PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING PROJECT
History's Lessons
'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'
George Santayana, philosopher
THIS PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR THE 2011 - 2012 SCHOOL YEAR
George Santayana, philosopher
THIS PAGE HAS BEEN UPDATED FOR THE 2011 - 2012 SCHOOL YEAR
INTRODUCTION
The terrorist attack on our country on 9/11/2001 is a defining moment in American history. Post-9/11 diplomacy presented the US with a challenge as profound as the American Revolution, the US Civil War or either of the world wars. As a future leader of America, if you are to meet that challenge, then you must learn and apply the lessons of history. Some of history’s most provocative themes are what I ask you to consider…
- Despite the importance of learning from history, we don’t learn history's lessons. Science and technology do not make us immune from history’s lessons
- Freedom, which Americans believe is longed for by people worldwide, is not a globally shared value. By contrast, desire for power, whether that is wielded by a dictator or a superpower, is a universal value.
- America will experience the same ultimate destiny as memorable democracies, republics and superpowers of the past.
Religion and spirituality—and the desire for power—are the most profound motivators in history. - Nations and empires rise and fall not because of anonymous or invisible socio-economic forces but because of decisions made by individuals.
- A true leader possesses four qualities: bedrock of moral principles, a moral compass, a vision, and the ability to build consensus to achieve that vision
OBJECTIVES
Students will:
- Describe what lessons we have learned from history and how they impact us today.
- Conduct research using primary sources
- Produce and present a project about history's lessons
- Express a point of view using incontroverible evidence
- Work together with other students, each having individual responsibility and holding each other accountable
- Describe what lessons we have learned from history and how they impact us today.
- Conduct research using primary sources
- Produce and present a project about history's lessons
- Express a point of view using incontroverible evidence
- Work together with other students, each having individual responsibility and holding each other accountable
PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING
It should be understood at the very beginning that students shall be the authors of this presentation. Problem-based learning focuses a one question. This question is called the driving question, and like any other question can lead to other questions. So in the process of this assignment the students will answer this question, construct other questions and answer them as well. Problem-based learning is student-centered and student-driven. This implies that the teacher will allow them to make free choices concerning the design of the presentation and its contents within the limits of the DRIVING QUESTION and CONTENT STANDARDS listed below. At an appropriate time the students will present what they learned, how they’ve answered the driving question, in a presentation given to the class. Some ideas on the form of the presentation are listed below... (What other ideas can your group come with?)
- Research Paper
- Website
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Video Documentary with Interviews (w/experts)
- Present a Mock Senate Report
DRIVING QUESTION
Do the lessons passed down to us by history, lessons whose origins may be hundreds, even thousands of years in the past, still have value today?
This is basically a yes/no question. If your group decides… Yes, history has no impact today, No, history lessons still have value...Your group project needs to explain your position with solid, incontrovertible evidence.
CONTENT STANDARDS
Students should
- Research Paper
- Website
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Video Documentary with Interviews (w/experts)
- Present a Mock Senate Report
DRIVING QUESTION
Do the lessons passed down to us by history, lessons whose origins may be hundreds, even thousands of years in the past, still have value today?
This is basically a yes/no question. If your group decides… Yes, history has no impact today, No, history lessons still have value...Your group project needs to explain your position with solid, incontrovertible evidence.
CONTENT STANDARDS
Students should
- Use class time to collaborate effectively with team members on this project
- Use primary sources as evidence to explain US foreign policies.
- Compose coherent and focused presentations that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned arguments.
- Deliver polished formal and extemporaneous presentations that combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion and description.
- Analyze the relationship among the rise of industrialization, nationalism, militarism and imperialism (that is the forces which made America a superpower)…and how this relates to our country’s foreign policy decisions
- Analyze the major political, social, economic, technological and cultural developments and their impact on foreign affairs.
DESCRIPTIONS
DRIVING QUESTION: This is the main question you and your group have to answer to complete this project. You and your group have to find evidence in primary sources to answer it. This evidence has to be incontrovertible. ROLES: Each group member has a specific role to play in the group. Each role focuses on a different facet of history’s lessons and their impact. In this way the group looks at the impact of history’s lessons from various points of view.
RESEARCH: There is a substantial research element to this project that will be done outside of class time. You and your group members will research laws, events, and governmental systems and policies comparing and contrasting them to the post-9/11 era. The majority of these should be primary sources…rather than another historian’s opinion of what something means. Research is basically gathering evidence.
EVIDENCE: What is evidence? Think about when a lawyer goes to court…the lawyer on one side uses evidence to prove the person guilty, the lawyer on the other side uses evidence to prove the person didn’t commit the crime. The goal of evidence in this project is to prove whether or not history’s lessons still impact us today. What kind of evidence does your group need to prove your point of view?
COOPERATIVE LEARNING: Students will work in teams. Together they will 1.) determine the group’s point of view, 2) analyze evidence based on their role in the group, 3) construct one coherent, cohesive presentation. They must learn to work cooperatively when it comes to constructing a plan and bringing it to completion. Six or seven class sessions will be given to allow teams to collaborate during school hours. The teacher encourages students to use email, phone calls and other technology to communicate with team members outside of class time.
