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Applying Disciplinary Concepts & Tools:

Preliminary Findings From NCSS’s First MOOC

This summer the National Council for the Social

6WXGLHV�RIIHUHG�LWV�¿UVW�0DVVLYH�Open Online Course (MOOC) to social studies teachers. More than 1,800 teachers enrolled in Improving Historical Read-ing and Writing. There were an average of 13,000 weekly page views of course content and approximately 600 participa-tions, or actions taken, in the course each week. The robust activity on the discussion boards revealed that Dimension Two of the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards --Apply-ing Disciplinary Concepts and 7RROV�±�FDQ�EH�D�GLI¿FXOW�DUHD�for some social studies teachers to navigate. The C3 Framework describes concepts and skills instead of prescribing which VSHFL¿F�FRQWHQW�VKRXOG�EH�WDXJKW��NCSS believes educators can deepen the understanding of cur-ricular content through the con-sistent application of tools and lenses from the four core Social

Studies disciplines of civics, eco-nomics, geography and history. This article will highlight some of course dialogue that centered on the quality of C3 Framework professional development, the instructional shifts demanded by the C3, the classroom balance between content and disciplinary literacy, and how effective social studies instruction develops stu-dents’ literacy skills.

C3 Professional Development Quality

After viewing a clip from Dr. Kathy Swan's C3 Framework Overview (http://zapt.io/twd39evw), 115 viewers re-sponded to questions embedded in the video, including an open-ended question which asked teachers to grade the professional development they have been given by their school/district on the C3 Framework. The major-ity of educators (50%) rated this professional development with an F. The next most common grade was a D, given by 21% of responding participants. 16 per-cent of course participants gave it a C, 10% a B, and only 4% of those responding gave As. Over-all, this sample of teachers gave their schools and districts a 1.0 on a 4.0 scale when it comes to delivering professional develop-ment around the C3 Framework. That 71% of respondents gave a grade of poor or failing sug-gests schools and districts are struggling to provide meaningful

professional development and that National Social Studies Su-pervisors Association (NSSSA) members need to take the lead in GH¿QLQJ��FUHDWLQJ�DQG�LPSURYLQJ�high quality professional devel-opment on the C3 Framework for Social Studies teachers nation-ally. A 2014 Gates Foundation survey of 1,600 teachers revealed that ideal professional develop-ment experiences should be relevant, interactive, delivered by someone who understands teachers and their experiences, sustained over time and treats teachers as professionals.

C3 Instructional Shifts

How has the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework shifted the delivery and structure of social studies instruction? (162 replies). It appears that the C3 Framework has been enthusi-astically endorsed by the teach-ers in this MOOC. Only 18 out of 162 comments (11%) were negative. The 144 positive com-ments revealed that educators are optimistic about these shifts and they are eager to collaborate ZLWK�WKHLU�FROOHDJXHV�LQ�GH¿QLQJ�what type of academic activities occur in C3 classrooms. A sum-mary of these shifts can be found here: http://www.c3teachers.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/C3Shifts.pdf.

Teachers who commented that the C3 Framework has re-quired positive shifts said things

Corbin MooreSocial Studies Instructional Coach and English as a Sec-ond Language Coordinator for the Hamilton City School District in Hamilton, Ohio Scott Petri Coordinator and small school principal in the Los Angeles 8QL¿HG�6FKRRO�'LVWULFW

Volume 29, Number 2 19

like:

�� provides students with opportunities to not only collaborate and problem solve

�� allows students to ask questions, seek answers and formulate ways to show understanding

�� focuses students on ask-ing compelling questions and grappling with big ideas.

�� gives students a chance to take responsibility for their own learning

�� engages students in activi-ties that have a purpose

�� puts students at the center of the system, not teach-ers

�� strengthens students’ abil-ity to build an argument and gather evidence

On the other hand, teachers GHVFULELQJ�GLI¿FXOW�VKLIWV�LQKHUHQW�in the C3 made comments similar to:

�� It will be very scary for some teachers not to have the right answers.

