Think Beyond the Covers of the Textbook

Summary

A teacher reflects on evolving their AP Government class to engage students more effectively. While a textbook was helpful, the teacher increasingly relies on online resources, like YouTube channels such as Crash Course, to bring real-world issues into lessons. By integrating current events, political uprisings, and videos from educational platforms like MIT and Khan Academy, students are able to connect theoretical concepts with what's happening in their world. The teacher plans to use Google Forms for assessments, offering more individualized attention and creating a dynamic, timely classroom experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 The teacher adopted a textbook for the AP Government class but feels limited by it due to the availability of better online resources.
• 😀 There is a desire to make lessons more engaging and relevant to students by relating government concepts to real-world events.
• 😀 The teacher wants to make classes more timely by incorporating current events and political issues happening globally into lessons.
• 😀 Bringing recent political unrest into the classroom helps students make connections between civil rights, civil liberties, and current events.
• 😀 Google search has been a useful tool for finding resources, but more importantly, students themselves are finding valuable resources on political uprisings.
• 😀 The use of videos, tweets, and citizen reports allows students to connect government concepts to real-world situations in ways that weren’t possible before.
• 😀 Educational YouTube channels like Crash Course, MIT, Stanford, and Khan Academy are valuable resources for teaching AP Government.
• 😀 Crash Course, in particular, is a favorite channel that combines animation and fun, which helps make the subject matter more engaging and visual.
• 😀 Videos from Crash Course, especially those on presidential powers, align well with textbook content but present it in a more engaging and accessible way.
• 😀 The teacher plans to use videos outside of class and follow them up with Google Forms to assess student comprehension, providing more opportunities for one-on-one engagement.

Q & A

Why is the teacher seeking to change the way they teach AP Government?

The teacher is seeking to change their approach because they feel limited by the traditional textbook and want to make lessons more engaging and timely by using newer, online resources that resonate more with their students.

What are the two main goals the teacher has for their AP Government lessons?

The teacher's two main goals are to make the topics more engaging and to relate the content to the lives of their students.

How does the teacher plan to make the lessons more engaging?

The teacher plans to incorporate online resources, like YouTube videos, which are more visual and interactive, and use tools like Google Forms to assess student understanding in a more dynamic way.

Why is it important for students to relate government to their own lives?

By relating government topics to real-world events and issues that students are familiar with, the teacher can help them make meaningful connections, making the material more relevant and easier to understand.

How does the teacher plan to use current events in the classroom?

The teacher plans to bring in resources about political uprisings, civil liberties, and civil rights, using current news, videos, and citizen reports to show students how these topics are relevant today.

What specific online resources has the teacher found useful for their AP Government class?

The teacher has found resources like YouTube channels (e.g., Crash Course), educational content from institutions like MIT, Stanford, and Khan Academy, as well as political content on Google Search that provides insights into current events.

Why does the teacher like the Crash Course YouTube channel?

The teacher likes Crash Course because it uses animations and is visually engaging. It covers topics in a fun, subversive way, making learning more enjoyable and relatable for students.

What is the teacher's plan for using Google Forms in the classroom?

The teacher plans to create quizzes using Google Forms to check if students have understood the material after watching the educational videos, allowing them to focus more on individual student needs.

How does using Google Forms benefit the teacher's teaching style?

Google Forms allows the teacher to assess student comprehension more efficiently, freeing up time for one-on-one interactions with students to provide personalized support.

What is the significance of using resources like YouTube, Khan Academy, and Google in education?

Using these online platforms provides students with access to high-quality, diverse educational content that complements traditional textbooks, making learning more interactive, engaging, and tailored to current events and students' interests.