What happens when a trusted source publishes an incredibly problematic article? We refute it.

In this episode, Virginia Council for the Social Studies President, Sam Futrell, is joined by Matt Simpson from the Virginia Holocaust Museum to break down Dara Horn's poorly researched attack against Holocaust education. Published in the May 2023 issue of The Atlantic, Horn's piece "Is Holocaust Education Making Anti-Semitism Worse? Using Dead Jews as Symbols Isn't Helping Living Ones" leverages the work of educators in museums and classrooms around the country to get clicks.

Also featured in this episode:

Jennifer Goss, Echoes and Reflections

Kelley Szany, The Illinois Holocaust Museum

Echoes & Reflections Survey

ADL Study, Antisemitic Attitudes in America

Are you a teacher looking to participate in professional development this summer? Want to make the most out of your summer as a teacher? Don’t feel overwhelmed by the application process. We can help Our panelists - Ben Boyce with the Jack Miller Center, Sarah Harris with the National Constitution Center, and Jeff Scott with the Freedoms Foundation - are insiders with nationally renowned institutions who share with us their firsthand experiences and all the tips you need to get accepted into the program of your dreams! 

Register for the 2023 VCSS Conference!

NEH Institutes

At their November 17, 2022 meeting, the VBOE declined to accept State Superintendent Jillian Balow’s redraft standards and asked for a combined standards document that brings together the respective strengths of the original August 2022 standards with the November 2022 redraft standards, along with consideration of public comment. On December 20, 2022, a joint work group of the Virginia Social Studies Leaders Consortium (VSSLC), the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (VASCD), and the American Historical Association (AHA) released a set of collaborative standards for History and Social Science Education and submitted their draft to the Virginia Board of Education (VBOE).

Join VCSS President and host Sam Futrell as she discusses Virginia's social studies standards with members of the Virginia Social Studies Leaders' Consortium, Dr. Ma'asehyahu Isra-ul, Beau Dickenson, and Dr. Taylor Snow. 

Links for this episode:

Attend the 2023 VCSS Conference!

Listen to Leading by History 

Follow us on Twitter:

@sam_futrell1

@HCPSSnow

@beaudickenson

Current trends in social studies education, including within Virginia, point towards deeper learning experiences as the north star of desired practice. In 2015, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) revised curriculum framework for social studies introduced a standard dedicated to history and social science thinking skills. Emphasizing the use of disciplinary concepts and a pedagogy centered on inquiry, Virginia’s future embraces constructivist pedagogies and the use of performance assessments to demonstrate student learning.  The shifts are polar opposites of what many VA. teachers have been used to since the early 21st century. In turn, rote memorization and teacher centered instruction continue to be held as markers of successful and valuable teaching and learning.  The alternative to this approach is a pedagogy of deeper learning.  

Links for this episode: 

The study of economics can help students analyze their choices. But can economics lead us to choices that are good? That is, that are the right thing to do? In this episode Dr. Stephen Day from the VCU Center for Economic Education interrogates the ethical assumptions that form the background of economic analysis, explores thorny moral questions from an economic perspective, and introduces teachers to classroom resources that help them teach this important content, including activities from the new lesson plan book, "Ethics, Economics, and Social Issues Curriculum" from the Council for Economic Education.

In this episode we dive into the world of digital scholarship with Annie Evans from New American History. History is the turbulent, unpredictable, and deeply human record of everything that happened before this moment. Through interactive maps, video, audio, an algorithmic engine of journalism, and tools for educators, we hope to make visible what was previously invisible about our shared American story.

https://www.newamericanhistory.org/

https://www.bunkhistory.org/

https://twitter.com/mapm8ker

Apply to be a guest on the podcast! https://forms.gle/xgsdDe8dmvvurw8G9

Today's episode explores the War in Ukraine with Dr. Yannis Stivachtis and Colin Baker from the Center for the European Union and Transatlantic Transeuropean Space Studies at Virginia Tech. 