�� Teaching students to ask compelling questions when they have had little experience with that be-fore is daunting.

�� Everyone, students and teachers, must think out-side the box in this frame-work.

�� Social Studies-Civics, Economics and Geog-raphy can’t be taught in isolation. It’s not how historians work.

�� It’s a big challenge to help students develop complex questions to get to the larger ideas.

Several participants men-tioned that there is a need to EURDGHQ�WKH�GH¿QLWLRQ�RI�³OLWHUDU\�QRQ�¿FWLRQ�´�:KLOH�FRXUVH�SDU-ticipants were overwhelmingly positive in their comments about learning to apply the disciplinary concepts and tools from the C3 Framework, neither the quality nor the quantity of professional development currently provided appears to be meeting the de-mand of Social Studies educators who responded to the framework overview. We are hopeful that the 1666$�ZLOO�¿OO�LQ�VRPH�RI�WKH�gaps in professional development for Social Studies teachers eager to embrace the C3 Framework.

Balancing Content and Disci-plinary Literacy

After a module on building literacy in Social Studies featur-ing readings by Hirsch (2003), Ogle, Klemp & McBride (2007), Shanahan & Shanahan (2008), and Wineburg & Reisman (2014), 227 participants attempted to articulate an appropriate balance between content literacy and dis-ciplinary literacy for the History-Social Science classroom. Six of these responses were off topic and not included in this analysis. The remaining 221 responses were coded as Favoring Disci-

plinary Literacy (32%), Balance (32%), Favoring Content Literacy (19%), and No Stance (18%). Discussion board posts that were coded as balance were further subdivided into responses making a prescribed balance, even, both, can’t separate, and informed bal-ance.

Responses favoring disciplin-ary literacy said things like

�� Teachers are frustrated with the lack of content literacy and it certainly hinders our time spent of disciplinary literacy where the true study of history takes place.

�� think that disciplinary literacy is more of a hook for my students.

�� To not include disciplin-ary literacy at the younger ages is a disservice.

Responses falling into the balance category included

�� Balance is an awkward concept for this ques-tion. It implies an either/or dichotomy. Pairing or matching seems more applicable. What skill should students apply, or practice with what content and what source? Getting those aligned seems more useful.

�� You cannot separate the content from the skill of history. If you are just testing the content, you are perhaps testing read-ing comprehension and

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not social studies knowl-edge.

�� A professional educator makes decisions of bal-ance for whole classes at ¿UVW�DQG�WKHQ�WDLORUV�WKRVH�decisions for individu-als. This means, unfortu-nately, that there are no shortcuts of formulas for determining the balance of content and disciplin-ary literacy.

Responses favoring content literacy said things like,

�� I have to focus more on content, students who come to me do not have the background knowl-edge to use disciplinary literacy.

�� Content literacy serves as the foundation and spring-board for disciplinary lit-eracy. Once students have a grasp on the transferable literacy skills, such as decoding, summarizing, paraphrasing and etc., then it is most important to build on that skills such as sourcing and contextu-alizing.

�� Other respondents felt that disciplinary lit-eracy is not measured by standardized tests and shouldn’t be emphasized.

�� Many teachers focus on content over disciplinary literacy because it [Disci-plinary Literacy] requires giving up some control in the classroom.

�� The focus on coverage and testing often deprive teachers of the time needed to move beyond content literacy into disci-plinary literacy.

