YORKTOWN – October, 1781
Last major battle of the Revolutionary War
France cut off Cornwallis' escape route
Washington led American and French troops in a siege operation
After the surrender, the British parliament switched parties and voted to end military operations in America, even though they still controlled several major cities.
ALAMO – March, 1836
Mexican army destroys a garrison of Texans and their American allies.
After the defeat, American volunteers rallied to the Texan cause, eventually winning Texas independence from Mexico.
GETTYSBURG – July, 1863
Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania, designed to force Union troops to defend home territory and ease the siege of Vicksburg, MS.
Union victory convinced Britain and France not to enter the war on the Confederate side.
Confederacy “plays defense” the rest of the war.
PEARL HARBOR – December, 1941
Japan simultaneously declares war and bombs the US Pacific fleet.
Brought the US into World War II by virtue of Japan's alliance with Germany and Italy.
D-DAY – June, 1944
US and Allied forces invade France from the sea.
Failure to repel thee? invasion was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
9/11 – September, 2001
19 terrorists hijack 4 American commercial planes and crash them, destroying the World Trade Center and damaging the Pentagon.
Attacks trigger first major US military response to Al-Qaeda terror network.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Of the 6 battles on this list, which one was the most important for the US to win?
2. Is there a battle that isn't on the list that made a bigger impact on American History?
3. What was the biggest mistake made by the losing side in a battle that they should have seen ahead of time?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
War Notes
Here we go.
Remember: Your posts on this blog's comments section are worth TWICE AS MUCH to your grade as the quizzes.
Also, your grade on the Presidents quiz (and subsequent quizzes) are based not on how many you get right, but how long it takes for you to get all of them.
Below are the notes and discussion questions for last week, this week, and next week.
Go get 'em.
AMERICAN WARS
1756-2010
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
1756-1763
Cost of war led to colonies being taxed
George Washington becomes field commander
Native Americans cast their lot with the French against the English.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1776-1783
Established America as its own country
Showed the vulnerability of the British army
America and France become allies
WAR OF 1812
1812-1815
British force American sailors into their Navy
America fights England to a draw
England pulls out of US territory
MEXICAN WAR
1846-1848
Monroe Doctrine
Missouri Compromise Line
Combat experience for future Civil War generals
CIVIL WAR
1861-1865
“Becoming a Singular” – Ken Burns
Racial integration
600,000+ casualties
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
1898
Expansive foreign policy
First major victory against a European power
First war waged entirely on foreign soil
WORLD WAR I
1914(7)-1918
U. S. is the decisive factor in a stalemate war
U. S. becomes a dominant player in the world
Woodrow Wilson's idealism (International law, world government)
WORLD WAR II
1939(41)-1945
U. S. and U. S. S. R. the last two standing
European rivalries dead
Advent of the nuclear age
KOREAN WAR
1951-1954
First test of united western world vs. communism
Hindered China's desire to dominate global communism
Never resolved – just stopped
VIETNAM WAR
1950(6)-1975
Signaled the end of European colonialism
“The war that would not die”
Last war fought with drafted soldiers
GULF WAR
1990-1991
First major military conflict after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Central role of oil in American foreign policy
Advent of “New World Order”
AFGHANISTAN
2001-present
Response to 9/11 attacks
New kind of war: Nations vs. non-nations
Perpetual skirmishing vs. pitched battles
IRAQ
2003-present (kind of)
Pre-emptive war (Bush Doctrine)
Legitimacy of the UN
Nation building
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
Agree or disagree with one of the following statements, telling why:
1. America became a powerful nation in the 20th Century primarily because the wars were fought everywhere but here.
2. The most significant wars and battles are those that involve the most people in combat.
3. Of the five “big stories” we talked about earlier, the one with the biggest impact on the outcomes of wars has been technology.
Remember: Your posts on this blog's comments section are worth TWICE AS MUCH to your grade as the quizzes.
Also, your grade on the Presidents quiz (and subsequent quizzes) are based not on how many you get right, but how long it takes for you to get all of them.
Below are the notes and discussion questions for last week, this week, and next week.
Go get 'em.