GROUP PRESENTATION: The presentation must be one cohesive, organized presentable piece. They must learn to work independently as well cooperatively. The final presentation should demonstrate work that took about eight hours to complete. Each group’s presentation is expected to last 30 – 40 minutes and will be delivered to their fellow students during a week of presentations given in class. (Date: TBD; usu. in May)
EVALUATION: There is a multi-page rubric for this project (link to rubric). This rubric will be reviewed in class. The teacher will evaluate the group as a whole, as well as individual students. Students may be asked to evaluate one another. The key areas of the rubric are 1) Evidence of Research, 2) Presentable Form (Product), 3) Peer Collaboration and Teamwork, 4) Critical Thinking.
RESEARCH: There is a substantial research element to this project that will be done outside of class time. You and your group members will research laws, events, and governmental systems and policies comparing and contrasting them to the post-9/11 era. The majority of these should be primary sources…rather than another historian’s opinion of what something means. Research is basically gathering evidence.
EVIDENCE: What is evidence? Think about when a lawyer goes to court…the lawyer on one side uses evidence to prove the person guilty, the lawyer on the other side uses evidence to prove the person didn’t commit the crime. The goal of evidence in this project is to prove whether or not history’s lessons still impact us today. What kind of evidence does your group need to prove your point of view?
COOPERATIVE LEARNING: Students will work in teams. Together they will 1.) determine the group’s point of view, 2) analyze evidence based on their role in the group, 3) construct one coherent, cohesive presentation. They must learn to work cooperatively when it comes to constructing a plan and bringing it to completion. Six or seven class sessions will be given to allow teams to collaborate during school hours. The teacher encourages students to use email, phone calls and other technology to communicate with team members outside of class time.
GROUP PRESENTATION: The presentation must be one cohesive, organized presentable piece. They must learn to work independently as well cooperatively. The final presentation should demonstrate work that took about eight hours to complete. Each group’s presentation is expected to last 30 – 40 minutes and will be delivered to their fellow students during a week of presentations given in class. (Date: TBD; usu. in May)
EVALUATION: There is a multi-page rubric for this project (link to rubric). This rubric will be reviewed in class. The teacher will evaluate the group as a whole, as well as individual students. Students may be asked to evaluate one another. The key areas of the rubric are 1) Evidence of Research, 2) Presentable Form (Product), 3) Peer Collaboration and Teamwork, 4) Critical Thinking.
ROLES
Each team of eight will have a coach selected by the teacher. The coach will assign the other roles to team members.
COACH: The person in this role needs to focus on the “big picture”—how are we using evidence to answer the driving question! The coach helps, completes research and their fair share of the project but is very careful not to do another student’s work for them. Of course the coach determines how to pull all the pieces together and win the game—that is, composes a coherent and focused presentation that conveys a well-defined perspective using evidence and tightly reasoned arguments. The coach sets the goals of each work session, checks in with team members on a regular basis, and confers with teacher when/if group has questions, as well as overseeing the final product. The coaches meet with the teacher on a regular basis, and are encouraged to use email, ([email protected]) or telephone 708/448-0408 x. 231. Lastly the coach is responsible for making sure the teacher receives her own copy of the group’s final project (on the day the group presents).
INDUSTRIALIST: Industrialists relate the concerns of corporate America in US Foreign Policy. How did the policies help/hurt American business? How will they affect labor, employment, GNP? The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons effect American industry (positively and negatively) and how we can learn from that.
ECOLOGIST/ENVIRONMENTALIST: Ecologists study the relationships of living things to their environment and with each other. The basic principle that they follow is that all life on Earth is connected and it is supposed to fit together harmoniously. They are faced with trying to solve the impact that many human activities, such as over consumption and air pollution have on the environment and ecosystem in the long term. The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons have impact the environment (positively and negatively), and how we can learn from that.
DOVE: This role views America is like “a city on a hill” and can spread their way of life through peaceful means. This a person whose political views supports American ideals like freedom for all, the use of state resources to protect the welfare of the individual, and international free trade. The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons have impacted American ideals of freedom (positively and negatively), and how we can learn from that.
CANON LAWYER: Canon law is the legal system of the Catholic Church and is the oldest functioning legal system in the Western world. Canon law, like every legal system, is concerned primarily with protecting the smooth order of the society which it serves, in this case, the Catholic Church. Their sole task is to protect every Catholic's rights and to explain every Catholic's duties. The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons have impacted the Church (positively and negatively), and how we can learn from that.
DISENFRANCHISED: To be disenfranchised specifically means being unable to vote. Those who cannot not vote…like children under 18…or slaves, immigrants, etc. are sometimes overlooked when it comes to political decisions. The person in this role needs to think about the invisible members of society and/or future generations and how they are affected by history’s lessons, positively and negatively, and how we can learn from that.
DIPLOMAT: A diplomat is person appointed by the government to act as an agent of one government/country to another government/country. The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons have impacted the US relations with other countries (positively and negatively), and how we can learn from that.
HAWK: This role focuses on the US role as a superpower. The hawk supports a strong military. This person should focus on the ways American industry, policies and decisions are protecting American military interest throughout the world. This role should emphasize traditional views that the government should have a role in defending moral values. The person in this role focuses on how history’s lessons have impacted America’s role as a superpower (positively and negatively), and how we can learn from that.
RESOURCES (to
start with, I’m sure you’ll find more as you work on this project)
WWII 101
Versailles Treaty
Holocaust
Museum
Eyewitness to History
Timeline of the 20th
Century