Meaningful Social Studies

1. Meaningful Social Studies Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

2. Objectives • Describe the characteristics of powerful social studies. • Explain the model for meaningful social studies instruction. • Describe participatory citizenship in a democracy. • Define social studies as an integrated school subject with the goal of promoting civic competency. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

3. Objectives cont. • Describe how the structure for social studies instruction demonstrates the use of best practices by teachers who have social studies pedagogical content knowledge. • Evaluate a social studies lesson plan by identifying the degree to which it applies social studies pedagogical content knowledge Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

4. SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL • Social studies is about our social world • It is about people • What they do • How they interact with each other and with the world. • Social Studies happens every time a child figures out a short cut to take home • Asks a question about whether the classroom rules should be changed Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

5. Powerful social studies is meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging and active (National Council for Social Studies, 1994). Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

6. SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL • Social Studies leaning is personal • Students take information they get through their senses and from interacting with others and interpret it in terms of their prior knowledge of the social world. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

7. SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL • Students reconstruct their prior knowledge, so it becomes more powerful in helping them to make decisions (Scheurman & Newman, 1998; Sunal, Sunal, & Haas, 1996). Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

8. Is Integrated Is meaningful Powerful Social Studies Is Challenging Is value Based Is Active Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

9. Development: What is powerful social studies? • The view that students construct their own knowledge has great implications for social studies education. • Students must have information to act on: evidence developed through their own experience that they can be related to the ideas and skills being taught. • Students collect this evidence by making observations of, and interacting with, people, educational materials, and objects. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

10. Development: What is powerful social studies? • Students think about information, relating it to their prior experiences and knowledge. • They consider the information they acquire using familiar ways of thinking. • They make predictions and encounter challenges. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

11. Development: What is powerful social studies? • It is through such challenges to our present way of thinking that we come to understand new ideas (Sunal, Sunal, & Haas, 1996) Students need to classify and describe the materials, experiences, and information they observe Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

12. Students brings everyday experiences with the social world into the classroom Students reflect on everyday objects and events - exploration Students reflects on experiences in a new way, deciding what is really important to the student, the family and the community Student are in a safe and supportive learning community, rich with experiences and materials Students gathersevidence, discovering patterns and relationships With new skills and knowledge, student sees experiences in a different way New meanings for everyday experiences result in meaningful learning Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

13. Development cont. • Many teachers understand that classroom instructions take place along a continuum instructional activities. • Greater Student Control Greater Teacher control Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

14. Development cont. • Greater Student Control Greater Teacher control • At one end of the continuum are instructional activities with greater teacher control that allow students little opportunity for input. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

15. Development cont. Greater Teacher control At the other end of the continuum are instructional activities with greater student control that involve students as active participants who decide what issues they will and how they will collect data on questions they have regarding those issues. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

16. Development cont. • As teachers, we need • content knowledge specific to social studies and the general pedagogical knowledge used in teaching all subject areas, such as classroom management skills. • To be working to build our pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), the knowledge of how to teach social studies (Shulman, 1987 Pajaras, 1992). Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

17. Development cont. • To teach social studies well • We must have PCK that helps us to select appropriate instructional strategies that will best help our students learn social studies content and inquiry skills. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

18. Students respond to the initial question and ask some questions Students answer all questions Students present initial questions Greater Student control Greater Teacher Control Teacher helps students generate questions and adds additional questions and resources Teacher asks all questions Teacher presents the initial question stimulus and accepts some student suggestions Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

19. Education for Active Citizenship • A general goal for school curriculum should be facilitating students’ development of an awareness, appreciation, and understanding of key social studies concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity (National Council for Social Studies, 1994b, National Research Council, 1996 Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

20. General Pedagogical knowledge Social studies content Pedagogical Content Knowledge Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

21. Citizenship • Active participation in community and national decision making (Barr, Barth, & Shermis, 1977; Goodman & Adler 1985) • Being an active, participatory citizen means • students ask questions • decide on answers to questions based on related information • act to bring about changes in their everyday social world. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

22. Education cont. • Making thoughtful decisions requires citizens to have content knowledge in many areas and to know how to use and evaluate the evidence their knowledge gives them. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

23. Education cont. Individual educators place a greater emphasis on any one of the following six view points. • Teaching history and geography • Understanding social science • Facilitating cultural transmission • Supporting personal development • Developing reflective thinking skills • Encouraging rational problem solving, decision making, and social action. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

24. Education cont. • Social studies has been called “the great connection” by Goodman and Adler (1985). • It is the core to which all parts of the elementary and middle school curriculum can be tied. • Social studies can integrate mathematics, science, art, music, physical education, health, reading, language arts, and all the other content areas. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

25. Education cont. • Social studies is an interdisciplinary approach that relies heavily on the content of social science and history to achieve its goal of preparing people to be active citizen of a democracy. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

26. Defining Social Studies • Social studies is the integrated study of social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

27. Purpose • The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

28. Anthropology Economics Archeology SOCIAL STUDIES geographic Law Philosophy Religion History Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

29. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

30. Activity • Illustrate your ideas about primary school social studies teaching. • Include social studies knowledge, meaningful learning, exploration, social studies and students, gathering evidence, and everyday experience. Group and order your ideas, indicating relationships with arrow • Discuss: the similarities and differences between your webs. • Do you think differences in the grade level you are teaching, or anticipate teaching, might be a contributor to the differences? Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

31. Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize