EP185 Using inquiry to help kids develop critical consciousness (with Jess Lifshitz)
Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers
Angela Watson
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 2 February 2020
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How can you design learning experiences that help kids understand themselves and their place in the world? A 5th grade teacher shares how she creates inquiry experiences that help kids develop understandings about personal identity, bias, moving beyond a single story, and seeing what isn't there (critically studying history).
I've asked Jess Lifshitz to come on the podcast because I love learning from her on Twitter, and I wanted to amplify her work so more teachers can use inquiry, reading, and writing to help students better understand create positive change in the world beyond the classroom.
Jess shares, "I'm constantly looking at the models around me of the humans that I want my students to grow up to be and asking, "What did they have to learn to be that kind of person?' We see people stand up for strangers in the supermarket, and I think to myself, 'What was that person taught that allowed them to become the kind of adult that's going to stand up for someone else?' Someone taught them those skills, and I can't assume that anybody else is teaching my students that. I need to make sure that those are things I'm working into my classroom so that my students can grow up to be the kinds of people that I want to share this world with."
In this episode, you'll hear Jess share her lesson planning process, how she ties real-world lessons like these back to her standards and curriculum, and how she uses inquiry to support students in uncovering truths for themselves instead of being told what to think.
Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion or, join our new podcast Facebook group here to connect with other teachers and discuss the Truth for Teachers' podcast episodes.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to episode 185 of Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. I'm your host |
| 0:07.3 | Angela Watson and I'm here to speak life, encouragement, and truth into the minds and hearts of educators and get you energized |
| 0:15.1 | for the week ahead. Today I'm talking with Jess Liveshits about using inquiry to |
| 0:21.0 | help kids develop critical consciousness so they can help make the world a better |
| 0:25.2 | place. Visit truth for teachers.com to get the transcript or find our new truth for teachers |
| 0:31.2 | podcast community on Facebook. |
| 0:34.4 | This episode is brought to you in part by Student Treasures Publishing, which makes it super |
| 0:38.6 | easy to publish a book with your class for free. |
| 0:42.0 | You select the layout and fill the book with your students writing in your your May 15th, 2020. To turn your class's work into a professionally bound book, |
| 1:05.0 | order your free class book publishing kit at student treasures.com forward slash truth. |
| 1:11.0 | I also want to give a big shout out to our sponsor Power School. Teachers go above |
| 1:16.0 | and beyond for students but teachers need help too especially as they're asked to do |
| 1:20.4 | more every day. Power School now with Schoology is bringing together SIS, |
| 1:25.9 | LMS, and assessment to give teachers simple solutions to everyday problems. |
| 1:30.5 | They're committed to hearing and sharing teachers stories of how technology |
| 1:34.9 | can help solve problems in the classroom. So if you've ever wished for a quiz that could |
| 1:39.2 | grade itself or needed to quickly check which student has the crayfish allergy. |
| 1:43.4 | Tell us how technology can give you more time for what matters |
| 1:47.0 | at PowerSchool.com |
| 1:48.7 | forward slash time for teachers. |
| 1:51.4 | By sharing you'll have a chance to be featured here or on their website. |
| 1:57.6 | My guest today is Jess Liff Schitz. She teaches fifth grade ELA in Northbrook, Illinois. It's a suburb of Chicago. |
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