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Testing history knowledge through art projects
14 Plays27 days ago
Maliesha Muralidharan designed a unit plan for her grade 8 history class that shifted the focus on how students learn to allow them to showcase their knowledge through art, drama, pictures, quotes, social media, debates and rants.
This episode of the Teaching Canada’s History podcast is part of our series speaking with the finalists of the 2023 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the teaching of Canadian history. To learn more, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Awards
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to another episode of the Teaching Canada's History podcast. I'm your host, Brooke Campbell, and today we are speaking with the finalists for the 2023 Governor-General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Purpose of the Governor-General's History Award
00:00:14
Speaker
Created in 1996, the award recognizes best practices in teaching Canadian history and is an opportunity to highlight the important work that teachers and students are doing to interpret and share the stories of the past.
Meet Finalist: Malisha Morali
00:00:26
Speaker
For more information about the Governor-General's History Awards, visit canadashistory.ca slash awards. Today I'm speaking with Malisha Morali, a grade 8 homeroom and history rotary teacher in Mark, Ontario.
00:00:38
Speaker
Thanks for chatting with me today, Malisha. Hey Brooke, thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to just be here and talk about all things history. Oh, me too. I'll then just, you know, jump right in with my first question then. um do you want to tell us more about the project that you imagined and the key things or or steps that your students have taken as part of this?
Malisha's Grade 8 History Unit Plan
00:01:03
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I've submitted a project. It was actually a unit plan um for a grade eight history. So the unit plan was unit one creating Canada.
00:01:13
Speaker
And that's part of the grade eight history curriculum here in Ontario. And um why i decided to kind of submit this unit is because I wanted to kind of share the journey of history as opposed to, you know, one assignment or one project that I thought was really cool. But rather this idea of like history as a entire story or storybook.
00:01:35
Speaker
um And so through this unit one, Creating Canada unit plan that I've submitted, and students really just participate in a wide variety of like interactive, engaging lessons that focus really on like differentiated instruction, learning and assessment.
Engaging Students through Visual Exploration
00:01:51
Speaker
um And so when I think about the students and what they've done, and the steps that they've taken, I think the first important step that I try to take is really hooking the students. I want them to be excited and interested about what it is we're about to explore in history. And so I do that through maybe exploration of pictures or having quote walks. um A specific example is maybe, um I think it's like lesson two of okay, what is Confederation?
00:02:21
Speaker
And, you know, most students don't know, but I do that through pictures. And so I have a whole slide deck of just pictures that have to connect with Confederation without saying it.
00:02:32
Speaker
And you won't believe it takes 40 minutes to 60 minutes of students just like telling me what they see, what they think, what they wonder. maybe all three, and they're looking at this picture and they're wondering, okay, what's that piece of paper there? What's the word that's saying there? Wait, what was the last picture? And they're making all of these inferences and they're so excited about what could this be about? What what could have happened in history?
00:02:53
Speaker
And I think that initial hook for the students in in whatever point in history you are teaching, I think that's the first step of getting them super engaged and and interested in what they're about to learn.
Using Drama to Teach History
00:03:04
Speaker
um I continue to hook them and students then go through like, I've I described interactive and engaging lessons. And one way I do that is through drama. And um I think that the students always get really surprised. I spring it on them and I say, OK, today, you know, clear the desks. We're not going to need them.
00:03:22
Speaker
What do you mean we're not going to need them? And and so I say, you know, clear the desks. We're we're going to make a stage. It's it's drama today. And so I show them how we can then use dramatic elements and tell a story of what happened in the journey to Confederation and the conferences leading up to Confederation. um We read it together as a class. I've i've summarized it and taken um kind of snippets of the journey to Confederation. And so what we do is I say, OK, here's the first scene and we set the stage and I say, OK, I'm going to need five, six volunteers. They come on stage, which is just our empty floor classroom, and they now, um you know,
00:03:57
Speaker
talked out with their bodies and facial expressions what they just heard. Then I'll say, okay, you stay here. Here's the next scene. Here's what happened next. I need now six volunteers to come add on to the first one.