AMERICAN WARS
1756-2010
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
1756-1763
Cost of war led to colonies being taxed
George Washington becomes field commander
Native Americans cast their lot with the French against the English.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1776-1783
Established America as its own country
Showed the vulnerability of the British army
America and France become allies
WAR OF 1812
1812-1815
British force American sailors into their Navy
America fights England to a draw
England pulls out of US territory
MEXICAN WAR
1846-1848
Monroe Doctrine
Missouri Compromise Line
Combat experience for future Civil War generals
CIVIL WAR
1861-1865
“Becoming a Singular” – Ken Burns
Racial integration
600,000+ casualties
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
1898
Expansive foreign policy
First major victory against a European power
First war waged entirely on foreign soil
WORLD WAR I
1914(7)-1918
U. S. is the decisive factor in a stalemate war
U. S. becomes a dominant player in the world
Woodrow Wilson's idealism (International law, world government)
WORLD WAR II
1939(41)-1945
U. S. and U. S. S. R. the last two standing
European rivalries dead
Advent of the nuclear age
KOREAN WAR
1951-1954
First test of united western world vs. communism
Hindered China's desire to dominate global communism
Never resolved – just stopped
VIETNAM WAR
1950(6)-1975
Signaled the end of European colonialism
“The war that would not die”
Last war fought with drafted soldiers
GULF WAR
1990-1991
First major military conflict after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Central role of oil in American foreign policy
Advent of “New World Order”
AFGHANISTAN
2001-present
Response to 9/11 attacks
New kind of war: Nations vs. non-nations
Perpetual skirmishing vs. pitched battles
IRAQ
2003-present (kind of)
Pre-emptive war (Bush Doctrine)
Legitimacy of the UN
Nation building
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
Agree or disagree with one of the following statements, telling why:
1. America became a powerful nation in the 20th Century primarily because the wars were fought everywhere but here.
2. The most significant wars and battles are those that involve the most people in combat.
3. Of the five “big stories” we talked about earlier, the one with the biggest impact on the outcomes of wars has been technology.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Notes from Tuesday
The Weirdest Presidential Elections in US History
Things to know about Presidential Elections going in:
Pre-12th Amendment, President was the winner in the Electoral College and VP was the one who finished second. Jefferson and Aaron Burr end up tied (since each elector gets two votes. The election is then thrown to the House of Representatives, where each state gets one vote. In 1800, there were 16 states.). As long as the Adams people in the House of Representatives could keep the election tied between Jefferson and Burr (8 states each), Adams stays President.
1824 – JOHN QUINCY ADAMS VS. ANDREW JACKSON VS. HENRY CLAY
Jackson won the popular vote and the Electoral College, but did not get a majority of electoral votes. So since the election was thrown into the House, the 2nd and 3rd place candidates pooled their support. 2nd place (Adams) is President, 3rd place (Clay) is Secretary of State with a promise of Presidential campaign support in eight years, and Jackson is just out. It works, but only for one term, as Jackson blows out Adams in 1828.
1860 – ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. STEVEN DOUGLAS VS. JOHN BELL
A popular vote split three ways, but Lincoln got enough of a plurality in enough states to win the Electoral College.
1876 – RUTHERFORD B. HAYES VS. SAMUEL TILDEN
The Crown Prince of weird elections. Three states submitted two slates of electors -- one with black votes counted and one with only white votes. If the white votes are the only ones that count, Tilden wins easily. But if the black votes count, Hayes wins 185-184. The result is the Compromise of 1877. In return for letting black votes count, the South gets to have all of the Northern occupying troops removed, and Hayes doesn't run for re-election in 1880.
1912 – WOODROW WILSON VS. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT VS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Taft runs for re-election, but his supporters are split between him and former two-term President Teddy Roosevelt.
1948 – HARRY S TRUMAN VS. THOMAS DEWEY
The first time computers try to predict a major national election. The computers vastly overstate the impact of Strom Thurmond, who gets a handful of electoral votes, but not nearly enough to allow Dewey to defeat Truman.
1960 – JOHN F. KENNEDY VS. RICHARD NIXON
Close election. Both sides agreed later that nobody cold ever know who would have won if both sides had played fair.