Patterns emerged from this analysis that revealed two lines of thinking: a) disciplinary literacy should be emphasized in the higher grades; b) disciplinary literacy could do more to deepen understanding in primary grades. NSSSA members should increase these conversations in order to clarify how teachers can modify their pedagogical practices to teach content literacy and disci-plinary literacy together. Teachers are extremely interested in PD that explores this area. There are, however, fault lines. One of our department meetings recently deteriorated into a red-faced screaming match with an angry teacher declaring: “I am not an English teacher. I am not going to teach reading and writing. I teach content. At some point the students need to learn con-tent!” Thus, it seems as if there is a great need for creating PD that can show teachers with this mindset how they can increase the amount of disciplinary lit-HUDF\�ZLWKRXW�VDFUL¿FLQJ�FRQWHQW�instruction or embarking on a steep learning curve when teach-ing reading and writing skills using historical content.

Effective History-Social Studies Instruction

7KH�¿QDO�TXHVWLRQ�H[DPLQHG�LQ�this article also centered on the role of Social Studies in literacy development. Participants were

asked how effective history and social studies instruction might help develop students' literacy skills and break the "fourth-grade slump." There were a total of 352 replies comprising over 52,000 words that were analyzed. Common themes emerged cen-tering on reading instruction, content vocabulary, inquiry-based methods, and tension between social studies and English in-structional programs. A number of posts included state-ments like:

�� 7HDFKHUV�PXVW�WHDFK�FRQ-tent reading fundamen-tals.

�� +LVWRU\�WHDFKHUV�PXVW�expose students to high-interest informational texts multiple times.

�� 6WXGHQWV�PXVW�XQGHUVWDQG�the nuances of historical texts as opposed to liter-ary texts.

�� 6SDUNLQJ�DQ�LQWHUHVW�LQ�curiosity in reading will KHOS�EXLOG�ÀXHQF\�DQG�vocabulary.

�� /LWHUDF\�PXVW�EH�WDXJKW�and emphasized at all grade levels.

Many teachers in this module described successful Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) programs that were implemented in their schools. Teachers were very pleased with these programs and found they resulted in increased levels of engagement among students. Unfortunately, many el-ementary teachers openly admit-ted paying short shrift to Social

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Studies content and focusing on the tested subjects of English and Math. Several reported that they had been directed by their admin-istrators to stop teaching Social Studies. These administrative GLFWDWHV�GR�QRW�UHÀHFW�0DU]DQR¶V��������¿QGLQJV�WKDW�6RFLDO�6WXG-ies classes make up 55% of a students academic vocabulary, or Ogle, Klemp & McBride’s (2007) assertion that wide reading is a major contributor to differences in children’s vocabularies (p.32).

A doctoral student in the MOOC was also working on a dissertation that integrates dysto-pian and utopian novels into so-cial studies instruction noted that these teaching tools invigorated both English and History courses. Students reading these works had lively and engaging discussions regarding what happens when governments become tyrannical. These students could easily make connections to current events where our country is struggling to create a world that is equitable and just. This research suggests that historians should engage in “civic imagination” where their works explore possibilities in-stead of remaining static observ-ers. Instead of looking to the past, this high school teacher urges his fellow history teachers to do more imagining and planning for the future to make history and social studies more relevant to students’ lives. Finally, several WHDFKHUV�UHPDUNHG�WKDW�¿OO�LQ�WKH�blank reading worksheets and quizzes discourage students from having a deep and active conver-sation with the text. Students are simply “reading to pass,” rather

than “reading to learn.”Hirsch claims that in order to understand and de-rive meaning from a text, students need to know at least 90% of the vocabulary that they encounter. Ogle, Klemp & McBride (2007) maintain that a student’s vocabulary growth depends on multiple exposures to new words in a variety of contexts. Learning new words requires integration, repetition, and meaningful use. New terms need to be integrated with what stu-dents already know. New terms need to be taught and retaught in multiple con-texts. Students need to use new terms in ways that are meaningful to them. Many participants commented that the increased use of classroom discussions are helpful with vocabulary acquisition. Commonali-WLHV�LQ�WKHVH�SRVWV�UHÀHFWHG�statements like:

�� ,I�RXU�VWXGHQWV�DUH�not exposed to a set of challenging words or explicitly taught vocabulary, then they will struggle when they are asked to “read to learn.”