00:04:08
Speaker
Let's do the third scene. Okay, now add on to scene one and two. By the end of it, we have about seven, eight scenes with 27 students all acting or in a tableau or frozen picture. to tell the story of confederation and so after that they're like okay wow we did this and and i can see how much um they remember and understand uh just because they were involved in the learning process um and then i say okay so now uh based on what we've learned you know here's your check-in or here's your formative and different things like that i say you can use your notes and they go well we didn't take notes they said no no i took pictures
00:04:45
Speaker
we took pictures of scene one, scene two, scene three, scene four, and we took a whole group photo of, you know, all of the scenes together. Use your pictures now to tell the story. And so they're like, oh yeah, because student a was Johnny MacDonald. And then this was happening with the queen who was student B. And so now they're, you know, they're using their friends' names to then make connections to what happened in in our history class. And so, I think that um using different elements that really hook ah the learners is is really the key of my unit that I submit that i submitted.
00:05:19
Speaker
um And so when I look at at, okay, the completion of unit one um and what the students have learned through each lesson, when you put that together, that's the story that it creates about Canadian
Debates and Projects in History Education
00:05:29
Speaker
history.
00:05:29
Speaker
And so through, let's say, larger assessments then in between, um I do, let's say, a debate assessment on that the most important factor of confederation. We do a rant on government policies. We do and a problem-solving project revolving around the Johnny MacDonald statue. So when they start to combine their knowledge from like these multiple lessons that they've now interacted with, and they create this like you know these conclusions and they and they touch upon this knowledge so that they realize there's no right or wrong answer when they're going through these lessons. They're they're learning a story and it's about how they've interpreted. It's about how what they think, what they can connect to, you know deeper meanings. It's not memorizing just one answer or a right or wrong.
00:06:14
Speaker
And so this concept of you know there's no right answer, I feel like it gives students the space for critical and creative thinking. in history based on everything that they've learned. And so I think that was the impact and that this unit had on my students was that they became more confident critical thinkers when they were given interactive engaging lessons, but also then knowing that they weren't studying or memorizing for a right answer, but rather thinking about history.
00:06:47
Speaker
I really want to dive into that just a little bit deeper. um Can you just speak more to how your students were able to engage with the historical thinking concepts and and strengthen those critical thinking skills throughout this unit plan, as you've started to describe?
00:07:03
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. um When I look at Unit 1, Creating Canada, I focused on three historical thinking um concepts. And so the first one I look at was historical perspectives.
00:07:17
Speaker
And so when I think about historical perspectives, the first chunk of our unit is about confederation. um And so what I do is I engage students in, okay, we're going to have an oral debate. We've learned a lot of things leading up to confederation and then confederation itself. um I want you to tell me in your perspective, what was the most significant factor or point of confederation?
00:07:40
Speaker
and And so now they're looking at all the different perspectives that we've talked about in the previous lessons. We've looked at um the Maritime Union. We've looked at Indigenous perspectives. We've looked at Johnny MacDonald, the Great Coalition, the Charlottetown Conference, the Quebec Resolutions, the Dominion Day, the list goes on. And so they're looking at all of these perspectives and they're thinking, OK, but which one? Which one is the most important?
00:08:03
Speaker
And so, again, they know that there's no right or wrong answer. So then they start focusing their time on proving why their perspective is the strongest one. And then automatically in, in and yes, automatically, but also with some guidance, and they start to then, okay, this is my perspective. In order to prove that this is the strongest perspective, I need to explore opposing perspectives and counter arguments to then prove why why my perspective um is the strongest one.
00:08:34
Speaker
And so without me explicitly saying, here's the historical perspective thinking concept, and here's, you know, what you have to, the success criteria for that, they're automatically doing that um through this oral debate.
00:08:46
Speaker
And you'll, like, you won't believe in the hallways they're arguing with each other. No, it can't be Dominion Day. Of course, like, Dominion Day would have happened with or without the Queen. It had to be John and MacDonald. But no, if it wasn't for the Maritime, you and and they're just arguing and arguing, but they're they're they're doing all of this history and um thinking and, like, historical perspectives and really analyzing them without knowing that they're doing them.
00:09:10
Speaker
um And I think it's through that engagement of that oral debate and and knowing that They can't be wrong. it's it's It's how they're thinking about the perspectives. um We then move into, i look at cause and consequence.
