More work-related

I'm experimenting with this blog thing. Maybe someone out there will read it and start spinning tales about how what Happenstance is thinking about is just oh-so-interesting and you just *have* to read it. Maybe.

I am struggling to figure out how to balance social studies content with the workshop model. I am struggling to figure out how to push kids' thinking (which means editing the content so that they focus on the thinking part), with allowing room for independent inquiry and teaching research skills (which means less possibility for the thinking because the content is all over the place). Maybe the compromise is a spiraled year-- begin with very teacher-controlled content, allowing kids time to gain the thinking skills. And then slowly open up the field, teaching them how to tell if something is worth paying attention to or not.

Hmmm. I'm excited for next year...