Written by Professor Peter Baganz

In the 5^th century BC, the ancient Greek Olympics not only featured athletic competitions, but Herodotus, often considered the first historian, read his Histories aloud to a great crowd of people. In 1893, the Chicago World’s Fair not only featured the marvels of technology for that time, but Frederick Jackson Turner presented his famous “Frontier Thesis.” When I mention these famous historians, I tell my students that they had the greatest gig ever, to have crowds gather to hear them talk about history. Then after pausing, I point out, “Wait, that’s what I get to do, to spend each day talking with you about history. I have the greatest gig ever!”[1] Continue reading →

Written by Dr. Kari Muente

It is a challenging time to be a teacher. As our WELS classrooms are becoming more academically, culturally, and linguistically diverse, tension is rising between curriculum and instruction. Federal and state mandates are requiring students to pass tests, which leads to a more fact-based curriculum, while 21st-century learning encourages the engagement of students in more critical thinking skills.

As our classrooms become more diverse, students are challenging the traditional instructional design framework with their various backgrounds, cultures, and learning abilities. Diversity of learners, or the exceptional learners, require teachers to engage in more inclusive instruction and practices. Teachers struggle and even feel inadequately equipped in designing and delivering inclusive instruction to engage and train all their students to become expert learners (De La Paz, 2005; Minarik & Lintner, 2016). Inclusive instructional practices require not only close teacher involvement but instructional support for all learners. Continue reading →