�� 1R�RQH�OLNHV�WR�UHDG�the social studies textbook for fun, not even teachers.

�� :H�ORYH�WR�UHDG�KLV-WRULFDO�¿FWLRQ�DQG�

21

The Leader

QRQ¿FWLRQ�WKDW�LV�VWLPXODW-ing and interesting.

�� 6WXGHQWV�HQMR\�KLVWRULFDO�¿FWLRQ��JUDSKLF�QRYHOV��and choose-your-own-ad-venture stories, which are opportunities to expand historical knowledge and build literacy skills simul-taneously.

Teachers also found consen-sus in that inquiry motivates and drives learning. They recom-mended a variety of inquiry-driv-en activities be used to expose students to a rich vocabulary. Popular strategies mentioned were Historical Scene Inves-tigations (HIS), Digging for the Truth, and Law and Order themed inquiry-based assign-ments. Teachers agreed that students participating in historical inquiry and investigation learn to:

�� LGHQWLI\�SUREOHPV�

�� FRQGXFW�UHVHDUFK�XVLQJ�primary and secondary resources

�� UHFDOO�SULRU�NQRZOHGJH�

�� PDNH�FRQQHFWLRQV�WR�QHZ�material

�� PDNH�LQIHUHQFHV�DERXW�what they have learned

�� FROODERUDWH�ZLWK�SHHUV

�� DSSO\�WKHLU�OHDUQLQJ�WR�WKH�question at hand

�� SUHVHQW�VROXWLRQV�WR�SURE-lems

Several posts described ten-sions between ELA and social studies instructional programs. It

seems as if ELA teachers resent being required to teach History-6RFLDO�6WXGLHV�UHODWHG�QRQ�¿FWLRQ��while History-Social Science teachers dislike being pressured to reduce their content instruction in order to increase literacy skills. These teachers made comments like:

�� (QJOLVK�WHDFKHUV�VSHQG�too much instructional time on repetitive reading comprehension strategies.

�� :H�VKRXOG�UHGXFH�WKH�formal English instruction allotted in a given school day and expand the social sciences and sciences to include more experiential learning, including guest speakers, real and virtual ¿HOG�WULSV��DQG�GLVFLSOLQH�themed problem solving tasks.”

�� %\�FRPSDUWPHQWDOL]LQJ�subjects students and teachers fail to make im-portant connections, edu-cators get bogged down separating the subjects from one another.

�� :H�QHHG�WR�FRQVLGHU�alternative models that integrate civic literacy and historical thinking, while also teaching about language arts, mathemat-ics, science, and etc.

�� :H�QHHG�D�QHZ�ZD\�RI�thinking about this prob-lem that is not framed by a rigid assessment model.

Despite the tension between English and Social Studies teach-

ers, over the importance of their respective disciplines, increasing the volume of student reading may be the single most important thing a teacher can do to promote large-scale vocabulary growth. History and social science classes WKDW�EXLOG�QRQ�¿FWLRQ�DQG�KLV-WRULFDO�¿FWLRQ�UHDGLQJ�LQWR�WKHLU�everyday classroom practices help students build on their prior knowledge. More widespread adoption of this method will re-quire a repudiation of the test and punish culture that has dominated education administration for the last decade. Ideally, getting off the standards coverage treadmill and going “fewer and deeper” are two goals of the Common Core State Standards. It is unclear, however, how states will rework accountability systems to allow history teachers the time and practice to become interdisciplin-ary allies. Social Studies teachers and English teachers need not remain unintentional adversar-ies competing against each other for scarce school site resources. NSSSA professional development should concentrate on opportuni-ties to combine Social Studies and ELA instruction in a collegial and collaborative environment that unites the disciplines in meaningful student-driven in-quiry.