1968 – RICHARD NIXON VS. HUBERT HUMPHREY
Sitting President Lyndon Johnson chooses not to run for re-election. First time since Chester Arthur.
1992 – BILL CLINTON VS. GEORGE BUSH VS. ROSS PEROT
Another split-vote where Bush supporters defect to Perot, opening the door for Clinton.
2000 – GEORGE W. BUSH VS. AL GORE
The king of the weird elections. Several close states -- New Mexico, Oregon, Iowa, and Florida. Final tally 271-267, and that only after a month of legal wrangling about who really won Florida. Lots of fun to watch, unless you had an emotional investment in the outcome. Then it was pure torture.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Is there a good way to settle a close election, especially when the outcome is statistically too close to call?
Did the Supreme Court get Bush v. Gore right?
Who lost a Presidential election he should have won?
Who was the most qualified Presidential candidate never to win an election?
Things to know about Presidential Elections going in:
- The outcome is decided no by the popular vote, but by the Electoral College.
- Who gets to vote is determined state-by-state, with four exceptions in the Constitution.
Pre-12th Amendment, President was the winner in the Electoral College and VP was the one who finished second. Jefferson and Aaron Burr end up tied (since each elector gets two votes. The election is then thrown to the House of Representatives, where each state gets one vote. In 1800, there were 16 states.). As long as the Adams people in the House of Representatives could keep the election tied between Jefferson and Burr (8 states each), Adams stays President.
1824 – JOHN QUINCY ADAMS VS. ANDREW JACKSON VS. HENRY CLAY
Jackson won the popular vote and the Electoral College, but did not get a majority of electoral votes. So since the election was thrown into the House, the 2nd and 3rd place candidates pooled their support. 2nd place (Adams) is President, 3rd place (Clay) is Secretary of State with a promise of Presidential campaign support in eight years, and Jackson is just out. It works, but only for one term, as Jackson blows out Adams in 1828.
1860 – ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. STEVEN DOUGLAS VS. JOHN BELL
A popular vote split three ways, but Lincoln got enough of a plurality in enough states to win the Electoral College.
1876 – RUTHERFORD B. HAYES VS. SAMUEL TILDEN
The Crown Prince of weird elections. Three states submitted two slates of electors -- one with black votes counted and one with only white votes. If the white votes are the only ones that count, Tilden wins easily. But if the black votes count, Hayes wins 185-184. The result is the Compromise of 1877. In return for letting black votes count, the South gets to have all of the Northern occupying troops removed, and Hayes doesn't run for re-election in 1880.
1912 – WOODROW WILSON VS. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT VS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Taft runs for re-election, but his supporters are split between him and former two-term President Teddy Roosevelt.
1948 – HARRY S TRUMAN VS. THOMAS DEWEY
The first time computers try to predict a major national election. The computers vastly overstate the impact of Strom Thurmond, who gets a handful of electoral votes, but not nearly enough to allow Dewey to defeat Truman.
1960 – JOHN F. KENNEDY VS. RICHARD NIXON
Close election. Both sides agreed later that nobody cold ever know who would have won if both sides had played fair.
1968 – RICHARD NIXON VS. HUBERT HUMPHREY
Sitting President Lyndon Johnson chooses not to run for re-election. First time since Chester Arthur.
1992 – BILL CLINTON VS. GEORGE BUSH VS. ROSS PEROT
Another split-vote where Bush supporters defect to Perot, opening the door for Clinton.
2000 – GEORGE W. BUSH VS. AL GORE
The king of the weird elections. Several close states -- New Mexico, Oregon, Iowa, and Florida. Final tally 271-267, and that only after a month of legal wrangling about who really won Florida. Lots of fun to watch, unless you had an emotional investment in the outcome. Then it was pure torture.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Is there a good way to settle a close election, especially when the outcome is statistically too close to call?
Did the Supreme Court get Bush v. Gore right?
Who lost a Presidential election he should have won?
Who was the most qualified Presidential candidate never to win an election?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Big American Story #5 -- Prosperity
Remember that I need postings every week, so if you need to go back and pick up last week's discussion go ahead.
