April 19, 2004
Dear Reader,
Upon entering Professor Pollard's History 411 course, I was skeptical that it was going to be just like any other history class filled with meaningless dates and information taking place so long ago, that the relevance seems to be missing. Professor Pollard said something that captured my attention immediately. She had mentioned that this was not going to be like any history class we had probably ever taken before. She was not going to test us on dates and people, but rather to test our knowledge through other mediums. I felt a huge burden lifted from my shoulders.
I have culminated my work from this semester in the following portfolio. One of the problems with world history is that there is a vast amount of information. As future teachers, we looked at different methods of periodization that would help us manage all the information and present it to our students in an organized manner while still covering the information required by the California Content Standards and Skill Standards. We classified world history into four major time frames: Early complex societies 3500-500 BCE, Classical societies from 500 BCE to 500 CE, Post-Classical 500-1000 CE, Age of Cross-Cultural Interaction 1000-1500 CE. Then we found common threads among the different civilizations across the world: agriculture, gender, war, food production, wealth accumulation, trade, etc. By examining these supranational themes, we were able to make connections between what was happening in one area of the world at a certain time, to what was happening in another part of the world at the same time. This is how I organized my information.
Throughout the duration of the semester, we gathered research on various topics, responded to written prompts in journal entries, we analyzed different primary sources, and lastly we observed in a world history classroom (6-8 th grades). I think the most beneficial resource in this portfolio will be the weekly research that I gathered. I have it organized by supranational them (with the exception of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods and the Miscellaneous sections). This will ultimately save me so much time in the future because all of the information I need will be in one spot and is well organized. When I am not sure of something, I can use this section as quick reference. Through gathering this research, I have learned valuable research skills that I will be able to pass on to my students. Several activities in Bring History Alive! A Sourcebook for Teaching World History require that the teacher have more background knowledge about the topic so they can answer questions that the students may have. For example, in my second journal, I used the example of an eighth grade assignment from BHA! where the students were to make a timeline of human evolution. This fulfills skill standards number 1,2,3,4. Then in my research section on Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods, the first page is a website http://www.archaeologyinfo.com . On this website, students can find pictures of what some of the ancient hominids may have looked like, as well as a resource for finding books that will help them gather the research needed to construct a timeline.
This portfolio does not contain everything that I would need to know to teach a world history class, but it is a good start. I would like to continually add more research as I find it (or it is discovered) so that it contains the most recent information. Some of the scholarly journals I found would be too difficult for children to read, so I would either have to reiterate what I learned from reading the essay to my students, or find essays that are more child-friendly if I intended on the students reading them by themselves. My research is lacking in many areas that are crucial for teaching world history, so I would like to include more information on the following topics: gender, writing, migrations, empires, world systems, specialized labor/ social stratification, unified statehood, technological advances, and lastly trade.
By presenting the information in a problem-based learning model, I think this model generates creativity and room for improvement among the students. This is a very effective way of teaching a class because it allows the students to have the power over what they learn. Students often work in small groups bouncing ideas off of one another and hearing new perspectives that they may not have thought about before. By the teacher being a facilitator, they are able to pose thought-provoking questions that fuel the imaginations of the students. I would most definitely use this method in my own classroom.
As a result of participating in a problem-based learning model, I have the opportunity to improve my work based on the ideas and concepts I have learned throughout the semester. I am going to take advantage of this opportunity and revise two of my primary source analyses. When writing the first primary source analysis, I was not clear exactly if I were writing it correctly. I lack a clear, strong argument, so I will revise this essay to make that evident. In my second primary source analysis, I think I improved drastically. However, I reverted backwards on my third primary source analysis. While I had a strong argument for women's rights in Islam by means of the Quran, I made assertions about other religions that had no proof supporting my statements. I will also revise this one so that I have proof to support my case.
I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class and have learned a tremendous amount of information regarding world history from the beginnings of time to the 1500's CE. Through looking at this portfolio, I think you too will see my growth.
Sincerely,
Lisa Hook