Hands-On History:
The Constitution and Its Impact on South
Florida
Draw or Represent Education
(Loading Oranges, FL, ca. 1909. Credit: HistoryMiami)
Educational Theory and
Strategies
•Pedagogy
-The art or science of being a teacher;
Teaching.
-Usually refers to children
•Andragogy
-The process of engaging adult learners in the
structure of the learning experience
Educational Theory
• Theorists
• John Dewey (1859-1952)
-Dewey is best known for his belief in experience as a way of
learning and knowing.
-The phrase learning by doing is often associated with Dewey
and suggests that knowledge is gained through
active engagement rather than passivity.
Educational Theories
• Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
– Suggested all learning is contextually and socially
mediated.
– Believed intellectual development is the result of
interaction with the environment .
– Social interaction with adults or more knowledgeable
peers influences the level of performance exhibited by an
individual.
– Scaffolding
Educational Theories
• Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
– Learning as a constructivist activity.
– The notion that children often perceive their world in a
way that is qualitatively different from adults.
– Developmental stages of Piaget are sometimes
controversial but important. He believed that at
specific ages children are developing in
certain ways.
Educational Theory
• Howard Gardner (1943- )
– Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
– Myriad of ways of knowing and processing
information.
– Education should celebrate and embrace diverse
learners by respecting the different ways of learning.
– Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, BodyKinesthetic, Musical-Rhythmic, Interpersonal,
Intrapersonal.
– http://www.learning-theories.com
/gardners-multiple-intelligences-theory.html
Educational Theory
 Constructivism
Argues humans construct meaning from current knowledge
structures. Constructivism values developmentally-appropriate
facilitator-supported learning that is initiated and directed by the
learner. This is the path through which educators (facilitators) wish
to approach students in constructing meaning of new concepts.
 Behaviorism (Didactic/Expository)
Teacher centered with a PASSIVE student. Memorization acts as a
tool to build knowledge in a hierarchical manner.
 Discovery based
Student centered as they build upon experiences by discovery,
focusing on the task and not the subject.
Educational Strategies
• Object-Based Learning
• Inquiry-Based Learning
• Visual Thinking Strategies
Educational Strategies
Object-Based Learning
• Look directly at an object, i.e. a sculpture or
painting, artifact or advertisement, primary
document or ritual object.
• Use a myriad of questions to discover its role
and importance in our world - past, present
and future.
• Objects are used to initiate discussion, as well
as make connections to the learner’s own
experiences.
Object-Based Learning
Why is it beneficial?
What are the advantages over lecture format?
Object-Based Learning
• Objects can have more than one meaning
• Study of objects enables relationships to be
made between culture, technology, people,
social structures, the past, present and future
Object-Based Learning:
Building the Story
• Avoid an early end to the lesson
• What’s that?
Object-Based Learning:
Suggested Questions
• How many parts is it made up of?
• Who made it and why?
• What has happened to this object since then?
Object-Based Learning: Activity
•
•
•
•
•
Break into groups of four
What can we learn from this object?
What kind of questions can be created?
What themes can be explored?
What else can be paired with your group’s
object to tell a story?
Hands-On History:
Object-Based Learning in the Classroom
• Power of the Object
– Every object has a story
to share!
• Using everyday objects
in your class
• Using visuals
• Bringing history to life
Educational Strategies
Inquiry-Based Learning
• An instructional method developed during the
discovery learning movement of the 1960s.
• It was developed in response to a perceived failure of
more traditional forms of instruction.
• Inquiry learning is a form of active learning.
• Progress is assessed by how well students develop
experimental and analytical skills rather than how
much knowledge they possess.
Inquiry-Based Learning
• A student-centered, active learning approach
focusing on questioning, critical thinking and
problem solving.
• “Tell me and I forget, show me and I
remember, involve me and I understand”
• Changing the focus from “what we know” to
an emphasis on “how we come to know”
Inquiry-Based Learning
• Employing the Constructivist theory
• Students have pre-existing knowledge
• By allowing students to express that preexisting knowledge through questioning, they
effectively build upon previous knowledge to
gain understanding
• Students can form their own foundation
Inquiry-Based Learning
• Have you been to the Everglades? What can we
find there?
• Where are we? What is this called, and why is it
important?
Hands-On History:
Inquiry-Based Learning in the Classroom
• Approach or introduce specific topics with
open-ended questions
• Refer back to student responses as a way to
keep them connected to the material
Educational Strategies
Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
• The Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) teaching method and school
curriculum centers on open-ended yet highly-structured discussions of
visual art, significantly increasing students' critical thinking, language and
literacy skills along the way.
 Developed by Phillip Yanawine and Abigail Hausen.
.
(Credit: HistoryMiami)
Hands-On History:
Visual Thinking Strategies
• Making history relevant
• Building connections
from the past to the
present
• Picturing America:
National Endowment
for the Humanities
Hands-On History:
The Constitution and Its Impact on South Florida
• How can HistoryMiami supplement your curriculum?
• We offer programs that emphasize the impact of the
constitution and subsequent laws and amendments
• We help to put a human face on the legal system
Hands-On History:
The Constitution
•
•
•
Federal Constitution
State Constitutions
10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Impact on South Florida:
Miami Dade County Courthouse
• The Courthouse
program introduces
students to our court
system and procedures
through their
participation in a mock
trial, and a tour of a
functioning county
courthouse
(Credit: HistoryMiami, x-0054-1-500)
Miami Dade County Courthouse
Throughout the tour, we visit:
• The first floor arcade
• The jury room
• The probate office
• The law library
• Historic courtroom
Miami Dade County Courthouse
(Credit: HistoryMiami, 1997-331-1)
Miami Dade County Courthouse
How it supports your curriculum
• SS.7.C.3.8: Analyze the structure, functions, and processes of
the legislative, executive, and judicial branches
• SS.7.C.3.11: Diagram the levels, functions, and powers of
courts at the state and federal levels
• SS.7.C.2.2: Evaluate the obligations citizens have to obey
laws, pay taxes, defend the nation, and serve on juries
Impact on South Florida:
We The People
Program Description
• Students will learn about the ways in which state and
federal governments work together, as well as the ways
in which citizens have directed the course of local politics
• Understandings: Individuals, even outside of elected
leaders, can have a profound impact on government as
well as history
We The People
• Essential Questions:
– How do individuals make a difference in government?
