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What Does Research Say About Elementary Social Studies:

What Does Research Say About Elementary Social Studies:. 1051 telephone interviews - 15 minutes Randomly selected 2, 5, 8th grade teachers

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What Does Research Say About Elementary Social Studies:

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  1. What Does Research Say About Elementary Social Studies: • 1051 telephone interviews - 15 minutes • Randomly selected 2, 5, 8th grade teachers Leming, James. S, Lucien Ellington, and Mark Schug. (2006) “The State of Social Studies: A National Random Survey of Elementary and Middle School Social Studies Teachers.” Social Education. 70(6): 322-327

  2. Key Findings • Social Studies Gets Little Time in Elementary Schools • Social Studies Teachers Report that Schools Social Studies Low Importance Compared to Other Subjects • Teachers Rate Acceptance of Cultural Diversity as a More Important Rationale for Teaching Social Studies than Learning about American Heros

  3. Key Findings (cont

  4. Key Findings Cont’d • Rate “Student-centered” as Preferred Style but most recently employed “Teacher-centered” in their last social studies teaching • Social Studies Teacher Preparation less than Top Quality in History and Social Science Courses • Top Professional Development Needs: • Subject Matter Knowledge • Better Content Teaching Methods

  5. Key Findings Cont’d • Don’t Perceive Standards, Testing, and NCLB as Harmful • Personal Beliefs as Liberals or Conservatives Influence Their Teaching

  6. Basic Assumptions About Ideal Elementary Social Studies Curriculum

  7. More Basic Assumptions about Ideal Elementary Social Studies • Needs to be driven by major long-goals not coverage lists • Organize content around important ideas taught for understanding and application to life outside of school • Activities are means to accomplish major curriculum goals not self-justifying ends in themselves

  8. More Basic Assumptions about Ideal Elementary Social Studies • Integrate knowledge and skills in ways consistent with the above • Embed activities in the curriculum that serve different functions • Assess activities with an eye toward their costs as well as benefits

  9. Final Assumptions about Ideal Elementary Social Studies • The Key is the cognitive engagement potential • Teacher -student discourse before, during, and after experiences makes the difference in social studies

  10. Powerful and Authentic Social Studies

  11. Centering Social Studies • History • Geography • Civics and Moral Development

  12. Organizing the Curriculum for the Early Grades • Cultural Universals • Housing • Employment • Clothing • Family • Food • Maps and the Neighborhood • Historical Literature

  13. Upper Grades • Fourth Grade – U.S. and Regional Geography • Fifth Grade – American History (the revolution, civil war, and civil rights) • Sixth Grade – World Geography with an emphasis on the Environment.

  14. Strategies • Concepts for Creating Connections • Discussion • Magic Circle • Makah and Public Issues • Social Moral Decisions • Scored Discussions • Technology – Data Bases, Spreadsheets, and Webpages • Content Area Reading: primary source vs. texts

  15. Favorite Resources • Tom Snyder Productions • Social Studies Resources • Engaging instruction

  16. Review and Development • In groups of three to five • Summarize the key points • Expand and add ideas • Raise questions for clarification

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