Prosperity was instrumental in:
Providing a motive for exploration -- Columbus was followed back to the New World because there was gold. Puritans came from England with the promise of being land owners.
Sparking the revolution -- Many of the complaints raised in the Declaration of Independence were economic. The Tea Party was in response to a corporate bailout, after all.
Bringing people out of the east and across the plains to the west coast. -- Sure they believed in Manifest Destiny, but it took the promise of wealth to get people to act on it.
Launching the gilded age. -- Robber barons, tycoons, and the advance of technology led to decades of prosperity.
The Great Depression became the formative experience for multiple generations. (What ended the Depression -- FDR, World War II, or just better weather -- became an interesting discussion.)
The American message in the Cold War was western-style prosperity for all.
After the Cold War, we entered the era of bubbles. Beanie Babies, Internet stocks, Real-estate flipping, sub-prime mortgages. American economic theory since 1989 has been that people can consume as much as they want and not have to worry about paying off the debt. (A significant number of home foreclosures have been on people who put their credit card bills on their home mortgages.)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. When has America acted against its political interests in the quest for prosperity?
2. Can an American politician get elected if he tells people not to consume so much?
3. Which is more important to Americans – personal prosperity or collective opportunity?
Prosperity was instrumental in:
Providing a motive for exploration -- Columbus was followed back to the New World because there was gold. Puritans came from England with the promise of being land owners.
Sparking the revolution -- Many of the complaints raised in the Declaration of Independence were economic. The Tea Party was in response to a corporate bailout, after all.
Bringing people out of the east and across the plains to the west coast. -- Sure they believed in Manifest Destiny, but it took the promise of wealth to get people to act on it.
Launching the gilded age. -- Robber barons, tycoons, and the advance of technology led to decades of prosperity.
The Great Depression became the formative experience for multiple generations. (What ended the Depression -- FDR, World War II, or just better weather -- became an interesting discussion.)
The American message in the Cold War was western-style prosperity for all.
After the Cold War, we entered the era of bubbles. Beanie Babies, Internet stocks, Real-estate flipping, sub-prime mortgages. American economic theory since 1989 has been that people can consume as much as they want and not have to worry about paying off the debt. (A significant number of home foreclosures have been on people who put their credit card bills on their home mortgages.)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. When has America acted against its political interests in the quest for prosperity?
2. Can an American politician get elected if he tells people not to consume so much?
3. Which is more important to Americans – personal prosperity or collective opportunity?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Technology in America
Reminder -- The Presidents test is due next week.
Highlights:
Technology advantages (steel, boats, etc.) allowed Europeans to hold a position in the New World.
Eli Whitney's cotton gin made slavery profitable, then his invention of interchangeable parts allowed for much more massive slaughter in the Civil War.
While transportation technology allowed Americans to take up more space, industrialization compressed the population into smaller and smaller areas.
America's technological and industrial might made them a deciding factor in both World Wars.
The Cold War was in a lot of ways a battle of technology -- Space Race, RAND corporation.
The advent of the Internet allows America to be an even smaller country even as more and more people fill up the available space.
Highlights:
Technology advantages (steel, boats, etc.) allowed Europeans to hold a position in the New World.
Eli Whitney's cotton gin made slavery profitable, then his invention of interchangeable parts allowed for much more massive slaughter in the Civil War.
While transportation technology allowed Americans to take up more space, industrialization compressed the population into smaller and smaller areas.
America's technological and industrial might made them a deciding factor in both World Wars.
The Cold War was in a lot of ways a battle of technology -- Space Race, RAND corporation.
The advent of the Internet allows America to be an even smaller country even as more and more people fill up the available space.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
EXTRA CREDIT ALERT!!!
Go to historybee.com for details on entering the National History Bee. The regionals are in Nashville in January. There will also be an event in Owensboro, date TBD.
If enough folks want to go, we can even enter a team. Let me know if you're interested.
If enough folks want to go, we can even enter a team. Let me know if you're interested.
