As summer wanes and we begin to think about students returning, I wanted to take today's newsletter to honor last year's Thinking Nation Educator of the Year: Rebecca Schaeffer-Dombkowski!
After an initial Thinking Nation Pilot in the Spring of 2023, Becca and her team at Highland High School in Highland, Arkansas have been Thinking Nation partners for the past two years. Working with their department has been nothing short of a dream. The commitment to collaboration and pushing student growth forward is commendable and so much of that is due to Becca's leadership. We are privileged to work with her and the Highland High School team and their students are so fortunate to have teachers who embody a growth mindset.
Becca took the time to answer some interview questions to be featured here. Read and be inspired!
1. Can you tell us a little about your journey to becoming a teacher? What inspired you to pursue this path?
I think I was always destined to be a teacher! I have distinct memories of lining up my stuffed animals to play teacher, so it was really just a matter of what I would teach. I tell my students that in an alternate reality I became a band director. Despite insisting in my 10th grade year of high school that I "hated history" and "would never use this," I found the joy in studying the past when I had the opportunity to engage differently with history through AP and concurrent credit courses. Memorizing facts and completing worksheets was not for me. Researching interesting things and debating 'big issues' captured my heart.
2. How long have you been teaching, and what grades or courses do you currently teach?
I'm entering year 10 of teaching this fall. I'll be teaching 11th grade US History Since 1929, concurrent credit Modern US History, and concurrent credit World Civilization. (In a perfect world, I'd get to have a rotating roster of electives, including history through film or music and women's history).
3. What has implementing Thinking Nation’s resources and approach meant for your teaching?
Thinking Nation has definitely given me the gift of time. The structure of the resources - and the support for grading - means that I can shave hours off of selecting high quality materials and providing feedback for students. I feel more empowered to set aside time for my students to write and think deeply because I know that they'll get meaningful commentary much sooner than I could provide it on my own. Using Thinking Nation has also supported my team's efforts to strengthen vertical alignment and to engage with student data. Though we all teach different content, we're able to "speak the same language" when it comes to skills and desired course outcomes using Thinking Nation rubrics and historical thinking skills. We're now able to spend our PLC meetings discussing student data and sharing strategies. The "reports" feature on the Thinking Nation platform has changed how we track our student growth data -- and is even providing an avenue for us to encourage students to take more ownership over tracking their own growth and goal setting!
4. Have there been any memorable “aha!” moments with your students while using Thinking Nation materials?
I think the best "aha!" moments have come from student reflections after completing CRPs. The reflection graphic organizer in the Teacher Resources have been great for encouraging students to engage in re-writing. Several of my students had "lightbulb" moments when they engaged with re-writing weak sections of their CRP responses. "Oh! I guess I really didn't have a thesis statement..." and things like that.
5. How do you create a classroom environment that supports thoughtful inquiry and civic engagement?
Starting from a place of respect is important. Students have to feel confident enough to ask questions and be willing to make mistakes. Critical thinking is hard work, especially when there aren't any clear "right" answers. I often tell my students that I don't really care what their position is on a given topic, but I do care that they're able to justify their argument with solid evidence. Providing the time and space for students to think deeply and have conversations is a necessary part of that process. I also think that social studies teachers have to help model the sort of ideal functioning of a democratic society within our classrooms. Students come from all sorts of backgrounds with all sorts of beliefs, but we have to work together towards the common goal of learning (or just surviving together until May!). Getting into the habit of developing a clear perspective, rooted in evidence, and expressed with clarity, can only be a good thing for engaged citizens.
6. What strategies do you use to help students engage deeply with primary sources?
Aside from encouraging discussion, I like to use the S.P.Y. method for analysis. Students read through a primary source once, then write a quick summary, use that document alone to answer the prompt, and then consider why the document was written. (To give credit where it's due - I learned about this method from Empowering Histories. It's a great resource for APUSH teachers.) I had success with giving students just one primary source at a time to assess with the S.P.Y. method in small groups. Using one source at a time, with a clear strategy for analysis, helped prevent overwhelm.
It can also be really helpful to do a jigsaw strategy. Giving students the responsibility for teaching their peers about something helps encourage buy-in.
7. What advice would you give to a teacher just beginning the shift to a disciplinary-approach to teaching history?
To quote Mrs. Frizzle, "Take changes. Make mistakes. Get messy!" We don't engage with history to become excellent at trivia games (though it does help). We engage with history to learn about ourselves. Textbooks and rote memorization can't help with that, so it's time to change the way we do things.
8. How do you hope to grow in your practice in the coming years?
I am currently working towards an Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Louisiana at Monroe. I'm focusing on making the disciplinary approach to studying history more accessible to students with disabilities. Social studies teachers serve very diverse populations of students, but we don't really get the support or training necessary to prepare all of our students to engage with historical thinking skills. In my dream future, I'm helping other history teachers make our essential skills and content more accessible to more students.
Thinking Historically About the Korean War Memorial with Ranger Jenn
In this episode, we are thinking historically with Jennifer Epstein Rudnick, an Education Specialist and Park Ranger with the National Park Service at the National Mall and Memorial Parks. Ranger Jenn helps us think historically about the of memorials in teaching history. In particular we discuss the Korean War Memorial in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This episode explores broader themes of memorials and monuments and how they can spark dialogue, an essential component of democracy.
Another video in our historical thinking skills Youtube series is up! In this video, I talk through the skill of evaluating arguments. As one might imagine, evidence is critical. I hope this is helpful for your classrooms.
In SoCal? Go to the Reagan Library's Open House on August 7th!
Ok, this one seems like a no brainer! If you are an educator in Southern California, register to attend the Reagan Library's Open House, from 10:30-12:30 at the Reagan Library. Rumor has it that attending gets you free admission into the library!
