From the articles I read it seems like the idea of having students participate in WebQuests is very effective. This is also something that can easily be applied to a social studies classroom. I especially enjoyed Zahra’s article, Web-based inquiry learning: facilitating thoughtful literacy with WebQuests by Ikpeze and Boyd , because it gave me ideas of how useful this tool can be in the classroom. These WebQuests are great in getting the students to be engaged in what is being taught as well as using technology to find more information. The students are able to take on roles and scenarios of the people that are being discussed in class and therefore become more aware of the time period and conflicts at hand. In a social studies classroom there are many different WebQuests that students can participate in. I thought it might be fun and engaging for students to look at specific cultures, look up more information about the locations and ways people live within these cultures, and come up with their own conclusions. After they complete the WebQuest it is important for them to apply it to their lives by comparing and contrasting it to the world they live in. This technology-based lesson is a great way to get the students to think outside the box and become apart of inquiry learning. Students need to learn how to use the Internet, as it is a great source of knowledge. As the article states the Internet can be quite overwhelming and students might have difficulty distinguishing between what sites are reliable. This is a great way to teach students how to use the web and be able to determine which sites to trust and pull information from. This activity is an effective way to promote critical thinking while learning useful tools. The students are able to work together and share ideas which from research seems to be a great motivator for students.
Boyd, F.& Ikpeze, C. (2007). Web-based inquiry learning: facilitating thoughtful literacy with WebQuests. The Reading Teacher, 60 (7), 644-654.
What ideas for a WebQuests do you have to implement into a social studies classroom?
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I also used this article for my blog and it gave me some insight into how to get students motivated. I especially liked the idea of student role playing and discussing an issue from the point of view of their assigned or chosen role. Students are able to get a grasp of the duties and thought processes of their character role while also learning how to analyze information and see an issue across disciplines. I find the time constraints to be somewhat problematic. The article stated that long term webquests can last for up to 10 weeks. Are these teachers covering lots of content? Does one webquest turn into another one? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteHaving the students role play their topic sounds like a cool idea. You could also pick a subject that had numerous cultures coming into contact at the same time, like the Hun's entering Europe or the 'silk road', and have each student group portray a different culture under the overall subject. This might allow the students to get a better idea of the obstacles that culture can add to human relations. thanks for your idea it gave me a few of my own.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to possible ideas for WebQuests, since coming to UF, I've become interested in African history. There are a lot of extensive kingdoms that tend to get overlooked and a lot of times African history is barely (if ever) covered in our secondary schools. (At least this is how it was at my school) Most focus is on American and European history. Taking this in another direction, there could be a WebQuest for World History that focuses primarily on topics that are rarely discussed. This can hopefully expand students' knowledge base and open them up to new and interesting things.
ReplyDeleteEveryone keeps discussing role-playing and it's something that I find extremely entertaining. At my middle school we did something called Exceptional Individuals and each student picked a famous person (you can narrow this down specifically to historical figures to make it work for Social Studies). I picked Marie Antoinette (even at a young age I always liked to go for the controversial). We then spent several weeks researching and writing about our character. Then we dressed up like them and presented a speech to the class (as if we were actually them). At the end of the presentations there was a huge banquet and everyone from all the classes got to introduce themselves and bring a snack that represented who they were. I was discussing with my practicum placement teacher how they do Living History at Lincoln Middle and this tends to prove very engaging for student participants.
I love the idea of using Webquests as opportunities for students to play roles or act out scenarios. Not only do I think students will enjoy the activity, but I also believe its an awesome way to keep them engaged. The doors are wide open as to the variety of topics teachers can pick to choose. Even giving the students the opportunity to research theor personal backgrounds would be interesting. For example, my ancestors came to America as a result of the Potato famaine. If I were a student, I could research that and play the roles either leaders or immigrants played in Potato Famine.
ReplyDeleteI agree that WebQuests are a great tool for role playing and discovering how historical figures or cultures lived. Students can be more in depth in their findings by being able to put it online instead of just speaking in front of the class. In a Geography field, WebQuests would work great if each student was assigned a different country and then did research about the country, people, religions, cultures, etc. Each student would be an expert on one country then we could bring the class together to discuss them all.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of learning about history through roleplaying. You can use it in so many different scenarios. One idea would be to have each group students to represent a country in a particular conflict. You could have the students each find out what led that particular country into battle, the cultural ramifications, etc.
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