Home is where the history is: Facilitate authentic learning with place-based inquiry

Regina Holland

National Council for History Education (NCHE)

Katy Connolly

The Right Question Institute

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/highsm.68388/

rightquestion.org

Find Today’s Slides & Free Resources

Today’s materials:

https://bit.ly/rqi-at-ncss-25

The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources resources:

https://loc.gov/teachers/

​

RQI’s full free resource library: https://rightquestion.org/education/resources

Today’s Agenda

1. Introduction to place-based learning & student inquiry
2. QFT-Primary Source experience: a strategy you can take with you to jumpstart place-based inquiry
3. Examples of place-based, community civics projects
4. Final questions, reflections, and takeaways

Place-based education: what is it, and why is it important?

https://newsroom.loc.gov/d.c.-home-rule-act/a/e85d2802-3c73-4307-a49a-eb75c4149469

Place-Based Education

uses the local

community &

environment

as a starting point

to teach concepts

in all

subject areas

method

or

pedagogy used in teaching

connects

students

to their place

in a

meaningful

way

Sobel (2005) Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities

• ​

• ​

My Work with Rural Teachers & Place-Based Education

ENGAGE

CONNECT

DISCOVER

SUPPORT

• deep examination of rural history
• impact of change on children, families, and communities in the rural America
• primary source analysis

​

​

• Library of Congress rural history collections
• local rural historical societies, museums, historians, communities, etc.
• other rural teachers

​

​

• their own community’s history
• how their local history fits into the national narrative & primary source collections

​

​

​

• design & implementation of works/projects of public value

​

​

• ​

• ​

What’s your experience?

Place-

Based Education

• ​

• ​

Professional Learning Structure

Use this slide to show how your company has grown over the years.

Part C

Onsite Colloquium & Project Development/ Implementation

Part B

Synchronous, Online PD Sessions

​

Part A

Asynchronous, Online Courses

• ​

• ​

Participation

Use this slide to show how your company has grown over the years.

• ​

• ​

Projects

• ​

• ​

Maine Projects

The Story

of a Place:

West Buxton

Becoming a Mainer: Migration, Identity, and Belonging

Plant the Seeds and

Tell the Story

Currents of

Time:

Exploring

the

Kennebec River

Poland Maine: Two Golf Courses and One Town

Life in Windsor through Gamification

Then and Now–Exploring Stories Relevant to our Past and Present

Maine’s Connection to the World through Exports and International Trade

Grease:

Clothing,

Cars,

and

Culture

The Saco River and Its Significance to Maine and Buxton

• ​

• ​

Why is Place-Based Education Important?

• ​

• ​

What is student inquiry, and why is it important?

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017858489/

- Hajo Holborn

Former president of the American Historical Association

“History gives answers only to those who know how to ask questions.”

Questions lie at the heart of inquiry.

​

Student-generated questions lie at the heart of student-led inquiry.

Defining ‘Historical Inquiry’

Blevins et al. (2020) describe historical inquiry as “a way for students to begin to construct their own interpretations and understanding of past events through the reading and interpretation of primary and secondary sources” (p.36).

​

Sara Evers: “Historical inquiry combines question asking with source selection and analysis, claim making, and construction of historical accounts.”

​

Source: Knowing History: A Study of the Construction and Implementation of Historical Knowledge from Theory to Practice by Sara Louise Evers https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/75a968db-66b5-46f7-9bac-7c5d50e20280/content

What teachers say about combining Inquiry & Primary Sources

This video was created for RQI’s Online Primary Source Modules.

​

Find all 4 here: bit.ly/QFTModules

​

Find more resources here: https://rightquestion.org/primary-sources/

Origin of the Right Question Institute: �Parents in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1990

“We don’t go to the school because we don’t even know what to ask.”

Turn & Talk: Connections

• Introduce yourself to your neighbor
• Talk about this question: What connections do you see between place-based education and student inquiry?

​

Student Inquiry

+

Place-Based Education

​

​

Student

Voice

&

Agency

Helping students connect to their learning through identities & interests

Primary Source-QFT Experience

+

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

Individuals learn to:

• Produce their own questions
• Improve their questions
• Strategize on how to use their questions
• Reflect on what they have learned and how they learned it

​

​

Rules for Producing Questions

1. Ask as many questions as you can

2. Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss

3. Write down every question exactly as stated

4. Change any statements into questions

​

THINK: Which rule may be difficult for you to follow?

