Like most of the world, I’ve spent a lot more time using streaming services recently. The other night I surprised myself by binging four straight hours of the Smithsonian Channels “America in Color.” It got me thinking about the often-overlooked potential of film and media in the classroom.Not only can film communicate content knowledge, but it can also be a tool for cultivating important civic skills like empathy, global awareness, and perspective-taking.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Stories for Civic Skill Building: Films for Fresh Perspective
Alabama Talks Back: Public Health & Social Isolation
In this first installment of Alabama Talks Back, we explore the connection between public health and social isolation. Our guests are Kristin Boggs, Executive Director of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, and Carson Klein, graduating medical student (UAB ’20) and Schweitzer Fellow!
Exploring Our Unconventional Oasis: Montevallo Students’ Institute
In the unconventional oasis of Montevallo, there is a broad range of educational opportunities. From Pre-K to a master’s degree, you can achieve a quality education at an affordable price. With this opportunity, the city hopes that young people in the education system would be willing to voice their opinion on how to better the city. The town receives opinions from University students, but not the youth of the city. This is where the Montevallo Students’ Institute is essential in uplifting youth voices and making an impact on the community.
Stories for Civic Skill Building: Music
Nearly as old as humankind, music is one excellent storytelling teaching tool. And, more than any other form of storytelling, music has a unique power to evoke feeling. When we listen to music our brains “light up,” triggering responses from the parts of our brain that are associated with movement, planning, attention, and memory. Read More »
Using Stories as a Tool for Civic Skill Building
In social studies and specifically, civics, a students’ proficiency is often determined by whether they know “the facts”: the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, how a bill becomes a law. It is certainly important for students to study this information. After all, studying history helps us make informed decisions about our future. But, if we compartmentalize mastering civics and social studies to memorizing timelines, historical figures, or facts, we are missing out on the opportunity we have to prepare students for active citizenship. Read More »
Bringing the Museum Home: Online Learning Exhibits
The David Mathews Center offers issue guides for classroom discussion on historical events in Alabama history, including the Creek War, women’s suffrage, and the Civil Rights movement. While the issue guides are an excellent starting point for discussing the difficult choices citizens made during these events, here are a few resources for taking your learning even farther. Read More »
New Video Series: “Alabama Talks Back”
Our new video series, Alabama Talks Back, highlights the creative strategies being developed by community leaders and everyday Alabamians as they adapt to the challenges that come with social distancing.
From the Magna Carta to the Modern Day: Teaching Active Citizenship
In the times when our communities are faced with the toughest challenges, there emerge powerful examples of what it means to be a good community member and active citizen. Read More »
Call for Proposals: 2020-21 Innovators in Civic Education Fellowship
The David Mathews Center for Civic Life’s (DMC) Innovators in Civic Education Fellowship provides classroom and community-based educators with the resources and training they need to bring high-quality, civics-forward social studies education to their classroom.
Public Life in the Time of Coronavirus
This is a scary time for all of us. It’s a time requiring us to make drastic changes to our lives. In addition to taking extra health and safety precautions, we’re being asked not to gather face-to-face for a while, to practice social distancing to “flatten the curve” and protect our most vulnerable neighbors. Here are some ideas for staying connected in a time of social distancing.
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