Class 1

Social studies has never been a favorite subject of mine. I always found it boring. In my high school classes, we’d read the chapter without any real connection to our lives, answer study questions, and then take a test or write a paper. A fresh approach with interactive activities and an association with modern times, might have changed my perspective. Now, I realize that the information that I missed or have forgotten from my classes is the foundation for understanding current events. Sometimes I feel ignorant when discussing news stories because I don’t know the basics. The only expectations that I have for instruction are that assignments be explained in detail during class and that reminders be given for due dates.
In this class, I want to learn how to make social studies engaging and how to weave it with other subjects. I want to gather ideas for activities and resources for creating my own lessons. Additionally, I am very interested to see how social studies can come alive in the classroom. I honestly can’t visualize what that would look like. I would also like to get a better grasp of the content and learn what social studies consist of besides history and current events.
The one thing that stood out for me during class was the idea of valuing the knowledge that students bring with them. That was not the way I was taught. Whatever background knowledge a student had was dismissed because everyone was to start and finish at the same spot. This doesn’t give students any reason to draw on background knowledge or to make connections. Learning what the students know would give the teacher the option to skip to new, more interesting materials.

2 thoughts on “Class 1”

  1. Thanks for sharing. I’ll admit that while I found certain aspects of history fascinating (certain events and time periods), I was never enamored of the way it was taught. I was exposed to a heavy dose of textbook reading in the elementary school. It was more of the same in middle school, though I do remember watching the musical 1776.
    We can and must do better for kids today. I believe that all aspects of social studies, the history, geography, economics, and civics, can be integrated around analysis of documents and resources. Instead of letting textbook authors tell the story, we need to encourage kids to examine the evidence and draw their own conclusions. Sometimes the mystery of that will draw them in.

    I promise that we will be explicit about expectations and will offer reminders.

  2. Hi Jennifer,

    One way a teacher can build trust with her students is to value the knowledge they already have. It is important to know that teachers are not the only one in the room who knows stuff! Building a community of learners who can communicate and collaborate with each other sets everyone up for success! I appreciate your post and look forward having you in class this semester. I can already tell you are going to be great social studies teacher because you are interested in knowing how! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Lynne

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