Question Focus

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004499/?

QFocus - Zooming In & Making Observations

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004499/?

Produce Questions

Work with the people seated near you. One person will be the notetaker. Then:

​

1. Ask Questions
2. Follow the Rules
• Ask as many questions as you can.
• Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss.
• Write down every question exactly as it was stated.
• Change any statements into questions.
3. Number the Questions

​

Producing Questions - Part 1

You are currently standing (or more, likely, sitting) on historic ground.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004499/?

Producing Questions - Part 2

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850.ct004499/?

Categorize Questions: Closed/Open

Definitions:

• Closed-ended questions can be answered with a “yes” or “no” or with a one-word answer.
• Open-ended questions require

more explanation.

​

Directions:

2. Identify your questions as closed-ended or open-ended by marking them with a “C” or an “O.”
3. Then, discuss the advantages AND disadvantages of BOTH closed-ended and open-ended questions.

Improve Questions

1. Take one closed-ended question and change it into an open-ended question. Add it as a new question to your list.

​

​

​

1. Take one open-ended question and change it into a closed-ended question. Add it as a new question to your list.�

​

​

Add these as new questions at the bottom of your list.

Closed

Open

Closed

Open

Prioritize Questions

Review your list and star 3 questions that you are most interested to discuss or research further.

​

Discuss why you chose those questions. Be prepared to share with the group.

​

​

Action Plan

Discuss:

• What themes came up in the questions?
• Where might you go to find out more?
• Are there any questions you don’t think you’ll be able to answer? Why?

Reflection

• What did you learn?
• What do you understand differently now about asking questions?
• What could you do next with students’ place-based questions?

A Look Inside the QFT Process

The QFT, on one slide…

1. Question Focus
2. Produce Your Questions
• Follow the rules
• Number your questions
3. Improve Your Questions
• Categorize questions as Closed or Open-ended
• Change questions from one type to another
4. Strategize
• Prioritize your questions
• Action plan or discuss next steps
• Share
5. Reflect

1. Ask as many questions as you can
2. Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer
3. Record exactly as stated
4. Change statements into questions

Closed-Ended:

Answered with “yes,” “no” or one word

​

Open-Ended: Require longer explanation

Source: The Right Question Institute rightquestion.org

Three thinking abilities with one process

Metacognition

Ideas for a Place-Based QFT

• Street Maps, both current and historical including Library of Congress Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
• Historical Markers
• Objects or souvenirs
• Others?

https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01227_001/

To consider

• How can you connect the local story to larger national or global one?
• How can students get involved or take action in their communities?

Examples: Two Place-Based, Community Civics Projects in Kentucky and Illinois

Classroom Example:

The Forgottonia Project

“FORGOTTONIA is the name given to a 16-county region in Western Illinois in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The name “Forgottonia” was created by Jack Horn, John Armstrong and Neil Gamm. The concept grew from the frustration of citizens and public officials of Western Illinois concerning the lack of state support for regional transportation, communication and infrastructure projects and economic development after World War II.” – Mythic Missippi Project

https://www.visitforgottonia.com/the-republic-of-forgottonia/

https://mythicmississippi.illinois.edu/forgottonia/

https://forgottoniaproject.com/2017/06/19/first-blog-post/

Classroom Example:

The Forgottonia Project

Teacher: Joe Brewer

Setting: Cuba High School, Cuba, IL (Fulton County)

Community partners: Western Illinois Museum, Western Illinois University Archives

Classroom Example:

The Forgottonia Project

Student questions:

• What surprises you about the Amish community in our small community?
• What impact have the Amish had on rural towns like ours?
• Why is it important for young people growing up in small towns with Amish populations to learn about the contributions Amish have in their community?
• What can we do to make sure we include the Amish as valued members of our community?
• What does the story of the Amish mean for our wider national narrative?

​

Takeaways & Questions

Takeaways for you

​

• For using the QFT with Library of Congress primary sources: RQI Primary Source Hub
• For creating place-based, community civics projects: Rural Experience project examples
• For selecting and teaching primary sources from the Library of Congress: loc.gov teachers page
• Create a QFT-primary source lesson plan: RQI Online Modules

​

Questions & Reflections

• What are you taking away from the session today?
• What might you take and use in your own work?
• What questions do you have for us at this point?