Learning in the Time of Coronavirus: Living Timeline

So the unthinkable just happened—schools have been closed. All around the country, states and local communities are closing schools and instituting quarantines to #flattenthecurve. My kids are both home and I am reaching into my educator’s toolbox to think of interesting ways to learn while isolated.

COVID-19 is like nothing I have ever experienced before. I have been thinking about ways to help my kids understand the unprecedented nature of what is going on, while still putting it into historical context. I also want to give them some social studies/history opportunities. This activity is one of my favorite to share in ECC educational seminars. It has so many variations and ways to change it up for really meaningful discussion and learning. This is my gift to you during these difficult times. I hope you and your family will give it a shot!

The Living Timeline

Ages: 7-99 (anyone can participate as long as they are able to conduct research computer research safely and responsibly. Younger kids may need to be paired with an older person.)

Materials:

• Computer/Research Resources

• 5 copies of the Timeline Entry Reproducible per team

• 10 foot piece of string, tape, or yarn

• pencils, pens, markers, crayons

Steps:

1. Choose a time frame (10 years, 50 years, 100 years, 500 years, 1000 years, etc.).

2. Have a discussion about how COVID-19 and the quarantine will likely be a historical event recorded in the history books of the future. Ask the questions:

   • Why will this event be important?

   • What does it have in common with other big events from history?

   • What do you think future historians will say about this?

3. Have family members work independently or in teams. Feeling isolated from grandparents or friends? Invite them to participate remotely! Once your teams are formed give them the following challenge:

   “What are the 5 most important events of the last xx years?”

   Tell your family that they will need to do research to decide what these 5 most important events are and why. They should complete the Timeline Entry Reproducible for each event. They should either download an image or draw an image to represent the visual for their event. They will have 24 hours to complete the task.

4. After 24 hours is up, gather all the teams together. Have each team share the events that they feel are important and explain why. After each team has presented, it’s time to debate! Are there events that you all agree on? Are there events that cause disagreement? This is the moment to have rich discussion about history! Once you feel that you have discussed enough (or before you come to blows!), VOTE! You may have to do some run-off voting…or even better yet, teach your family about Ranked Choice Voting and use it for this!

5. After you have selected the events that you are going to use, have your family put them in sequential order. This is a great opportunity for younger kids to learn about decades, centuries, and millenniums.

6. Take the 10 foot piece of tape and decide how you are going to mark out year, decade, century increments. Here is where math and proportions will come in handy. Try to have your family lay out the events proportionally on the string. You may need a calculator to help younger kids, but older kids should layout the equations and try to calculate the distances. Work together to lay out the timeline events!

7. Take a picture and record your family’s Top 5.

8. Need more to do? Here are some variations:

   • Try another time frame.

   • Look at top 5 events in American History vs. World History

   • Choose top 5 events in a category (science, sports, art, legislature).

I hope you have fun with this! Please share your photos and variations in the comments below!

Living Timeline Event Reproducible

Time to STEAM things up: An Intro

This month marks the end of the first of three years in partnership with University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Science's Teaching Innovation Studio and San Diego Unified School District.  The focus of this partnership is a Department of Education Grant that focuses on creating four STEAM academies at Magnet schools here in San Diego.  STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) teaching is sweeping the nation, but is also a somewhat nebulous concept.  ECC is privileged to represent the University of San Diego alongside Dr. Joi Spencer as a professional development facilitator on this project, facilitating the learning of teachers as they develop their capacities as STEAM educators.   The first year on any project is one of great learning and one that is allowing me to see more clearly the opportunities for growth within schools.   I am so excited about the progress made within the schools at which we work.  

Yesterday we met with a group of SDUSD administrators, teachers, parents, students to discuss the outcomes of the project so far and to present our learning.  It is always an incredible experience to pause in a project and run a pulse check.   As you know, our mission is to facilitate deep, lasting change and impact and schools.  This team of teachers is making great strides in their STEAM teaching, but also their own awareness of their teaching.  There were several moments during their presentation that I was reminded that the experiential learning that this type of professional development provides allows for the greatest impact on teaching.  In essence, students win when teachers have time to reflect, improve and own their practice.

2nd grade teachers from San Diego Unified share their insights on STEAM education.

  This blog series will focus on the project so far and will take you on the journey with us as we move into Year 2.  Stay tuned for more about what we have been doing in San Diego Unified.

New Year, New Name, New Focus

Happy 2015!  Yes, it is February.  And yes, we are a little late to be wishing you a Happy New Year!  However, we've been busy around here.  Those of you that have faithfully followed EEC throughout the years have probably noticed that things have changed around here.  For one, we have a new name.  We'll get to that in a few minutes.  We also have a broader focus to encompass the expanded work that we have been tackling for awhile!

Did you know that this is our 10th anniversary?  I can hardly believe it, but it's true!  Back in January 2005 I started this company to focus on the curriculum and assessment work while becoming a mom for the first time.  We were little, scrappy and had a very narrow focus and one client.  Over the years we grew our client base.  We also grew our services to include professional development seminars.  We were finding our way--the projects a little bigger, the clients more varied, the impact more widespread. 

Along the way I realized that in order to make deep change in schools, professional development had to change.  I embarked on my M.Ed work.  My research focus was on methodologies that allowed teams of teachers to make deep and meaningful change through the power of collective leadership.  Change was at the front of my mind.  How can we innovate the world of education?

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, I was also busy in the community.  An active volunteer, I served the Junior Leagues of Evanston-North Shore and San Diego.  In 2010, I was elected as future President of The Junior League of San Diego (2012-2013).  In preparation for leading 1000 female volunteers and serving as both Executive Director and Chair of the Board of Directors, I needed training!  Fortunately, I was prepared by the Association of Junior Leagues International  with a crash course in nonprofit management.  This experience has led to other meaningful volunteer experiences.

So what's my point? Why did I walk you through a ten-year retrospective?   Well, these experiences have given us the tools, strategies and competencies to broaden our educational consulting to the community and beyond.  And with that change, our name Edstrom Educational Consulting was no longer so apt.  So we are now Edstrom Community Consulting.  We still do the work for which you know us, but we are expanding, drawing parallels and creating social innovation solutions that are...well...innovative!

We hope you will come along with us on this exciting ride!  We can't wait to update you on the new partners, learning, training and community change that we will embrace for our next ten years!