TE 402: Teaching Subject Matter to Diverse Learners: Social Studies

1. TE 402: Teaching Subject Matter to Diverse Learners: Social Studies January 20, 2011 Laura Andresen The Purposes, Content, and Representation of Social Studies

2. Education is growth and knowledge development- a transformational experience Learning is a process to understand and construct knowledge. Once a person becomes conscious, they have the potential to go beyond their boundaries and proactively pursue the disintegration of oppression. To do this one must, “reverse their starting point” (Freire, 1973, p. 95); to have clarity, perspective, and vision. Freire maintains that students have potential as a major agent in their learning, to affect hope for the future.

3. Agenda • I’m In Activity • News article • Teaching is like an iceberg • Questions- Syllabus & Assignments • For Next Time… • Base groups

4. Activity • I’m In

5. Essential questions for today Why do we teach what we teach to whom we teach The purposes, content, and representation of social studies/Social studies as citizenship education: diversity and democracy

6. Newspaper Article • Think- How would I teach the issues in the article? What concepts need to be explained to /understood by students? • Large group- say out what your topic is • Share- your thoughts and collaborate • Large group- say out ideas

7. Focus on the Field First Days of School:– How do teachers set up their classroom? Set norms for classroom routines? How do parents prepare their children? What are children’s excitements and fears?

8. Teaching is like an iceberg…What’s below this?

9. Teaching is like an iceberg…

10. There’s the visible…and the invisible…

11. The VISIBLE The HIDDEN ( What’s not visible)

12. Teaching ( What’s visible in the classroom during a social studies lesson?) Teaching ( What’s not visible in the classroom) • What problems/challenges teachers face in planning to teach social studies • What teachers must know and be able to do in order to plan, design, and enact lessons that help students learn the social studies • How teachers make informed, professional decisions about what they teach and how they teach, and what methods they use to determine the impact of their teaching

13. My Instructional Challenges/Problems Think about the “problems” I as the instructor had, and how I designed activities to respond to these “problems” Instructional Problems (these are not problems in the negative sense) For example, one “problem” I had was that I didn’t know you, you didn’t know me, but you knew each other. So I needed to design a getting to know you activity

14. What We Did Why We Did It? Introductions Establishing Classroom Norm Characteristics of Citizens Course Overview

15. Teaching ( What’s visible in the classroom during a social studies lesson?) Teaching ( What’s not visible in the classroom) • What problems/challenges teachers face in planning to teach social studies • What teachers must know and be able to do in order to plan, design, and enact lessons that help students learn the social studies • How teachers make informed, professional decisions about what they teach and how they teach, and what methods they use to determine the impact of their teaching

16. ?Questions? • Syllabus • Assignments • Lesson Plan

17. For next time . . . • Brophy and Alleman, Chapter 2 – regarding Learning Community • Corwin (coursepack) • Michie (coursepack) • Read through lesson plan part I • Sign up for one of readings on wiki

18. What is social studies? • If you were in charge of designing social studies curriculum on a state level how would you do it?

19. How NCSS defines social studies • NCSS is the National Council for Social Studies – a professional organization founded in 1922 • Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. 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.

20. How would YOU propose teaching social studies education… • …in an organized manner? • …that is age-appropriate? • …that is substantive and draws upon important content and skills in the disciplines? • …that relates to children’s lives beyond school? • …that builds from one year to the next? • Draw a picture, diagram, create lists to

21. How have the NCSS (and states, textbooks, local districts) decided to represent powerful and meaningful social studies?

22. The NCSS divides social studies into 10 strands. The strands are thematic in nature and provide the basis of social studies. • I. Culture • II. Time, Continuity, and Change • III. People, Places, and Environments • IV. Individual Development and Identity • V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • VI. Power, Authority, and Governance • VII. Production, Distribution, and Consumption • VIII. Science, Technology, and Society • IX. Global Connections • X. Civic Ideals and Practices • What disciplines correspond with each of these strands?

23. Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations: What are the ways content is organized here? • Disciplines – what are they? • History • Civics (Political Science) • Geography • Economics

24. Scope and Sequence of Social Studies in the Elementary Schools • The question is how to place thematic strands and disciplines in a logical sequence for the grades • Currently in U.S. public schools, “expanding environments” provides the sequence

25. Expanding Environments K:Me

26. 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

27. 2nd Grade: Local Communities 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

28. 3rd Grade: Regional Communities 2nd Grade: Local Communities 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

29. 4th Grade: States 3rd Grade: Regional Communities 2nd Grade: Local Communities 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

30. 5th Grade: the United States 4th Grade: States 3rd Grade: Regional Communities 2nd Grade: Local Communities 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

31. 5th Grade: the United States • 6th Grade: Western Cultures* • Sometimes Eastern Hemisphere 4th Grade: States 3rd Grade: Regional Communities 2nd Grade: Local Communities 1st Grade: Family and School K:Me

32. Criticisms of the Expanding Environments Approach? • Boring; covering material with which children are already familiar • Traditional and focused on stereotypical middle-class experiences and values • Does not allow children to experience the long-ago and far-away • Alternatives? E.D. Hirsch and cultural literacy; history and literature focus

33. How does NCSS recommend trying to make social studies “powerful”? • Meaningful • Integrative • Value-Based • Active • Challenging What do each of these mean?

34. Hands on → Understanding ← Minds on • “Hands on” means? • “Minds on” means? The strongest activities are “minds on” because they are based in powerful ideas which have enduring understandings. Therefore, the learner remembers the activity as part of a larger idea. Example: Mock congress connects to the larger idea of representational democracy in action.

36. Base Groups Team LCC • Lindsay Babinski • Carly Cooper • Christine Corcoran Team Sparty • Chelsea Mcdonald • Sharnae Hayes • Autumn Sellers Team Exclamation • Katherine Scott • Chrissy Osbach • Mike Rodriguez • Kara Erickson • The A team • Kim Sedlmeyer • Janae Burch • Jordan Sarder • Liz Adams • Team Elementary Education • Clinton Lafayette • Jessica Watson • Nicole Sidge

37. Gallery Activity • Fold paper into quarters • Post around the room to share with the class • View gallery

39. Base Groups • Negotiate a team name • Exchange contact information