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Using WebQuests in the Social Studies Classroom

A Culturally Responsive Approach

By: Margaret M. Thombs, Maureen M. Gillis, Alan S. Canestrari

Foster student inquiry and higher-level thinking with this powerful Web-based model!

Designed to optimize learning in the social studies classroom and promote greater intercultural understanding, this unique guide presents practical strategies for using WebQuests: inquiry-oriented, collaborative student activities that use Web-based information for solving problems through focused analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The authors walk teachers through a reflective approach with exercises based on vignettes of typical classrooms and also offer:

Real stories portraying culturally diverse classrooms
Comprehensive examples of culturally responsive WebQuests tied to national standards
Guidelines, tips, and step-by-step instructions for developing WebQuests

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Product Details

Grade Level: 9-12
ISBN: 9781412959513
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 152
Publication date: June 19, 2008

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Description

"Founded on a well-established educational rationale, this book takes the critical and challenging step of helping teachers integrate culturally responsive education into their own practice. By using real student stories, the authors spin an engaging narrative that both informs and entertains."
—Tom March, Codeveloper
WebQuest

Foster student inquiry and higher-level thinking with this powerful Web-based model!

Today's educators face the challenges of making content engaging and relevant for students from diverse backgrounds and incorporating technology in the classroom. Designed to optimize content learning and promote greater intercultural understanding, Using WebQuests in the Social Studies Classroom shows how educators can make social studies personal and real while nurturing globally minded students.

This unique guide presents practical strategies for using WebQuests: inquiry-oriented, collaborative student activities that use Web-based information for solving problems through focused analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Aligned with the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) standards, the American Historical Association criteria for Excellent Classroom Teaching, and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards, this comprehensive resource includes:

Real stories portraying culturally diverse classrooms
Comprehensive examples of culturally responsive WebQuests
Guidelines, tips, and step-by-step instructions for developing WebQuests

Reflective exercises throughout make this guide an ideal professional development resource for teachers interested in learning more about culturally responsive social studies and technologically enhanced instruction.

Key features

Uses actual student stories that portray typical, culturally diverse classrooms
Describes how to develop specific WebQuest components
Presents comprehensive examples of culturally responsive WebQuests
Shows how WebQuests link to National Council for Social Studies Standards (NCSS), the American Historical Association's criteria for Excellent Classroom Teaching, and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards
Incorporates professional reflection and guided practice tools to facilitate professional development

Author(s)

Margaret M. Thombs

Margaret Thombs is an associate professor of education specializing in instructional technology at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. She has taught secondary mathematics and computer science and was formerly the director of technology for the Middletown, Rhode Island Public Schools. Her areas of expertise include facilitating English as a Second Language skills using technology and technology-enabled family and local history research. She is a frequent presenter at national and regional technology and education conferences, and has authored a number of articles on technology integration in the classroom. She earned her PhD in computing technology in education from Nova Southeastern University.

Maureen M. Gillis

Maureen Gillis is the owner of an Internet-based business and the coordinating editor for Spalding University’s manuscript review program for MFA alumni in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to becoming a writer and Internet entrepreneur, she was a CPA and business executive and taught in the MBA program at the University of Hartford. She serves as the writing coach for the management team of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Gillis earned her MFA in writing from Spalding University and has taught in that program.

Alan S. Canestrari

Alan Canestrari
Alan S. Canestrari, Ed.D, Boston University, a veteran social studies practitioner and Professor of Education at Roger Williams University, is co-editor (with Bruce Marlowe) of Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings (Sage) and Educational Psychology in Context: Readings for Future Teachers (Sage). Educational Foundations was awarded the 2005 American Educational Studies Association Critics Choice Award. Canestrari had a long career in public schools and universities as a history teacher, department chair, adjunct professor at Rhode Island College, and mentor in the Brown University Masters of Teaching Program. He was the RI Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 1992.

Table of Contents

Preface

Why This Book?