Visit the CEUTTSS website: https://liberalarts.vt.edu/research-centers/ceuttss.html 

Links from today's episode:

1) BBC lengthy story on the turning points in history and how Feb 24th is now one of these: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60767454 (March 19th)

2) https://movingwriters.org/2022/03/08/7-ways-to-get-students-writing-about-the-war-in-ukraine/ 

3) European History educators site, Euroclio, with a wealth of context and huge amount of resources and lesson plans: https://padlet.com/EuroClio_Secretariat/13ck4n4khw4voyxq?mc_cid=03ce0aaf9e&mc_eid=d8839c893c (March 18th, updated every week or so)

4) New York Times article and podcast (transcript available) on Putin/Russia by Ukraine/Russia expert Timothy Snyder - great context and depth: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-timothy-snyder.html (March 15th)

5) For real depth, Synder's books on Ukraine/Russia and democracy are invaluable: "Bloodlands" (1930s/40s eastern Europe), 2016 and "The Road to Unfreedom" 

6) Borders and Self-determination: Crimea

https://historiana.eu/historical-content/viewpoints/borders-and-self-determination-crimea?fbclid=IwAR0m-xCa8mHZ3C6bq86HKZoMIcdomCCZIwnB8XTF5lobXMqkKnU24l8auTQ

7) European and other news outlet reports on Ukraine - including articles in the original language (Frech, German etc...so may be of interest to World Language teachers and others)

https://www.eurotopics.net/en/276651/ukraine-crisis-between-war-and-peace?fbclid=IwAR0m-xCa8mHZ3C6bq86HKZoMIcdomCCZIwnB8XTF5lobXMqkKnU24l8auTQ

8) Choices Program:

https://www.choices.edu/teaching-news-lesson/unrest-in-ukraine/

9)  How Ukraine became Ukraine, in 7 maps

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/03/09/maps-how-ukraine-became-ukraine/?fbclid=IwAR2AJymT9uKJwVYCI-Wi6Ca7qaCqAgtqLQWWaSSi66mGLd2kKyEN7R2iCHc

Escape Rooms have been all the rage over the past few years. For those that don't know, escape rooms are just that... a room you must escape from. Usually, there is a theme to an escape room, and it is up to you and whomever you're with to solve a series of puzzles in under an hour to "escape" the room. As an avid escape room hobbyist, I wondered if this concept could be applied to the classroom. Sure enough, it can! Through a variety of different platforms, teachers can use or create their own escape room right in the classroom. It encourages collaboration amongst groups, critical thinking and evaluation, and to just have fun! This concept can be used to introduce content, review content, or even teach content. My students have tried to keep the villainous Ms. G. (that's me) from pulling a Carmen Sandiego and stealing major monuments throughout Europe (World Geography), and they've tried to save Julius Caesar from his gruesome fate. The sky is the limit with these activities, not to mention it is so fun to see students engaged (and frustrated) with the content. Escape rooms can be done with physical locks or they can be done through a digital platform. I have more experience creating and using digital escape rooms than physical. There is also a website called Breakout EDU that allows teachers to create themed content right there on their website for virtual learning, as well as offering information on how to get started with in-person activities.

Apply to be a podcast guest: https://forms.gle/CmtMKwZxMGPcM1jX9 

All of Jenn's amazing links:

- European Digital Breakout (World Geography): https://sites.google.com/nn.k12.va.us/catchmsg/home

- Save the Republic Digital Breakout (World History): https://sites.google.com/nn.k12.va.us/savetherepublicbreakout/home

- Save the Renaissance Mini Digital Breakout (World History): https://sites.google.com/cnu.edu/renaissancebreakout/home

- Hub for digital breakout resources: https://www.symbaloo.com/mix/digitalbreakouttools

- Breakout EDU (this has some free resources, but otherwise you’d have to pay): https://www.breakoutedu.com/

- A good blog post about creating digital escape rooms: https://meredithakers.com/2019/11/17/digital-breakout-made-easy/

- This one looks like a really good source! https://sites.google.com/edtechcreative.com/digital-breakouts-guide/home?authuser=0

Join VCSS Vice President and host, Sam Futrell, as she interviews David Olson, the Director of Education for Retro Report. Prior to joining Retro Report, David was an award-winning teacher of U.S. History, A.P. U.S. Government and Politics and Criminal Justice at a public high school in Madison, Wisc. His expertise and passion for teaching social studies shine through on this episode as he shares what Retro Report does and how to incorporate this fantastic resource into your social studies classroom. David and Sam also discuss how to reinforce the relevance of historical content with current events along with strategies for how to get students interested in learning about things happening in their world right now.

Retro Report

Gerrymandering Film & Lesson Plans

9/11 Film & Lesson Plans

Apply to Join the Teacher Advisory Teams!

New American History

Electing the House Interactive Map

VCSS

Follow Sam & David on Twitter: @davidjohnolson @sam_futrell1