The Five Big Stories
Link to class audio here
EXPLORATION
Christopher Columbus
Lewis & Clark
Manifest Destiny
Apollo Program
LIBERTY
Pilgrims & Puritans (vs. Roger Williams)
Declaration of Independence & First Amendment
States Rights
Fascism, Nazism, and Communism
Culture Wars & the Supreme Court, 1960-2000
God, faith, and country in the 21st Century
EQUALITY
America vs. the rest of the world
Jacksonian Democracy
Black equality (Slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Post-WW2, King, & Obama)
Immigrant Assimilation
PROSPERITY
European explorers
Jamestown, Georgia, New Amsterdam
Alexander Hamilton (Bank of the US, Western empire)
Gold Rush
Gilded Age
Great Depression & Dust Bowl
“Great Society” & the Welfare State
TECHNOLOGY
Education as means to virtue
Agricultural inventions (cotton gin, reapers, tractors)
Transportation inventions (steamboat, railroad, cars, airplanes, spacecraft)
Communication inventions (telegraph, telephone, radio, TV, computers, Internet)
Medical & quality of life inventions (vaccination, refrigeration, electric lights, scanners, DNA & the human genome)
Questions for Discussion:
Choose one of the five big stories and answer one of these questions about it:
Who (not a President) did the most to advance the story?
Which story had the biggest effect on a President's legacy?
What event shows the most overlap between multiple stories?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Presidents, Part 2
The Link to the audio from today's class is here in MP3 format.
Theodore Roosevelt 25th president (1901-1909)
Next Week:
The five big stories: Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
In Two Weeks: Ben will be out of town, so Laura will be talking about historically-significant books.
Theodore Roosevelt 25th president (1901-1909)
- Tried to run for a third term (Bull Moose)
- Established national parks
- Trust-busting
- Nobel Peace Prize & Medal of Honor
- Decisive factor in WW1
- League of Nations/14 Points/Treaty of Versailles
- Wilsonian Idealism
- Four elections
- Great Depression/New Deal
- “Arsenal of Democracy”
- World War II
- Space Race
- Cuba (missiles, Bay of Pigs, Castro)
- Changed the objective of the Cold War
- Televised Presidency
- Finished what Kennedy started (Cold War)
- Rebuilt Republican party after Watergate
- “Patron Saint” of present-day conservatives
- Economy-based campaigning
- First black President
- Global campaign
Next Week:
The five big stories: Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
In Two Weeks: Ben will be out of town, so Laura will be talking about historically-significant books.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Presidents, Part 1
What we covered today
Top Ten US Presidents
LCHE Homeschool Co-Op US History
Top Ten US Presidents
George Washington -- First President (1789-1797)
Thomas Jefferson -- Third President (1801-1809)
Andrew Jackson -- Seventh President (1829-1837)
Abraham Lincoln -- Sixteenth President (1861-1865)
NEXT WEEK: Presidents 5-10. Also, read the Constitution.
Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama.
IN TWO WEEKS: The five most historically-significant storylines running through US History.
Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
Discussion Questions (open for two weeks):
Top Ten US Presidents
LCHE Homeschool Co-Op US History
Top Ten US Presidents
- Based on historical significance
- Not an evaluation of their quality
- In the order they served, not a ranked list
George Washington -- First President (1789-1797)
- First President
- Established two-term tradition
- Warned about entangling alliances
- Established the “civilian Presidency.”
Thomas Jefferson -- Third President (1801-1809)
- Peaceful Transition from Adams
- Louisiana Purchase/Lewis & Clark expedition
- Strict constructionism vs. Opportunity
- Got two successors elected.
Andrew Jackson -- Seventh President (1829-1837)
- Federal government as defender of liberty
- Veto, veto, veto . . .
- First President not from MA or VA
- “Jacksonian democracy”
Abraham Lincoln -- Sixteenth President (1861-1865)
- Civil War
- Emancipation of slaves
- “National Union” Party
- First national-level Republican
NEXT WEEK: Presidents 5-10. Also, read the Constitution.
Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama.
IN TWO WEEKS: The five most historically-significant storylines running through US History.
Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
Discussion Questions (open for two weeks):
- Who is on the list who doesn't belong there, and who would you replace him with? Why?