– How does geography influence politics?
– How has the struggle between states’ rights and
federal power played out over time?
– Who holds more power – the government or the
people?
We The People
International Rivalries Gallery
• Government in the early days of Florida’s history was
characterized by European models and an aggressive
negotiation with the native inhabitants and natural
environment.
• This section examines the early operations and agendas
of the remote and local government in colonial Florida.
It also addresses the various nations that held political
power over the territory during its early years.
We The People
Seminole Gallery
• This section investigates what happens when selfgoverning communities are threatened with federal
government encroachment.
–
–
–
–
The Seminole Wars
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
The Treaty of Payne’s Landing, 1832
1838 Florida Constitution
We The People
(Credit: HistoryMiami, 1976-165-1)
We The People
Civil War Gallery
• This section explores the causes for state secession
and the Civil War in the United States. The conflict
represented a schism of the Constitutional
interpretation between the state and federal
governments, which ultimately led to the attempted
formation of another government
– In 1859, the Florida Legislature said it would stand by
other southern states if their rights were in danger.
– On January 10, 1861, the legislature, including all South
Florida members, voted for secession – making it the 3rd
state to secede and join the Confederate States of America
We The People
Era of the Bay Gallery
• As the government expanded its territorial
possessions, it needed to strengthen its claims on
such areas by encouraging settlement in otherwise
desolate parts of the country. During the 19th
century Florida remained a sparsely populated state.
– Armed Occupation Act of 1842
– The Homestead Act of 1862
– The Incorporation of Miami 1896
We The People
New People, New Technology Gallery
• The early 20th century saw the government slowly
grant political rights to more of its citizens, including
women. However, it also began to regulate personal
liberties of the population and sculpt the
environment for urban growth.
We The People
(Credit: HistoryMiami,
1996-873-1)
We The People
Gateways Gallery
• Immigration
We The People
How it supports your curriculum
• SS.7.C.2.11: Analyze media and political communications
(bias, symbolism, propaganda)
• SS.7.C.3.4: Identify the relationship and division of powers
between the federal government and state governments
Impact on South Florida:
Our Story: African American History
Program Description
• Through this program, students are able to explore
the African-American and Bahamian experience in
South Florida
Essential Questions
• How has race been a significant factor in U.S. life and politics?
• Can the racial divisions that have plagued U.S. society be
erased?
• What were the political strategies used to achieve civil rights?
Our Story: African American History
• Slavery
• Black Seminoles
• 13th and 14th Amendments
• The Bahamian migration
Our Story: African American History
(Credit: HistoryMiami, 1974-035-1)
Our Story: African American History
(Credit: HistoryMiami,
1981-099-95)
Our Story: African American History
Brown v. the Board of Education, 1954
(Credit: HistoryMiami, 1980-184-2)
Our Story: African American History
(Credit: HistoryMiami,
1989-011-20810)
(Credit: HistoryMiami,
1978-086-3)
Our Story: African American History
How it supports your curriculum
• SS.7.C.2.4: Evaluate rights contained in the Bill of Rights and other
amendments to the Constitution
• SS.7.C.3.6: Evaluate constitutional rights and their impact on
individuals and society
• -SS.7.C.3.7: Analyze the impact of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and
26th amendments on participation of minority groups in the American
political process
• SS.7.C.3.12: Analyze the significance and outcomes of landmark
Supreme Court cases including, but not limited to, Marbury v. Madison,
Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright,
Miranda v. Arizona, In re Gault, Tinker v. Des Moines, Hazelwood v.
Kuhlmeier, United States v. Nixon, and Bush v. Gore
Impact on South Florida:
Our Story: Women’s History
Program Description
• Students will learn about gender relations among
the diverse cultures that live in Florida.
Our Story: Women’s History
The 19th Amendment
Our Story: Women’s History
Our Story: Women’s History
(Credit: HistoryMiami, x-0238-1)
Our Story: Women’s History
(Credit: Reclaiming the Everglades, http://everglades.fiu.edu/reclaim/)
Our Story: Women’s History
How it supports your curriculum
• SS.7.C.3.7: Analyze the impact of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th,
24th, and 26th amendments on participation of minority
groups in the American political process
Additional Resources
• http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/
• http://www.loc.gov/teachers
• http://www.vtshome.org/
• http://www.nga.gov/education/american/figure.htm
• http://www.historymiami.org
• http://www.facinghistory.org
• http://everglades.fiu.edu/reclaim/
Upcoming Public Programs at
HistoryMiami
• Symposium: Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution
– January 25, 2014
• Miami International Map Fair
– February 8-9, 2014
• Civil Rights Museum Forum
– February 5, 2014 and March 1, 2014
HistoryMiami & You!
• Programs: Gallery Programs, Map Programs,
Historic Site Programs, Night at the Museum,
Teaching trunks!
• www.historymiami.org
305.375.1625
Cecilia Dubon Slesnick, M.S. Ed
cslesnick@historymiami.org
Maggie McAdams
mmcadams@historymiami.org
Griselda Chavarria
gchavarria@historymiami.org
HistoryMiami
101C West Flagler Street
305.375.1492
www.historymiami.org