Conclusion

The C3 Framework posits that consistent application of disci-plinary concepts and tools from the four core disciplines of civics, economics, geography and his-tory leads to deeper and enduring understanding of Social Studies

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Volume 29, Number 2 23

content. Classroom teachers often struggle in balancing not only content literacy and disciplin-ary literacy, but also serving the needs of students with varying abilities, engagement, and moti-vation. NCSS’s MOOC provided classroom practitioners a forum to engage in meaningful dialogue over the direction of History-Social Studies instruction. This experience has shown that there is increasing demand for high quality professional development that is not being met by schools and districts. In response to this lack of supply, many educators have turned to digital education.

According to a two-year, joint Harvard/MIT investigation, nearly forty percent of MOOC participants were teachers (Ho et al., 2015). Petri's descriptive case study (forthcoming) investigated how teachers (N=1,221) valued the professional development they experienced in two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) compared to the professional development (PD) experiences they had at their school sites and/or districts. Completers valued the MOOC PD more favorably; found the materials superior and reported levels of collegiality, collaboration and rigor higher than those generally experienced in school site, or district PD. When compared with the prelimi-QDU\�¿QGLQJV�IURP�1&66¶V�¿UVW�MOOC, this suggests NSSSA members should experiment with the format to supplement their face-to-face professional devel-opment programs. This aligns with a Gates Foundation (2014) ¿QGLQJ�WKDW�WHDFKHUV¶�LQFUHDVLQJ�

use of self-guided online re-sources and their desire to work together to focus on planning, designing, and delivering instruc-tion, should provide directions for future teacher professional development.

Lastly, the authors recognize that many NSSSA members want to engage in applying research while implementing new pro-grams and supports. We would like to make the data from our discussion boards available to anyone seeking to improve Social Studies instruction. Teachers are demonstrating a willingness to implement inquiry-based instruc-tion and increase student literacy skills, however, they are unsure how to do this effectively. The NSSSA should work with su-pervisors at the state and local level to provide professional development for SS teachers. We can also challenge Supervisors to engage their state education department, legislature, and local school boards on the importance of civic education and the poten-WLDO�EHQH¿WV�RI�WHDFKLQJ�VRFLDO�studies on literacy achievement

Feel free to contact us corbin-moore1@gmail.com or scottm-petri@gmail.com and thank you for all you do to improve History-Social Science instruction.

References

Gates Foundation. (2014). Teach-ers know best: Teachers’ views on professional development. The Bill & Melinda Gates Founda-tion. (December 5, 2014). Seattle, WA: Accessed on at March 15, 2015 at http://collegeready.gates-

IRXQGDWLRQ�RUJ�VLWHV�GHIDXOW�¿OHV�Gates-PDMarketResearch-Dec5.pdf

Hirsch, E. D. (2003). Reading comprehension requires knowl-edge—of words and the world. American Educator, 27(1), 10-13.

Ho, A. D., Chuang, I., Reich, J., Coleman, C., Whitehill, J., North-cutt, C., Williams, J. J., Hansen, J., Lopez, G., & Petersen, R. (2015). HarvardX and MITx: Two years of open online courses (HarvardX Working Paper No. 10). Accessed on April 2, 2015. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2586847

Marra, R. M., Moore, J. L., & Klimczak, A. K. (2004). Content analysis of online discussion fo-rums: A comparative analysis of protocols. Educational Technol-ogy Research and Development, 52(2), 23-40.

Marzano, R. J. (2004). Build-ing background knowledge for academic achievement: Research on what works in schools. ASCD. Alexandria, VA.

Ogle, D., Klemp, R., and Mc-Bride, B. (2007). Building Lit-eracy in Social Studies: Strategies for Improving Comprehension and Critical Thinking. Ch. 3 (pp. 33-52). ASCD. Alexandria, VA.

Sinclair, S., & Rockwell, G. (2012). Teaching Computer-As-sisted Text Analysis: Approaches to Learning New Methodologies. Digital Humanities Pedagogy. Accessed at http://www.open-bookpublishers.com/reader/161 on July 21, 2015.