What is it about?
Using evidence in teaching K-12 students can be more complicated than a teacher might think, based on our research. Here are some strategies teachers can use to make more effective use of evidence in teaching subject matter, especially in social studies.
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Why is it important?
Evidence use is a hot topic in schools today due to efforts to strengthen critical thinking in classrooms across grade levels and subject matters. Many teachers have little preparation in how to use evidence in argumentation, especially in teaching contemporary public policy issues or controversial issues. Many students, like many adults, are susceptible to "fake news" or uncritical acceptance of information pulled off the internet. Helping students understand how to evaluate evidence in creating persuasive arguments will contribute to raising the bar in schooling.
Perspectives
Working with colleagues (Rebecca Jacobsen, Avner Segall, Anne-Lise Halvorsen), along with research assistants and teacher colleagues, on this Spencer-funded project was an incredible experience. We anticipate several publications that report on its outcomes.
Dr. Margaret S Crocco
Michigan State University
It was wonderful spending time with great teachers and students during this project and working with an amazing research team here at MSU. Most exciting for me was getting to see, in action, ways in which high school students speak about public issues and avoid doing so, the ways they implicate themselves in the issues or refuse to do so and how and why they ascribe credibility to particular sources while dismissing others.
Avner Segall
Michigan State University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Teaching with evidence, Phi Delta Kappan, March 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0031721717702635.
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