Today's Itinerary and Activities
We began the day in the classroom preparing for an historical Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT). The exercise goal was to help participants understand the Battle for Normandy from the perspective of the soldiers and junior commanders who made decisions about how to fight it on the ground. We formed syndicates and each syndicate planned a battalion-level defence of the bridgehead based on the actual orders, maps, and air photos issued in 1944. After each syndicate prepared an initial plan we visited the actual battlefield and discussed questions of fact. Over lunch syndicates revised their plans and presented them to the group. In the afternoon, we followed through the battle to secure and expand the beachhead in the Caen sector. We examined Operation “Charnwood” and visited the Canadian memorial garden at the Abbaye d’Ardenne. Joe led us in examining whether history should combine with geography or any other subject in a classroom. We also considered the question: Should there be rules in warfare?
Authenticity in problem-solvingIn our activity today we were given our maps and orders at the Moulin Morin, and stopped at various landmarks such as churches and railways to get a sense of the ground, map reading as we drove. One of the issues we explored today was the idea that problem-solving activities for students should be as authentic as possible - what elements can support this?
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Student voiceTwo different student perspectives emerged over the issue of time for this activity. In some groups that had a lot of debate, the students felt rushed, and shared that they would prefer to do this activity over 2-3 days so they could have time to talk out the issues that arose during planning. Our other students suggested that having a time limit is better because you have to make your point more strongly.
In both cases the topic of tension was raised, some students felt that there should be time to resolve the tension, while others felt that the tension drove their work and improved the quality of their planning. How do you balance the issue of tension around classroom discussion? How much time do you give to activities like this? We discussed being thoughtful and purposeful about groupings when we teach, and whether we should mix diverse learners or group learners with similar styles and abilities. Again our student participants shared divergent perspectives - some felt that if it needs to be rushed to be more authentic, then picking specific people to work more harmoniously together defeats the purpose of the activity, while others felt that this would make some students uncomfortable to the point where they don't want to participate. One of our students made the point that even though students hate being put on the spot sometimes, they need to have opportunities to have to defend their positions. Fostering a safe classroom environment is a major consideration for these activities to work well. |
Moving away from an answer-driven process towards a skills-driven process can be a challenge. In this activity, some of the skills we employed included reading maps, how to research and sift through information quickly to solve a time-sensitive problem, and collaborating with others. Some points our participants highlighted for classroom consideration were:
- keeping students engaged - being present and available in the classroom
- giving everyone a job to do - such as map reader; researcher; project manager; note taker; or expand the activity into a role play where students take on the roles of the individuals involved in the operation
- ensuring you have a good evidence package - give enough info so students can get started, but perhaps omit a few key details that they have to research in order to solve the problem
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The ethical dimension of historyOur visit to the Abbaye d'Ardenne informed our Classroom Questions for today. While trying to understand the German perspective at a site where Canadians prisoners of war were murdered is a difficult thing to do, it is necessary in order to provide some context for our students when discussing events such as these. Understanding that the 12th SS division have been in the Hitler Youth for 7 years, understanding that the German army is not homogenous and that different worldviews as well as individual agency have a significant impact on decision-making is paramount when teaching about these moments in history.
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Classroom questions
Should there be rules in warfare?
What obligation do we have to enemy prisoners?
Where do we get these rules?
What is the line between someone you can shoot at and someone you can't shoot at?
What if the enemy doesn't play by your rules?
How do you know when you're crossing the line and when you're not?
Who are the SS? What is their worldview? How does this help us understand their actions?
What are the different layers.of significance to an event?
How does tourism affect how people view the significance of an event or place?
What obligation do we have to enemy prisoners?
Where do we get these rules?
What is the line between someone you can shoot at and someone you can't shoot at?
What if the enemy doesn't play by your rules?
How do you know when you're crossing the line and when you're not?
Who are the SS? What is their worldview? How does this help us understand their actions?
What are the different layers.of significance to an event?
How does tourism affect how people view the significance of an event or place?