- Is the significance of a Presidency defined more by circumstances or by the person?
- Can a President make a historically-significant contribution in only one term?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Notes from History Class -- September 14
We didn't cover much history today, just some basic "learning theory" material that will help make the rest of the class make sense.
Here's the link to the Presidents song:
The first quiz of the year will be the lyrics to this song. I'll provide everything but the names. You fill in the blanks. You have until Tuesday, October 19 to complete this quiz for full credit.
If you like the learning theory material, read Prisoner of Trebekistan by Bob Harris. Some of the scenes may not be suitable for little brothers and sisters, but that's what makes them so memorable, right?
For parents checking in, here's a rundown of what we did today:
The Trebekistan Method
Becoming Smarter Than You Ever Thought Possible In Eight Easy Steps
Step One:
Pay Attention to the Obvious.
If something comes up over and over again, it's probably important.
Step Two:
Let your feelings help you.
Learning is, at its core, an emotional process. We are emotional beings. Use that fact to your advantage.
Step Three:
Create a setting for remembering.
Re-creating the environment in which you will eventually have to remember will help you recall the information when you need to.
Step Four:
Better to do nothing than to do something dumb.
Consider the circumstance in which you've been asked to remember something. Know the price of being wrong.
Step Five:
Remember how little you really know.
Much of memory hinges on confidence. It's not enough just to know, but to know you know.
Step Six:
Everything connects to everything else.
Learning how the puzzle is framed helps you fill in the details.
Step Seven:
You can only see what you think you'll see.
No matter how hard we try, we can only see the world from our own point of view.
Step Eight:
Answer one question at a time.
Take learning and remembering one moment at a time. You can only do what's right in front of you, right now. The more you worry about what you can't control, the less control you'll have over what you can.
BONUS FOR WEBSITE VIEWERS: Embrace your inner weirdo.
One of my mentors growing up was a man we called Mr. Nick. He was the guy at church who always had candy in his pocket for the kids. One day I was wondering about being a preacher because I wasn't one of the popular kids. I made the comment that if the church was going to grow it needed somebody less weird representing it in the world of normal people.
I'll never forget what he told me. He said, "Ben, weird can be good." He went on to tell me that he saw a lot of his son in me, and instead of hiding my weirdness I should embrace it.
Turns out Mr. Nick knew a thing or two about cultivating weirdos into successful adults. Mr. Nick's only child was named Al.
You guessed it. Yankovic.
So let your freak flag fly, people. By the end of this class, we'll have enough freakiness for a parade.
Here's the link to the Presidents song:
The first quiz of the year will be the lyrics to this song. I'll provide everything but the names. You fill in the blanks. You have until Tuesday, October 19 to complete this quiz for full credit.
If you like the learning theory material, read Prisoner of Trebekistan by Bob Harris. Some of the scenes may not be suitable for little brothers and sisters, but that's what makes them so memorable, right?
For parents checking in, here's a rundown of what we did today:
The Trebekistan Method
Becoming Smarter Than You Ever Thought Possible In Eight Easy Steps
Step One:
Pay Attention to the Obvious.
If something comes up over and over again, it's probably important.
Step Two:
Let your feelings help you.
Learning is, at its core, an emotional process. We are emotional beings. Use that fact to your advantage.
Step Three:
Create a setting for remembering.
Re-creating the environment in which you will eventually have to remember will help you recall the information when you need to.
Step Four:
Better to do nothing than to do something dumb.
Consider the circumstance in which you've been asked to remember something. Know the price of being wrong.
Step Five:
Remember how little you really know.
Much of memory hinges on confidence. It's not enough just to know, but to know you know.
Step Six:
Everything connects to everything else.
Learning how the puzzle is framed helps you fill in the details.
Step Seven:
You can only see what you think you'll see.
No matter how hard we try, we can only see the world from our own point of view.
Step Eight:
Answer one question at a time.
Take learning and remembering one moment at a time. You can only do what's right in front of you, right now. The more you worry about what you can't control, the less control you'll have over what you can.
BONUS FOR WEBSITE VIEWERS: Embrace your inner weirdo.
