas Jefferson. Among other books and articles, Jenkinson is the author of Being Jefferson’s People – which is an interesting read, and rated 5 stars on Amazon. I recently discovered this podcast based upon the recommendation of another podcast that I frequently listen to.

The episode that I listened to today was episode 904, and was titled Civility – and it certainly struck a strong cord with me.

I have long been concerned with the extremes of political viewpoints that we are seeing more and more of – and their reflection in our young people’s manner and demeanor, especially in the area of discussion of current day issues. I have struggled with how to specifically address those concerns in an understandable manner – until I heard this podcast.

Perhaps one of the opening statements can explain it: “But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.” This is the essence of ‘civility’, of reflection before speaking (or writing, or podcasting, or being a really well-paid talking head on any of our ‘news’ cable shows) – and the threat to our democracy when that civility is not evident. If you watch the news today, or listen to politicians, or read blogs – you do not see that civility, that willingness to express your view, but to truly listen to an opponent’s view, and to come to a consensus.

Jenkinson expresses this much better than I do! Therefore…

I would encourage any readers of this blog to do two things: 1) consider spending an hour listening to the Civility podcast; and 2) to read Jefferson’s first inaugural address – at least the first paragraph – where Jefferson talks about the threat of extreme, uncompromising viewpoints to our unique American democracy. The election of 1800 had been a bitter one, and Jefferson saw the dangers of extreme views whose owners were not willing to listen, and discuss things in a reasonable manner with their opponents.

It was truly a voice of the past giving perspective to the events – and the temper of the people – of today.

I see the potential to use the ideas expressed in this particular podcast with our middle/high school students, whether in any current events discussion, or Social Studies classes such as Civics, American History, or Government. Other shows in the series (such as episode 906, the Rights of Man) could be used in World History as well. It could be an interesting discussion.

Somehow all of this seems so appropriate as we approach our July 4th weekend! Happy listening!

Your thoughts and reflections are welcome on this topic.

PHOTO SOURCE:

Thomas Jefferson, by Rembrandt Peale (1800), Wikipedia -

Podcasts: Historical information on the iPod and the Web

Sigh. Second year in a row - no posts in August. The good news is I've stockpiled some information to turn into blog posts. Here's the first.

I have to admit that I have discovered podcasts. Below are four that I now use, along with their website - just in case you don't have an iPod.

There are many advantages to listening to podcasts - especially well done ones - in our ever-busy world. You can listen to them while you exercise, take walks, drive to work, lunchbreaks, etc. Books are great, and I would never give up on them, but podcasts are usually one-topic, and the ones I've listed run between 13 and 20 minutes.

While this is a very brief list, try them. Post others history related/Social Studies related podcasts if you have some favorites.

The four I'm currently listening to, both American history and World history, are:

Colonial Williamsburg podcasts (American colonial history). Want to know about the importance of fifes in the 18th century military world?

History Network Military History podcasts (Military History, world history). I now know more about howitzers than ever before.

Things You Missed In History Class podcast, by How Stuff Works (Two hosts present world history topics). Tidbits on the fourth crusade that I never realized.

A History of the World in 100 Objects podcast by the British Museum and the BBC. (Unique view of history through 100 different objects and their effect and influence on history).

I realize there are many more out there - and gradually more will be added to this list. Try one, and enjoy!

Photo:

Library of Congress

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60 Second Civics

A great tool for all Social Studies classes just came into my work-email. From the Center for Civics Education ’60-Second Civics” webpage:

“60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government.

60-Second Civics is produced by the Center for Civic Education. The show's content is primarily derived from the Center’s education for democracy curricula, including We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution, Project Citizen, Foundations of Democracy, and Elements of Democracy.”

The site also provides a short daily quiz, dealing with a topic discussed in the daily podcast. There are also links to past podcasts, as well as downloading capability so you can utilize the podcasts in the classroom – or if you are really dedicated, on your iPod! The first episode, “What is 60-Second Civics? [Play] In this episode, host Kaci Patterson introduces 60-Second Civics, the Center for Civic Education's new daily podcast about civics and government” is located here.

So, plug in the speakers, turn up the volume, and listen to this daily.

Essential Question: How could a daily podcast be best utilized on a regular basis in the Social Studies Classroom.

PHOTO RESOURCE:

George Washington: Father of Our Country

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Getting Students to Read Historical Novels

Literacy and Social Studies should go hand-in-hand. It’s a natural blending of two powerful forces that can enhance the learning and understanding of our students.

Literacy can take several forms, from understanding the organizational methods used by a textbook to deciphering a population graph to comparing historical maps to…. reading nonfiction as well as fictional books with a historical basis. This isn't just limited to history: any of the social studies -geography, economics, psychology, government, etc. - fall into this realm.

There are many advantages to using these written resources – especially fictional – in the Social Studies classroom. It can add color and character to otherwise dry places and figures. It can add a depth of reasoning as to why people did what they did, and often fiction can do this in a way that nonfiction cannot.

Many Social Studies teachers hesitate to encourage their student to read ‘historical fiction’ because, well, it’s fiction! But, with a good selection of material and a process to help the students gain a true understanding of history, historical fiction can be a very useful resource.

One of the blogs that I follow is Speaking of History, created by Eric Langhorst from Liberty, MO. In his blog, Langhorst provided a list of books, a form to use with students to enable them to get the most out of the reading, as well as a podcast describing the process. It’s a worthwhile thing to read and listen to. Click on Speaking of History to go to the blog entry.

Essential question: Is historical fiction a valuable tool to use in our Social Studies classrooms to enhance the understanding of the students?