Here is an opportunity to share what you learned. Use this prompt to support your peers with insights AND encouragement!
Here is an opportunity to share what you learned. Use this prompt to support your peers with insights AND encouragement!
I think that introducing claim testing while also introducing new content can overwhelm students. I like the idea of teaching the skill using either content that students already have a grasp on or real life situations. It works well on the second day of a topic, to reinforce ideas that they covered the class before. While I haven't done this, I imagine that introducing it at the beginning of the year using real life claims or situations would work very well.
TRY NEW THINGS! Even as a 20 year vet, I try new things and new assignments and it crashes and burns. Don't be afraid to crash and burn. I've stopped my class in the middle numerous times to redirect learning because my initial plan didn't get well. Assess learning as you go, and if the students aren't getting something, don't be afraid to add a new direction in the middle of an assignment. I've trained my students to speak up if something doesn't make sense - they often make it better themselves with their suggestions.
It's always best to start with what students know...and claim testing is something they do all the time without thinking about the process they are going through. I started with some examples of statements they may hear, like "Wicked was so good- you have to see it" and "We are going to get another snow day" and "This class is really hard" and simply asked if they agreed. Then I moved into content and gave them 4 statements about Rome (the unit we are starting) to have them see some content examples. While admittedly this wasn't my best activity ultimately, they connected well with the non-content statements and were able to explain how they decided if the claim was legitimate or valid. Once we looked at the terms logic, evidence, intuition, and authority, they were able to apply how they used those to validate the non-content statements. So the best advice is to start with what they know and can relate to.
I've been thinking a lot about how to effectively incorporate claim testing into my 9th-grade World History class. I've found that starting small and focusing on the basics is key. This could include the following: beginning with simple claims and short texts, explicitly teaching what a claim is and model the process, using clear instructions and rubrics, and providing feedback (this can be done through peer review as well). Most importantly, be patient and persistent! It takes time for students to develop these critical thinking skills.
As someone who is a novice myself to explicitly teaching claim Testing, I would say that having explicit ways to teach them about what a claim is, what makes a claim historical, etc. and then following up with an activity with models that they could start to develop their own claims was really helpful in my classroom. I saw that several students had more specific claims because of it.
As a teacher that works with a ML population, spending extra time up front to define the key terms and process helps. Many of my students don't have the vocabulary to immediately start working with terms like intuition or authority. They needed a little practice and vocabulary building (scaffolding) before beginning to work through the process. Those that missed that, needed help from staff and peers on the first attempt at a claims test.
I am fairly new to claim testing, however, as I am learning new ideas and incorporating them into my practice, I would strongly suggest that you have patience with your students and go slowly. I teach a very high SPED and ML population, and their vocabulary isn't the strongest so the need for scaffolding in the beginning is a must and this will help keep students engaged and able to complete the assignment.
Start small! History is a glorious mess of claims, myths, and revision. I always start with what they THINK they know (the myths, usually) and then make them examine that claim with an eye to evidence - what evidence exists to support or refute this claim? What is missing that could answer this definitively? I always have them end with Before I thought ______________ about the claim and now I think _________________, looking to see if it was strengthened, gained more nuance, or just straight out was not true.
My advice would be to start it early and work it to a class debate. I feel like this is the skill missing from my class' debates, the ability to call each other out on false claims and explain why that claim does not work. Once it becomes part of the curriculum you can use it throughout the year and it will help them learn more about perspective.