One of my mentors growing up was a man we called Mr. Nick. He was the guy at church who always had candy in his pocket for the kids. One day I was wondering about being a preacher because I wasn't one of the popular kids. I made the comment that if the church was going to grow it needed somebody less weird representing it in the world of normal people.
I'll never forget what he told me. He said, "Ben, weird can be good." He went on to tell me that he saw a lot of his son in me, and instead of hiding my weirdness I should embrace it.
Turns out Mr. Nick knew a thing or two about cultivating weirdos into successful adults. Mr. Nick's only child was named Al.
You guessed it. Yankovic.
So let your freak flag fly, people. By the end of this class, we'll have enough freakiness for a parade.
Monday, September 13, 2010
LCHE US History -- Here's How We're Going to Do This
If you're in LCHE US History, you've come to the right place.
Every week I will post my notes on this blog, then open it up for comments. I will also try to embed as many links as I can in the notes if you want to read further on any given topic.
At the end of the notes there will be three discussion questions to be discussed in the comments section.
What I expect of you:
1. Answer at least one of the DQ's each week. Answers should be at least 100 words, but no longer than the capacity of the comment box to hold.
2. If your comment generates a response or a question (from me or anybody else), post a response.
Three rules on this: 1 -- The original post should be the longest post in the discussion. 2 -- The original poster gets the last word. 3 -- Disagree without being disagreeable. Anybody who has seen cable news knows that meanness is the last refuge of the wrong-headed. Play nice, and don't stab.
OK, 3a. -- Don't freak out if you find out you hold a minority position. Disagreeing with me will get you bonus points, provided you can make a coherent case.
3. Post at least one response to something somebody else says. Indicate who you are addressing with an @ sign followed by the person's name, as in @JabbatheHut07. Keep your responses to a sentence or two, and phrase them in the form of a question the original poster can answer.
Your grade in the class will be 1/3 what we cover in class, and 2/3 what happens online. If you want extra credit, talk to me privately.
Every week I will post my notes on this blog, then open it up for comments. I will also try to embed as many links as I can in the notes if you want to read further on any given topic.
At the end of the notes there will be three discussion questions to be discussed in the comments section.
What I expect of you:
1. Answer at least one of the DQ's each week. Answers should be at least 100 words, but no longer than the capacity of the comment box to hold.
2. If your comment generates a response or a question (from me or anybody else), post a response.
Three rules on this: 1 -- The original post should be the longest post in the discussion. 2 -- The original poster gets the last word. 3 -- Disagree without being disagreeable. Anybody who has seen cable news knows that meanness is the last refuge of the wrong-headed. Play nice, and don't stab.
OK, 3a. -- Don't freak out if you find out you hold a minority position. Disagreeing with me will get you bonus points, provided you can make a coherent case.
3. Post at least one response to something somebody else says. Indicate who you are addressing with an @ sign followed by the person's name, as in @JabbatheHut07. Keep your responses to a sentence or two, and phrase them in the form of a question the original poster can answer.
Your grade in the class will be 1/3 what we cover in class, and 2/3 what happens online. If you want extra credit, talk to me privately.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Trebekistan Step 1 -- Pay Attention to the Obvious
{C-Span Nerd}
Self: Request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.
Chair: Without objection, so ordered.
{/C-Span Nerd}
Learning stuff is not that hard.
Really, it's not.
You may be studying for a test in school, trying to do well on a game show, or simply expanding your horizons. Whatever the reason, or even if you don't really know the reason, you want this information to get into your head and stay there until you need it later.
The good news is you have help.
Anytime there is communication, there are two parties at work -- the one listening, and the one talking. And in normal communication, both parties have the same goal, namely to transfer information from one person to another. We both want the same result. So the communicator -- the teacher, the author, the movie director, the artist, whoever they might be -- has a vested interest in your learning what they want you to know. So, there are certain steps they are going to take to make sure that you get what they want you to have.
Unless their name is J. J. Abrams, in which case all bets are off. "Lost" is, after all, an apt description of what it's like to try to understand what's happening on that island.
