Mike Elias
Mike is a secondary school teacher in Mississauga with the Peel District School Board. He teaches history, civics and social science. Mike strives to embed inquiry based learning and critical thinking into his courses. Mike is passionate about finding creative ways to use role playing, simulations and 21st Century technology to encourage civic engagement and action. Follow him on twitter @ItsMrMElias.
Why is studying history relevant?
Canada Day, Independence Day, Bastille Day. Theses are days of celebration. People gather, wave flags, watch fireworks, and enjoy a long weekend in celebration. But what exactly are these days in celebration of? Why do we mark particular days with significance? Are these days equally as important for all people? Why do we honour the people we do? Are these people significant for all groups and generations? Can we change the way we remember individuals or honour new ones in light of new information?
Read More
Topics:
Student Voices,
Holocaust Education,
Memorial,
Student Work,
legacy,
Grade 10 History,
CHC,
Black History,
Decolonizing Schools,
culminating
Why do troubled times so often bring out hatred in humanity? In both Canada and the United States over the past few years there has been much xenophobic rhetoric spread around in light of numerous global crises. During the 2015 Canadian and 2016 American elections we saw candidates in both countries “other” identifiable or vulnerable members of society using hateful language and often using them as scapegoats for social and economic problems, all while claiming to speak for the will of those they purport to be the “silent majority”. Furthermore, we saw large groups joining the “unsilent majority” through the use of social media to spread hate, join xenophobic movements and rallies, commit hate crimes and even acts of violence. Those who criticized this movement drew many parallels between the social climate and dialogue of today to that of Nazi Germany. As educators we felt it necessary to attempt to address this recurring phenomenon.
Read More
Topics:
Choosing to Participate,
Holocaust and Human Behavior,
Canada,
American History,
Canadian History,
Bystander,
current events,
Upstander,
big paper,
CHG,
HSP
Throughout the unit we had students critically reflect at the end of each lesson on what was covered and fill out a Connect- Extend- Challenge worksheet. This activity extends beyond the traditional K-W-L chart as students reflect upon previous learning, using it to foster further discussion and guide inquiry.
Read More
Topics:
CHG,
HSB,
HSP,
CHC