Real Voices... Typical Classroom Challenges

Practical, Usable Curriculum Content

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

1. The Challenge of Culturally Responsive Teaching

Meet Harrison Songolo

The Need for a Culturally Responsive Context

The Larger Narrative

Powerful Social Studies... Powerful Citizens

Imaginative Entry

The Quest for Connections

2. The Technologically Competent Social Studies Teacher

The NETS Project

Essential Conditions for Successful Technology Integration

Technology Resources

Special Considerations for Classroom Technology

Web Site Accessibility

Assistive Technology

Legal Implications

Online Technology Resources

3. The WebQuest Model

Background and History

Why Use the WebQuest Model?

Example WebQuest No. 1: Exploring Socio-Economic Conditions

One Zambia, One Nation?

4. Designing WebQuests

Core Components of a WebQuest

Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Other Components of the Model

Design Process

Selecting a Primary Design Tool

QuestGarden

Assessing WebQuests

Online Resources

5. Getting Started: Learners, Topics, and Design Patterns

Getting Started

Anita’s Classroom

Meet Happy-Hardy Guinguing

Brainstorming WebQuest Ideas

General Social Studies

Online Resources: Social Studies Topics

Culturally Responsive Topics

Online Resources: Cultural Sensitivity

Anita’s Challenge: Teaching World Religions

Design Patterns

Example WebQuest No. 2: World Religions and Conflicts

Religious Conflict: Is an End in Sight?

6. Authentic and Engaging Tasks

Meet Juan Pablo Escoriza

Posing Authentic Problems to Challenge Thinking Skills

Brainstorming WebQuest Tasks

Exercises: Tasks From Example WebQuests in Previous Chapters

Chart of Possible Tasks

Online Resources

Example WebQuest No. 3: Immigration: Past, Present, and Future

Lights, Camera, Action! An Immigration Perspective

7. Evaluation Rubrics

Meet Vladimir Emilov Evtimov

Using Rubrics

Online Tools

How Many Rubrics?

Rubric Dimensions and Scale

Exercises: Evaluation Rubrics From Example WebQuests

Online Resources

Example WebQuest No. 4: Effective Use of Maps and Geographic Tools

Calling All Cartographers!

8. The WebQuest Process: How, What, and When

Meet Haseena Niazi

Teams and Roles

Exercises: Teams and Roles From Example WebQuests

Choosing Appropriate Resources

Internet Resources

Search Engines

Selecting Web Sites

Social Studies Links

Accessibility Issues

Other Resources

Exercises: Resources From Example WebQuests

Online Resources

Example WebQuest No. 5: Voting Rights and Responsibilities

Let Our Voices Be Heard!

9. Finalizing Your WebQuest Design

Meet Poroma Kanya

WebQuest Introductions

WebQuest Conclusions

Using Images and Other Tools

Teacher Page and Credits

Assessing Your WebQuest

Tom March’s Seven Points for a Great WebQuest

10. The Challenge Ahead: A Quest for Peace

Humanistic Education

Choices for the 21st-Century Education Program

A Workable Peace

Freedom Writers

A Final Quest

Keeping the Quest Alive

Other Resources

A. Ten Thematic Strands in Social Studies

B. National Education Technology Standards for Students

C. Sites for Selecting Specialized Resources

D. Standards Associated With Example WebQuests

References

Suggested Readings: Cultural Responsiveness in the Classroom

Index

Reviews

"Founded on a well-established educational rationale, this book takes the critical and challenging step of helping teachers integrate culturally responsive education into their own practice. By using real student stories, the authors spin an engaging narrative that informs and entertains."

Tom March, Codeveloper
WebQuest

"Shows teachers how to create quality WebQuests using constructivist principles while also encouraging teacher reflection. The book has inspired me in my efforts to make my teaching responsive to students’ needs and the real-world requirements of our education system."

Greg Oppel, Social Studies Teacher
Edmond Memorial High School, OK

"Offers endless resources for the novice or experienced teacher. In a culturally diverse classroom, WebQuests provide students with an opportunity to showcase their cultures and take pride in their learning. While the text is geared to the social studies teacher, the steps of the WebQuest are explained so that any teacher in any discipline may develop and utilize this resource in their curriculum."

Luis M. Oliveira, Spanish Teacher
Middletown High School, RI

Other Titles in: Diversity | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles | Classroom Applications of Technology

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