Course Preamble
Draft: Framing Statement for the MN History Project:
One of the guiding principles in our work with students is that we must prepare them for life in the 21st century. Much has been written about what students need to know and be able to do in order to thrive in a digitized world. The ability to access and evaluate information, to reason, to solve problems, and to effectively communicate with diverse audiences are routinely referenced as desired outcomes of a student’s educational experience.
The steering committee for the MN History Project believes this work is essential and that the social studies provide a perfect backdrop to develop a student’s ability to think critically. In order to accomplish this we believe that students must be presented with a variety of text* that represent diverse perspectives. The inclusion of diverse cultural perspectives and varying points of view are essential elements in the development of informed citizens who are able to effectively participate in civic life. Minnesota Academic Standards shall serve as the basis for instructional text, materials and content selection and staff shall not censor or restrain instruction in American or Minnesota state history or heritage based on religious references in original source documents, writings, speeches, proclamations, or records.
Therefore, it is our expectation that the curriculum that is being developed for the MN History Project present students with multiple authentic opportunities to take in diverse perspectives, to think critically about past events, and to communicate their own understanding in a variety of formats. In this model, the student is an active participant in the social studies classroom, fully engaged in their own learning. Teaching staff will foster respect and appreciation for cultural diversity and varied opinion.
The teacher supporting student learning of these standards shall neither promote nor disparage any specific perspective. Instead, the teacher shall encourage all students to gain an appreciation for and tolerance of a wide range of views, assisting student understanding of the basis of differing perspectives, absent personal bias.
*Text from the social studies perspectives can include…Any segment of language or symbol that creates a unit of meaning. Texts include print material such as stories, essays, books, newspaper and magazine articles; spoken representations of meaning such as oral histories, discussions or speeches; dramatizations, such as live enactments, film, television; visual representations of meaning such as paintings, cartoons, sculptures, graphics, and holography; tactile representations such as Braille; digital representations of information found on the web; and even lived experiences such as a day in the park, a conversation with someone, or an observation about a social situations [Adapted from NCTE].