Teaching Social Studies: AYA

1. Teaching Social Studies: AYA EDSE 3800 Fall 2009

2. What are the Social Sciences? Sociology History Archaeology Political science Law Anthropology Philosophy Psychology Religion Geography Sociology Economics

3. Sociology • The study of Human Society and Social Relations, Organizations, and Change

4. Political Science • The study of the Principles, Organization, and Methods of Government

5. Anthropology • The study of People; Their Variety, Physical and Cultural Characteristics, Distribution, Customs, and Social Relationships

6. Psychology • The study of Animal and Human behavior, Dealing with the Mind and the Emotions

7. Geography • The study of the Surface of the Earth, its Division into Natural Continents and Political Regions, and the Climate, Plants, In habitants, and Resources of those Divisions

8. Economics • The Study of the Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth, with the Related Issues of Labor, Finance, and Taxes

9. History • The Systematic Study of the Past; the Recording, Analyzing, Correlating, and Explaining of Past Events

10. Preservation of a Democratic Society Thomas Jefferson, among others, emphasized that the vitality of a democracy depends upon the education and participation of its citizens. In what ways do we expect citizens to participate?

11. National Council for the Social Studies Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. The primary purpose of the social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions

12. For the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. In essence, social studies promotes knowledge of and involvement in civic affairs.

13. The Ten Themes • Culture • Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Individual Development and Identity • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

14. The Ten Themes • Power, Authority, and Governance • Production, Distribution, and Consumption • Science, Technology, and Society • Global Connections • Civic Ideals and Practices

15. Meeting the Challenge “No one can predict with certainty what may be needed from its citizens to preserve and protect it fifty years from now. For social studies to perform its mission of promoting civic competence, students must learn not only a body of knowledge but how to think and how to be flexible in using many resources to resolve civic issues.

16. “Given the realities of today’s world and the desire of U.S. citizens to carry the ideals of our republic into the future, it is necessary that we create a new vision for our as social studies educators.”

17. “Our work should illuminate the essential connection among social studies learning, democratic values, and positive citizenship.” “As a people, then, our first priority, our first public policy goal, must be to ensure our survival as a free nation through the development of students who can assume the office of citizen.”

18. Insert “Morally Mature Citizen” material/activity here Consensus Building Seven Things That Will Destroy Us

19. “The informed social studies student understands and applies to personal and public experiences the content perspectives of several academic fields of the social studies. Equally important, the informed social studies student exhibits the habits of mind and behavior of one who respects the relationship between education and his or her responsibility to promote the common good.”

20. “Our ‘we the people’ republic is built upon the principle that the people occupy an important position in government—the office of citizen; thus, it is necessary that attention be paid to the education of those who assume this office.”

21. How do We Achieve Excellence in Social Studies? • Supporting the Common Good “Our responsibility is to respect and support the dignity of the individual, the health of the community, and the common good of all.”

22. Adopting Common and Multiple Perspectives “Students should be helped to construct a personal perspective” “Students should be helped to construct an academic perspective” “Students should be helped to construct a pluralist perspective” “Students should be helped to construct a global perspective”

23. “It is important that students become able to connect knowledge, skills, and values to civic action as they engage in social inquiry.” Knowledge is constructed by learners as they attempt to fit new information, experiences, feelings, and relationships into their existing or emerging intellectual, aesthetic, and emotional constructs.

24. Skills • Acquiring information and manipulating data • Developing and presenting policies, arguments, and stories • Constructing new knowledge • Participating in groups Do the “web of life” activity now

25. Values “They include the basic freedoms of worship, thought, conscience, expression, inquiry, assembly, and participation in the political process.” As well as the fundamental rights as the right to life, liberty, individual dignity, equality of opportunity, justice, privacy, security, and ownership of private property.”