As a student then, if you know what the teacher is trying to do and how they are trying to do it, you can pick up on certain clues the teacher is giving you about what she wants you to know. A capable teacher knows how to make the most important parts of the lesson the easiest to learn, and how to put them in front of the student over and over and over again.
It may seem blatantly obvious that that which is most important is what is going to be most frequently emphasized. It's also human nature. Placing a higher priority on something calls it to mind more often. As teachers, we just can't help ourselves.
But that's the point. The important stuff is supposed to be the easiest, because later on when we talk about connections we'll see how to use the obvious to teach us what is harder to see. But that's Step 6. We're not there yet.
Students, then, can make themselves "smarter" simply by noticing what comes up most frequently. Pay attention not only to what is said, but how and how often. Put yourself in the teacher's shoes and try to figure out what is front and center in his mind. If you're willing to be on the receiving end of the communication and simply pay attention, even if you don't understand or follow 95% of what's being, you'll get what the teacher thinks is important.
As a student, if you will make your education a team effort and cooperate with those who are trying to teach you, you can be smarter than you think.
Self: Request unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.
Chair: Without objection, so ordered.
{/C-Span Nerd}
Learning stuff is not that hard.
Really, it's not.
You may be studying for a test in school, trying to do well on a game show, or simply expanding your horizons. Whatever the reason, or even if you don't really know the reason, you want this information to get into your head and stay there until you need it later.
The good news is you have help.
Anytime there is communication, there are two parties at work -- the one listening, and the one talking. And in normal communication, both parties have the same goal, namely to transfer information from one person to another. We both want the same result. So the communicator -- the teacher, the author, the movie director, the artist, whoever they might be -- has a vested interest in your learning what they want you to know. So, there are certain steps they are going to take to make sure that you get what they want you to have.
Unless their name is J. J. Abrams, in which case all bets are off. "Lost" is, after all, an apt description of what it's like to try to understand what's happening on that island.
As a student then, if you know what the teacher is trying to do and how they are trying to do it, you can pick up on certain clues the teacher is giving you about what she wants you to know. A capable teacher knows how to make the most important parts of the lesson the easiest to learn, and how to put them in front of the student over and over and over again.
It may seem blatantly obvious that that which is most important is what is going to be most frequently emphasized. It's also human nature. Placing a higher priority on something calls it to mind more often. As teachers, we just can't help ourselves.
But that's the point. The important stuff is supposed to be the easiest, because later on when we talk about connections we'll see how to use the obvious to teach us what is harder to see. But that's Step 6. We're not there yet.
Students, then, can make themselves "smarter" simply by noticing what comes up most frequently. Pay attention not only to what is said, but how and how often. Put yourself in the teacher's shoes and try to figure out what is front and center in his mind. If you're willing to be on the receiving end of the communication and simply pay attention, even if you don't understand or follow 95% of what's being, you'll get what the teacher thinks is important.
As a student, if you will make your education a team effort and cooperate with those who are trying to teach you, you can be smarter than you think.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Introduction to Trebekistan
In 2005, Bob Harris wrote a groundbreaking book on learning theory called Prisoner of Trebekistan.
OK, the learning theory part is only a few chapters early on. The rest of the book is how he used what he learned on Jeopardy. And some of the language is . . . well . . . let's say not what you'd want repeated at your church-based co-op. Millard Fillmore's middle name is especially colorful.
But it's also especially memorable. And that's exactly the point.
The Trebekistan method teaches how the mind prioritizes information and how to use that knowledge to make what you want to remember memorable. It's useful for test-taking, studying, and especially quick recall in high-pressure situations.
There are eight steps to the process. I'll treat each step as a separate blog post as I have a chance to write them.
OK, the learning theory part is only a few chapters early on. The rest of the book is how he used what he learned on Jeopardy. And some of the language is . . . well . . . let's say not what you'd want repeated at your church-based co-op. Millard Fillmore's middle name is especially colorful.
But it's also especially memorable. And that's exactly the point.
The Trebekistan method teaches how the mind prioritizes information and how to use that knowledge to make what you want to remember memorable. It's useful for test-taking, studying, and especially quick recall in high-pressure situations.
There are eight steps to the process. I'll treat each step as a separate blog post as I have a chance to write them.
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