Mental maps are representations of what a person “knows” about a place. This knowledge comes from first-hand experience and impressions of places from family, friends, school, the wider culture, and various forms of media. Mental maps blend objective information, subjective impressions and opinions. In the classroom, mental mapping helps students understand how individuals visualize the world in both similar and different ways.

How do you start your class every day?

"If I am not for myself who is for me? And being for my own self, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?" – Hillel the Elder

“History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage need not be lived again.”  - Maya Angelou

There is a lot of information out there about inquiry-based learning: what it is, how effective it is, and so on.  However, a question that many have is, “how can inquiry-based learning be used with digital activities?”  Let’s look at some examples of how to combine inquiry-based and digital learning.

Are you searching for ways to make your social studies lessons relate to the lives of your students? Make memorable connections between national trends in history, economics, culture, politics, and geography with these place-based primary sources.

“These kids! They never do well on my social studies tests!”

International Women’s Day is March 8, 2019, and presents an opportunity to celebrate women from throughout history. Humanities curricula and history books are often dominated by United States presidents, world explorers, and cultural elites, who are mostly male. This year, teach your students about the women activists, suffragettes, and trailblazers who paved the way for equality across the world. Here are some activities to use in the classroom.

Take a moment and reflect on professional development events you have attended, and ask yourself, how many of them were “really” good,  meaningful, effective, and relevant to your chosen profession? As educators, we attend several types of training, many of which are mandatory, or are recommended from our superiors. Occasionally, we get lucky and can select a specific training we deem valuable, but those may be few and far between.

Thinking is hard. At least, that is what our students tend to believe. They sigh when we ask them to complete a research assignment, or to write an analytical essay. Even the most basic questions asked of them, can be responded with a grunt.