00:09:24
Speaker
And so um one of the middle kind of assessments that we do is a rant on historical government practices. And so when we think about historical government practices post-confederation, we're talking events that include the Red River Expedition, the Manitoba Act, the National Policy, the Pacific Scandal, construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, residential schools, numbered treaties, the Indian Act. Again, the list goes on.
00:09:51
Speaker
And so now we've done these in individual lessons. The students now are are proposed. OK, here are all of the government ah practices that happened. You know what caused and what caused all of them. i want you to rant about them. I want you to rant about, OK, what do you think about these practices and what were the consequences? How do they feel? How do you make how do you feel? How do you think others are feeling? How did affect different groups of people?
00:10:14
Speaker
And so in these rants, students then explain the cause for the policies, ah the cause for the practices, and then they passionately outline the consequences that it had on different groups of people. And I say passionately, um very emphasized because, again, they're ranting and, and you know, teenagers can rant. um And so they're ranting about a lot of ah different things. We'll know, like, you know, here's what happened and and the number of treaties and the Indian Act, the residential schools and the and the Indigenous um you know, consequences because of ah these government policies and this is what they caused.
00:10:51
Speaker
um You know, some people are saying, okay, but look at the Canadian Pacific Railway and this all happened because of the Pacific scandal, but it was all promised in the national policy. They're now connecting all of these different government practices and they're they're talking about and they're ranting about, well, look at these practices, here's what they are and here's what they led to.
00:11:08
Speaker
Again, doing that historical thinking without actually explicitly telling them, but it's embedded in in in what
Connecting Past and Present: John A. MacDonald Statue
00:11:15
Speaker
they're doing. um And I think it's embedded creatively so that they get really passionate about it.
00:11:20
Speaker
um Lastly, I end off the unit with a focus on historical significance. and We look at Johnny McDonald and the statue in Queens Park. I found an article, i think it was published in 2022.
00:11:34
Speaker
And um John and MacDonald's statue is boarded up, sitting in Queens Park, vandalized, and the city's not sure what to do with the statue. And so I printed the article out, I showed it to my students, and I said, look at this.
00:11:48
Speaker
This is what we're learning about 1867. It's relevant today. it's relevant today They all were like, whoa, this is today? i like, yeah, 2022. Like it was it was this year and and people don't know what to do with it.
00:12:00
Speaker
And and and I wanted to emphasize to my students that, you know, more than the average Canadian. You are well equipped now to figure out why is this a problem? What should we do with the statue based on everything that happened in history that you've learned?
00:12:15
Speaker
they don't know what to do. i'm like, no. So what's your proposal? What is your proposal for what we do with this statue that's sitting there today? And and they get really excited of, oh my gosh, this is relevant. And and I could see the click that happens and in their minds when they're like, wow, this is significant.
00:12:32
Speaker
And so now they're going through, okay um what do we do? Well, we know this about Johnny McDonald, here are the pros, here are the cons, here are stuff in between. And And so how can we honor history and honor, you know, his contributions to our society, but then also honor the consequences of what had happened. And they're really doing a lot of historical thinking concepts, not just historical significance, but kind of roping in everything together that they've learned to make a proposal on here's what the city should do about this statue. And they have great ideas that I think I should probably submit. But um um it really goes to show that, um
00:13:13
Speaker
it shows the significance of what they're learning and that it's not just a problem of the past or it's not just a story of the past, that it lingers on and and continues today and and why it's important to be aware and knowledgeable about ah history on.
Transforming Students' Historical Experience
00:13:31
Speaker
Yeah, you can tell you really encourage curiosity, student involvement, excitement, throughout the unit, combining with these, you know, learning objectives also going on that they might not even be aware of. um If you're looking, you know, big picture, and this is always one of the hardest questions, but what do you think have been some of the biggest impacts and outcomes for your students learning as as well as for your community?
00:14:01
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it is a loaded question. I think if I were to kind of as zone in and simplify, um i think the main impact that this unit and the way we learn history in our classroom right now is the shift in their experience with history.
