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Chapter 6- Dramatization and Gamification: Immigration, "Westward Expansion," and Slavery

3 ways to improve education about Slavery in the US

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Immigration is a huge part of history in the United States. There are many pitfalls when teaching students about immigration like Ellis Island because it mislead students to believe that these things were quick and simple or fun. Teaching students about topics like Ellis Island must be more honest about what happened. Students need to compare the experiences of the races and realize the huge discrimination and hardships a lot of immigrants felt and went through at Ellis Island.

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The Westward Expansion is a huge topic in the classroom when looking at the history of the United States. A lot of times we miss the big picture by only telling students about how white and male protagonists leaving other races and people like the Indian people out of it or putting them in the wrong. We need to look at our pitfalls when teaching this topic and help students understand that there were people already in the West and build deeper background knowledge.

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Slavery is also a big part of the history we talk about in the classroom. The chapter talks about how teachers especially Elementary educators have a hard time introducing this sordid past of the United States. It talks about how slavery is a huge part of the African Americans' experience in the United States. This section also talks about solutions we as educators can use to help teach these hard topics like poems or role-playing.

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General Advice for Dramatization and Gamification

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General Advice for Dramatization and Gamification

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Another big part of this chapter is dramatization and gamification being taught in deeply problematic ways. It talks about how students aren't linking their experiences with the objectives and trivializing trauma over education. Also, it gives examples of how these things can help with complex topics for young learners. It also highlights that these are powerful teaching tools and we need to be ready to use them correctly.

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A big part of the chapter was about building communities and knowing your stuff. This helps the health of your classroom community and gives students a belief their teacher respects and cares. It also helps build foundations and relationships between students. Also, knowing your stuff as an educator helps students when learning about these topics. It helps you facilitate and guide your students so they don't miss the point.

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3 ways to improve education slavery in the US

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3 ways to improve education slavery in the US

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The article focuses on the downfalls of the education system and how we teach students about slavery. In the article, it gives us three things we need to do to better teach slavery in our classroom. First, we need to talk about the multiple founding fathers and presidents who were slave owners, this shocks a lot of students and a lot of times goes unknown. Secondly, we need to stop reading just the textbook because there is a lot of inaccurate information in those books. Finally, it says we need to get out of the classroom to learn about slavery. We need to plan field trips and other experiences for students to learn about slavery other than just reading or talking about it. This article connected to the chapter because both talk about ways we can better educate our kids about hard topics like slavery. They both give examples of poor educating experiences and ways that would improve the experience for a student to learn about these topics.

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Discussion on Article & Connection to Ch.6

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Discussion on Article & Connection to Ch.6

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Is there laws that will affect how we teach our students about these topics?

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Is there laws that will affect how we teach our students about these topics?

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How do we make connections to our student's personal experiences without casting a student out?

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How do we make connections to our student's personal experiences without casting a student out?

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3 ways to apply this information to future teaching

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3 ways to apply this information to future teaching

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I can use this information in many ways to better inform my students on hard topics. First, I can be open and honest with my students about the details that happened with immigration, slavery, and the "Westward Expansion." Secondly, I can inform myself on these hard topics before having these discussions with my students. I realized that there are a lot of things I still haven't learned about these topics that I should know before trying to educate others. Finally, I would use this information to have students ask questions about these topics and do activities that require the hard details of the history of the United States.

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Patterson, T. M. (n.d.). 3 ways to improve education about slavery in the US. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/3-ways-to-improve-education-about-slavery-in-the-us-110013

Rodriguez, N., & Swalwell, K. (2021). Social Studies for a better world: An anti-oppressive approach for elementary educators. (Equity and Social Justice in Education) New York: W.W. Norton and Company Inc.