Using government documents in open pedagogy: A method for engagement and building skills

This method utilizes a template for an open pedagogy lesson plan using US government documents that can be applied to academic levels ranging from elementary to post-secondary. This method addresses concerns about OER quality, exposes students to the wealth of information in U.S. government documents, and develops research skills. The topic can be changed to accommodate diverse subject areas, and the duration can be adjusted to meet the instructional expectations. Students gain familiarity with government document search engines and resources which they can use throughout their lives. Through this process they strengthen their critical thinking, evaluative, and analytical skills as they explore a set of documents to create a narrative based on an overarching theme. Students use a worksheet to guide their narrative development. Examples of this method, as applied to a history topic, are included. An existing open pedagogy method to increase student engagement was used (Hollister, 2020). The proposed application of this method results in: • A flexible lesson that introduces students to various types of U.S. government documents. • An approach to develop research skills while generating a project that can vary based on discipline and academic level.