MTT046| iCivics, Building Civic Knowledge in a fun way - Neil Wrona
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It's an election year! Do your students understand the complexities of our government workings? What a great time to learn about how our system works, while the subject is in the news every day! Join us as we speak with Neil Wrona, a 7th grade teacher at an alternative school tasked with teaching these young people how their government works and how they can make a difference. All in a very easy to understand and fun way!
Neil Wrona is a 7th year teacher who has taught at every level in the school system and every subject other than English. Neil's undergrad was in Communications and Rhetorical Studies, and it wasn't until his junior year, and a class that doubled as community service, that he realized he wanted to teach. Of course, by then he thought it was far too late, so he floated around for a few years after graduation, looking for jobs where I could teach, until he finally decided to get the credits he needed and enrolled in a Masters in the Arts of Teaching program. Over the years, Neil has fallen in love with civics education and everything it can provide for students: a way to understand how decisions are made, an avenue to understand how power is wielded, and, most importantly, something that can make his students feel powerful. Once students understand that the government works FOR them, they realize that if they want change, they can make it happen. With the population Neil teaches, it's not always easy to convince them of that, but iCivics has helped with ⅔ of that goal.
Contact: Neil Wrona
Twitter: @neilwrona
Email: lnwrona@gmail.com
Items mentioned in Episode 46:
I'm just a Bill - School House Rock
My Tech Toolbelt - Nearpod Episode
Example Lesson Plan from Neil Wrona
The Firm, Fair, Facinating Facilitator by Robert Ward
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