CVUSD teachers collaborate with prominent world historians on California’s new history/social studies framework

Chino Valley Unified School District’s World History teachers gathered this fall to learn about California’s new History/Social Studies Framework and collaborate with two prominent world historians from local colleges, in partnership with UCLA’s History & Geography Project.

Approximately 40 World History teachers representing CVUSD’s junior high and high schools explored excerpts of the new California History/Social Studies Framework which focuses on four major shifts: Content, Inquiry, Literacy, and Citizenship.  History teachers discussed the introduction from California Department of Education-the California Way, which emphasized teaching literacy versus content and providing access to all students including English Learners and students with disabilities and The Futile Quest for Coverage, which challenges teaching breadth versus depth.

“History is no longer a focus on names and dates,” said Ron Mellor, retired chairman of the UCLA History Department and a Distinguished Research Professor. “Now we are trying to provide students the opportunity to look at things with intercultural comparisons.”

Mellor and Cal State Long Beach history professor Sharlene Sayegh shared some recent information relating to the Gupta Empire and the Mexican and Russian revolutions. They also collaborated with the teachers to develop classroom lessons based on these new topics in the California History Framework.

“It is exciting to welcome world renowned professors and historians to Chino Valley to collaborate with our teachers to develop classroom lessons based on the new California History Framework,” said Grace Lee, CVUSD Director of Professional Development. “Chino Valley values the continuous learning of our educators.  One of the professional development methods we employ is to co-plan with university historians during professional development sessions. Today, we experienced the power of collaboration with university professors, outside agency and local school district, to deepen our content and pedagogical expertise for the benefit of our students.” 

“History can be about learning inter-connectedness of cultures,” Woodcrest Junior High School history teacher Eugene Smith said. “We live in an inter-connected world and inter-connectedness is a facet of critical thinking.”

CVUSD’s next collaboration with history teachers, professors, and the UCLA History & Geography Project will be on March 23 and 27, 2018.

(12/1/17)