Teaching

I have a lot to say about teaching and I’m not nearly done.

AI Literacy

My dissertation research focuses on the impact of new information technologies on historical narrative and that includes our current moment with the emergence of AI. I wrote a post on Medium about an acronym I came up with to help students build AI literacy: SOUP

• S: Symmetry - look for as much evidence against your position as that which you find in favor of it

• O: Opposite - in good faith, take extra care to think through and evaluate the strongest arguments of the opposing side

• U: Uncertainty - a series of facts can be interpreted differently depending on how they fit into larger narratives and so answers from AI should always be treated as provisional; resist definitive proclamations

• P: Peer review - the most dependable knowledge emerges from a process of questioning and replication of findings so students should check that a community of experts vouches for the information they have received from AI

A High School History Teacher Writing About Teaching

In 2018, I wrote a few posts about teaching on Medium:

• ‘You’re a Racist!’ Four Steps to Avoid Panic When Someone Calls You a Racist. June 14, 2018
• I Busted Some Cheaters and the Cheating Got Worse. April 7, 2018
• I Said ‘I’m Glad You’re Asking’ and My Student Replied ‘I’m Sorry.’ March 19, 2018
• Authority Versus Authoritarianism in the Classroom. March 11, 2018.
• The Teaching Profession Can Be Saved from Its Downward Spiral. March 4, 2018.

My most important writing about high school teaching remains the teacher-biography I wrote about my friend and colleague, Devin J. Ayers. Devin passed away suddenly in January 2017 but will always be remembered as an exemplar of anti-authoritarian teaching and as a poetic iconoclast. The book is titled Unbounded Joy: The Life of a Teacher and I hope that I will one day find a publisher to help bring Devin’s experience to a wide audience of aspiring educators. There’s a lot to learn from this inspirational figure who dreamed of teaching while working in a cranberry processing factory and then got his chance for seven beautiful years. You can get a small sampling of Devin’s teaching on one of his websites and also read one of his short fiction pieces on Belletrist.

Future Writing About Teaching

After completing my PhD in History, I would like to write a monograph on history teaching. I remain inspired by one of my professors from my Masters program, Sam Wineburg. Sam’s work on historical thinking will always serve as a touchstone for me and I hope to contribute to this ongoing conversation. I’m hoping to dig in to questions on how historical content in particular connects to intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and self-empowerment.