Foundation of Social Studies

 

Foundation Founda tion of Social Studies SSE 100

 

RAP - Review and Preview 1) Wh Why y do we need need to st study udy soci social al studi studies? es? 2) Discuss y your our answe answers rs with the person person to your your right rig ht.. Find Find out what what yo you u had had si simil milar ar and and diffferen dif erent. t. Be prep prepar ared ed to shar share ew wit ith h the the class class..

 

Defini De finitio tion n of Social Social Stu Studies dies •

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From the National Council for for the So Social cial Studies’ website: NCSS defines social studies as “the integrated

study of the social sciences and humanities to promote promot e ci civic vic 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 science psychology,, religion, and sociology sociology..” •

In socialinsstudies tudies promot promotes es knowledg knowledge e of andessence, involvement involvement ci civic vic affairs.”

 

What is the purpose of social studies education? The purpose of social studies education education is to help students develop: 1. social unders understanding tanding (i.e., knowledge of human societies) and 2.citizenship). civic competence (i.e. democratic

 

Civic competence defined •

Civic competence is the readiness and willingness to assume citizenship responsibilities. These responsibilities include more than just voting. For in a democracy democracy,, it is also one’s one’s responsibility to serve on juries, to be lawful, and to be just. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Importance of studying social studies Without historical understanding, there can be no wisdom; without geographical understanding, no cultural or environmental intelligence. Without economic understanding, there can be no sane use of resources and no rational approach to decision making and, therefore, no future. And without civic understanding, there can be no democratic citizens and, therefore, no democracy.

 

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“Citizens must have some depth of historical, political, and cultural understanding. Making good decisions requires requires that. It It's 's one thing to have a nation of diver diverse se opinions, which is crucial for democracy democracy, , but opinion opin ionleads before bef ore knowledge, or without toler tolerance, ance, lea ds to demise.”

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“Many argue that young people people today are not educated to care about political matters, understand complex issues, make informed decisions, and contribute to a just society.

 

Subg Su bgoa oals ls of S Soc ocia iall Studi Studies es •

Knowledge

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Skills

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Attitudes

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Values

 

Knowledge

 

Which social knowledge is most important? •

Disciplines (also called fields) of study study.. These are the seven social science disciplines and the humanities. Within these disciplines, knowledge is sys systematically tematically created, interpreted, interpret ed, critiqued, and revised continually in never-ending (i.e.,of it’’sasystematic, it syst ematic, notprocess randomofordisciplined without rules inquiry) knowledge construction.

 

Themes •

Another approach is to identify a set of basic content themes. Themes help curriculum planners and teachers narrow the scope somewhat and give them a better idea of which social knowledge deserves the most attention.

 

Themes 1. Culture 2. Time, Continuity, and Change 3. People, Places, and Environments 4. Individual Development and Identity 5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions 6. Power, Power, Au Authority thority,, and Governance 7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption 8. Science, Sci ence, T Technology echnology,, and and Society 9. Global Connections 10. Civic Ideals and Practices

 

Topics •

A third way to answer “Which knowledge is most important?” question is to identify topics. There is no shortage of topics, and of course they cannot all be taught and no one would want to learn them all.

 

Topics For example, elementary students should know: •

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Great river systems of the world Desert cultures and forest cultures Food, clothing, transport transportation, ation, and shelter (now and then, near and far)

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Ancient societies and modern societies

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Geographic regions of the United States

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The American Revolution and Constitution

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Rights and responsibilities of citizen citizenss

 

Attitudes and Values

 

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The second second subgoal subgoal of ssocial ocial studies studies learning— learning —attitudes and values— values—is directed less at cognitive knowledge and more m ore at emotion, feeling, and beliefs about right and wrong.

 

Typical attitudes and values used in the curriculum guide 1. Being

committed to the public values of this society as suggested in its historical documents,

laws, court decisions, and oaths (e.g., (e. g., from the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal”; from the Pledge of Allegiance, “liberty and justice for all”) 2. Being able ab le to deal fairly and eff effectively ectively with value conflicts that arise when making decisions about the common good (public policy)

 

Typical attitudes and values used in the curriculum guide 3. Developing a reasoned loyalty to this nation and its form of government. (Note (Note that the Pledge of Allegiance is made not to a person, but to a form of government: a “republic”; that is, a constitutional democracy) 4. Developing a feeling of kinship to human beings everywhere— everywhere—to the human family 5. Taking responsibility for one’s actions and fulfilling one’ one’ss obligations to the community

 

Skills

 

Skills •

The third subgoal— subgoal—skills skills— —identifies what students should know how to do. Of course, doing invol doing involves ves knowin knowing; g; skillf skillful ul behavi behavior or is skillful skill ful to a g great reat exten extentt becaus because e of the knowledge knowle dge that that supports supports it. A child is skillful skillful at

something because he or she knows how to do it well. A skill, then, is also called know-how or procedural knowledge. Skills are often subdivided as follows:

 

I. Democratic Participation Skills A. Listening to and expressing opinions and reasons B. Participating in classroom, school, and community decision making, especially participating in group discussions of public issues (classroom, community, international) with persons with whom one may disagree; leading such discussions; mediating, negotiating, and compr compromising omising C. Working cooperatively to clarify a task and plan group work D. Accessing, using, and creating community resources

 

II. Study and Inquiry Skills A. Using charts,and andmaking graphstime lines, maps, globes, B. Locating, reading, and analyzing information from a variety of resources, such as books, encyclopedias, the Internet, newspapers, and libraries C. Writing reports and giving oral presentations D. Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources E. Forming and testing hypotheses

 

III. Intellectual Skills (critical thinking and problem solving) A. Comparing and contrasting B. Making and evaluating conclusions based on evidence C. Identifying and clarifying problems and issues D. Distinguishing fact from opinion E. Inferring cause-effect relationships

 

Foundation Founda tion of Social Studies 1. History – a study of the past with the help of written records and artifacts 2. Government – a group of people who have the power to make and enforce laws for a country or area. 3. Economics – study of how people manage resources by producing, using, and exchanging ex changing goods and services.

