Sparking Inquiry is the First Step: Here’s How DC Public School Teachers Sustain it
“But should people be free,” the teacher asked? “Remember, this is what I wanted you to think about throughout the Cornerstones.” I saw several students’ hands in the air as I sat in the back of Mr. Ramsey’s 8th grade U.S. history class at Cardozo education campus in northeast D.C . “Of course, Mr. Ramsey. People […]
Silver Linings – Getting Informed
It has been a year since my last post Do We Always Have to March on Washington and wow, time has flown. The C3 has really taken root in DCPS and in future posts I will share these exciting transformations. Since the election, there has been a lot of coverage of various protests by adults […]
Unpacking Informed Action or Do we always have to march on Washington?
One of the highlights of my job as a social studies curriculum manager is going to schools in D.C. and seeing teachers and students doing their work firsthand in the classroom. Just last week I had the pleasure of judging students in the Soapbox competition of the Mikva Challenge. Students in the required 12th […]
Heavy Lifting
As I stared at the white box which held all the files for my undergraduate social studies methods course, I silently asked it, “What went wrong?” Well, perhaps I am overstating the problem. There was nothing “wrong” with the course, per se, but as I finished grading the students’ last assignment, an authentic teaching activity […]
A Year of C3
Donna Phillips January 2, 2015 We C3 Teachers have been busy at work since this time last year. C3 Teachers all over the country have been blogging and participating in webinars focusing on the four dimensions of the C3. The webinar series has allowed participants to explore in depth each arc of the C3 and […]
An Ode to Criteria
August 7, 2014 By Donna Phillips I love criteria and always have, but I didn’t always know it. Why do I know now? Let me begin with a story about a recent unit. I was starting my last unit of the semester in my government class on public policy and I wanted to open up […]
Continuity and Change: The C3 Action
My experience thus far teaching with C3 Framework has been very comfortable. I recognize a lot of what I see in the C3 and, for me, that’s a good thing. One of the first things that struck me was the way the content in history, economics, civics, and geography is so similar to my local […]
Failing Forward: A Tale of a Lost Lesson, but Found Citizens
I am failing forward. I have failed. But forward. Face first. Let me explain. Back in May, at a faculty meeting, I heard a presentation from one of our assistant principals on our participation in the PARCC assessment program. We all listened carefully, making notes on our printed PowerPoint slides about how PARCC was different […]