00:14:19
Speaker
And I think that the impact of student learning is to shift away from this stereotypical um idea of what history is. We see it in the media. We hear about it um all the time. you know History is always shown or projected in the stereotypical way of a boring teacher who reads from the textbook and you know, study for this test on Monday, answer these questions, read 17 pages. and And for some reason, it's this, it's it's a stereotype. and And so I really do try to think of, okay, I want their shift to change, because they're already coming in with a bias. They're already coming in with, here's what I know about history because of the media because of my TV shows that I watch or the books that I read and and and things like that. And so I really try to break that bias of of shifting their experience. And so
00:15:09
Speaker
and through these interactive and engaging lessons, I've managed to then make this unit one creating Canada ah section, especially accessible to all learners. and I think that's what also makes a difference that it doesn't matter if there was an MLL student, a student with an IEP, a student who's new to the country, all of these things um don't matter when you've now created lessons in a space where you involvement and interactive and engaging and conversational ah lessons and activities come into play.
00:15:43
Speaker
and because anybody can access that. Anybody can talk look at a picture and talk about what they see um or look at a quote and just infer or give their opinion knowing that there's no right answer.
00:15:54
Speaker
um And i I think that's what makes the difference. um My students quickly learn that, you know, when they walk through those doors, there there are no tests and quizzes. And I promise them that as soon as they walk in, this is not your average history class. I will not be giving you a test or a quiz.
00:16:09
Speaker
um And so rather, I want you to think about history as a journey. It's a story that builds from the last, um like from the last lesson and with each lesson that passes.
00:16:20
Speaker
And so I want you to think about, you know, and like your favorite novel, your favorite movie. um You know, it doesn't become your favorite anymore if you have to memorize and take a test. But it does when you're just listening, when you're just and interacting with it or and and, you know, becoming personable with it.
00:16:38
Speaker
And I'll tell you, that's not how I was as a history teacher nine or 10 years ago. um I first started my career, I think, 10 years ago, teaching history as well. And when I first taught history, I, you know, I did the stereotypical way of of teaching and and I started to see, okay, there there has to be a better way to to engage students and and impact them positively um when it comes to history.
00:17:02
Speaker
And so now the idea and that main idea is to, again, like I said, hook the students And I really do want to hook them because in reality, this is their first two years of real exposure to Canadian history.
00:17:14
Speaker
and Yes, they've learned about historical concepts before through social studies in Ontario, but really when they come to grade seven, that's when they're exposure and learning to Canadian history starts.
00:17:24
Speaker
And so I do teach a little bit of grade seven history too, but mainly grade eight. And my idea is like, okay, i'm my goal is not to test them or to see how much they can memorize or, or, or or my goal is to talk with them and get them excited, get them engaged and get them interested.
00:17:41
Speaker
um And then I'm asking myself, OK, how can we get them diving deep into historical concepts naturally in an organic way through excitement, engagement and interest?
00:17:52
Speaker
And so that's how I've developed my unit plan. And I can see and the engagement levels and the kind of overall academic success of my students um skyrocket.
00:18:05
Speaker
I can see the excitement that they come into the classroom and they're wondering, you know, what, what are we doing next? Are we painting? Are we, are we doing drama? Like the, the limits are the boundaries are limitless.
00:18:17
Speaker
And so um I think that's what really has impacted and shifted the way my students and my school as a whole think about history. And I think that's my hope for anybody listening to this is that um it doesn't have to be the stereotypical way. And, and, and if that's where you are in your journey, that's okay. But I just hope that this kind of reaches other people to think, wow, let's try different avenues. Let's try different strengths and different ways of learning and differentiate that in terms of how we assess or how we give the lesson or how we give instruction and and see what comes out of it. Because um i can I can really reflect and see that, and you know, my students who are participating in drama and um but debates and rants and and proposals,
00:19:05
Speaker
um they're thinking way more critically about about history and they're not worried about what they're memorizing and what the specific date is and how many provinces, you know, joined Confederation.
00:19:15
Speaker
they They know all of that, but they're excited to show. Thank you so much, Malisha, for speaking with me today and for sharing more about your classroom and your approach to teaching history.
00:19:27
Speaker
It's been fascinating to hear you. Thank Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. It's been honor and a pleasure to be speaking with you tonight.