Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions: Building Student Capacity for Civic Engagement
Thank you for your interest in presenting at the 2020 Civics Literacy Conference! The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education seeks proposals that support high quality civics teaching and learning for all students K-12. The conference will be centered around a general theme of fostering student capacity for civic engagement and workshops will provide guidance around a variety of subtopics and methods relating to this theme. Our goal is to curate high-level conversations regarding policy and pedagogy, and to increase the accessibility and use of high-quality instructional materials relating to civics. Please carefully review the proposal parameters and complete the form below to submit your application by the following deadline, 11:59 p.m EST on Friday, March 13, 2020.
Application contents:
- Contact information and Presenter Bio (200 words or less)
- Topic category
- Title and Abstract: Describe your workshop (150 words or less)
- Workshop Description: Please describe the contents and strategy of your workshop in connection to the proposal parameters.
- What is it that you will be teaching and how?
- What are the learning objectives and how do they connect to the Frameworks and Chapter 296?
- What resources and materials will participants walk away with?
- How does your workshop consider the civics empowerment gap and address issues of equity and inclusion in civics education?
- How are teacher/student voice and experience represented?
We recommend preparing your proposal in a word document and copying and pasting into the online form. If you have any questions regarding workshop applications or are interested in table space for your organization, please email Cecelia Spencer, History and Social Science Content Specialist, at Cecelia.Spencer@doe.mass.edu
Overview
This conference is a convening of representatives from PreK-12 education, state, and community organizations in order to further the accessibility and use of high-quality instructional materials and tools relating to civics across the state. The conference will be centered around a general theme and the workshops will provide guidance around a variety of subtopics related to civics education, including not only direct classroom instruction but also a variety of methods to foster civic engagement for all students. A successful Civics Literacy Conference will deepen participants knowledge of civics education and access to high-level conversations regarding policy and pedagogy.
Context and Theme
If we are to prepare the whole student for political participation and taking informed action, we must engage students with activities that build their capacity for civic engagement at all grade levels. The 2018 History and Social Science Frameworks along with Chapter 296, An Act to promote and enhance civic engagement, present a renewed mission to improve the quality of civic education in the state. This includes but is not limited to a focus on the legacy of democratic government, the addition of the eighth-grade civics course as well as several topics in K-8, and the importance of building civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The seven Standards for History and Social Science Practice highlight the importance of creating meaningful learning experiences that support the development of these skills. Practice Standard 7 asks students to determine next steps and take informed action, a task echoed with the student-led civics projects described in Chapter 296.
This conference will focus on in-classroom activities that build civic knowledge and a broader array of programs/discussions that foster civic skills and dispositions, including the student-led civics projects detailed in Chapter 296. For more information on the projects, check out the Civics Project Guidebook.
Presenters will use the following questions to guide their workshop development:
- How can we cultivate practices that foster the development of civic knowledge, skills and dispositions for all students?
- How does the 2018 History and Social Science Framework define high quality history and social science instruction with a particular emphasis on civics?
- What content and resources would educators need to support civic learning and to prepare the whole student for political participation and taking informed action in the student-led civics projects and beyond?