Meaningful Social Studies

*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*

Meaningful Social Studies

Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize

*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*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*Social studies is about our social world It is about people What they doHow they interact with each other and with the world.Social Studies happens every time a child figures out a short cut to take homeAsks a question about whether the classroom rules should be changed


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


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*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*Powerful Social StudiesIs IntegratedIs ChallengingIs value BasedIs meaningfulIs Active


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*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*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*Student are in a safe and supportive learning community, rich with experiences and materialsStudents brings everyday experiences with the social world into the classroomStudents reflect on everyday objects and events - explorationStudents gathers evidence, discovering patterns and relationshipsNew meanings for everyday experiences result in meaningful learningStudents reflects on experiences in a new way, deciding what is really important to the student, the family and the communityWith new skills and knowledge, student sees experiences in a different way


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*Many teachers understand that classroom instructions take place along a continuum instructional activities.

Greater Student Control Greater Teacher control



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* 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*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*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*Greater Teacher ControlGreater Student controlStudents respond to the initial question and ask some questions Students present initial questionsStudents answer all questionsTeacher helps students generate questions and adds additional questions and resourcesTeacher presents the initial question stimulus and accepts some student suggestionsTeacher asks all questions


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*Social studies contentGeneral Pedagogical knowledgePedagogical Content Knowledge


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*Citizenship Active participation in community and national decision making (Barr, Barth, & Shermis, 1977; Goodman & Adler 1985)

Being an active, participatory citizen means students ask questionsdecide on answers to questions based on related informationact to bring about changes in their everyday social world.


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*Individual educators place a greater emphasis on any one of the following six view points.Teaching history and geographyUnderstanding social scienceFacilitating cultural transmissionSupporting personal developmentDeveloping reflective thinking skillsEncouraging rational problem solving, decision making, and social action.


*Kevin G. Tucker/University of Belize*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*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*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*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*SOCIAL STUDIESAnthropology EconomicsgeographicHistoryArcheologyLawReligionPhilosophy


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*




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Meaningful Social Studies