 

Foundation Founda tion of Social Studies 4. Culture – Culture – beliefs, customs, laws, art, and wa ways ys of living that a group of people share. 5. Geography – Geography – the study of all the physical features fea tures of the earth’ earth’ss surface including its climate and the distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

 

Exercise Many school subjects comprise knowledge and skills, but social studies emphasizes attitudes and values, too. How are they different, and why are both important?

 

Meaning, Natur Nature, e, and Scope of Social Studies

 

Definition •

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Social Studies is a field of study which deals with man, his relat relation ion with other men and his environment. its content is drawn from several social sciences. It is a course of study including anthropology anthropolog y, history history, geography geography,, economics, political science, sociology, law, civics, etc.

 

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According to Michaelis, Michaelis, “the Social Studies are concerned with man and his interaction with his social and physical environment; they deal with human relationships; the central function of the social studies is identical with the central purpose of education – education – the development of democratic citizenship”.

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National Council for the Studies defined Social Studies asSocial “the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence".

 

Focus of Social Studies •

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The life of man in some particular place at some particular time W e use every subject to help us or understand hispossible problems and how he dealt deals with his problems The main aim is to give a better better understanding of present problems We are attempting to provide understanding aboutt abou tthe he develo developmen pmentt of man

 

Scope of Social Studies 1. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as cit citiz izens enshi hip p educa educati tion on 2. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as as a sk skil ille led d de deve velo lopm pmen entt 3. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as as ec ecol olog ogic ical al studi studies es 4. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as as so soci cial al ssci cien ence ce 5. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as cult cultur ural al int integr egrat atio ion n 6. So Soci cial al studi tudies es as as a d dis isci cipl plin ine e 7. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as as a d dyn ynami amicc educ educat atio ion n 8. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as a rel relev evan antt ed educ ucat atio ion n 9. So Soci cial al sstu tudi dies es as as ed educ ucat atio ion n for for liv livin ing g

 

Importance of Teaching Social Studies 1. Vast scope – presents the total envir environment onment of the child a.People a. People of one’s one’s own nationality and people across the world. b. People and various various kinds o off institutions. c. People and Earth. d. People and Time. e. People and resources.

 

Importance of Teaching Social Studies 2. Source of knowledge – knowledge –integrated integrated knowledge of various disciplines 3. Separate subject – subject – separat separate e but unified

 

Importance of Teaching Social Studies 4. Suitable up to secondary level – level –provides provides general, not specialized knowledge 5. Helpful for enlightened citizenship citizenship –  – civic competence 6. Helpful in desirable skills – skills – critical thinking, problem solving

 

Social Studies

Social Science

a branch of social science.

the genesis of social studies.

all disc discipl iplin ines es are are integrated into one piece.

Every discipline stands out on its own

stud st udie iess man man in gen gener eral. al. st stud udie iess man man in var variou iouss aspects of his life. learned at secondary or primary stages

taught at higher levels of education

 

Social Studies

Social Science

Practice part of human affair affairss

Theory part of human affairs

Selected portions in social sciences

Larger in scope

Instructional utility

Social utility

Learning situation

Part of cultural

and insight in all

knowledge that have

knowledge

bearing on any field

 

Models in Teaching Social Studies 1. Ex Expa pand ndin ing g Hor Horiz izon onss M Mod odel el - acco accorrdi ding ng to this model, children should learn about an ever-widening world, from family ever-widening family,, to neighborhood, to city, to state, to nation, and to world. 2. De Deci cisi sion on-m -mak akin ing g mo mode dell - ai aime med d at he help lpin ing g youth make wise, democratic choices. The model has three dimensions: good citiz citizens ens are informed, reflective, and active.

 

Effect on SS Teachers 1) becoming deeply informed about ideas, events, and issues, 2) presenting fair and balanced views and values, and 3) teaching deliberation, decision-making, and civic action.

 

What this means for students •

becoming informed,

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thinking it through, and

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taking a stand.

3. Democratic-method-in-action – Democratic-method-in-action – Harold rugg (1936). It meant: getting information, making decisions, and taking community action.

 

Explain 1. Social studies is a means to an end, the end being engaged and active, democratic citizenship. 2. Is citizen citizenship ship a noun or a verb, is it mastery of knowledge or capacity to participate, is it something one studies or something one does? 3. “Many argue that young people today are not educated to care about political matters, understand complex issues, make informed decisions, and contribute to a just society. Studies point to a glaring gap in civic knowledge based on test scores correlated with socioeconomic background and race or et ethnicity hnicity..”

 

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Expanding horizons

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Decision making

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Democratic in action model

 

Teaching Models •

They are larger than a particular strategy, method or tactic. They are supported by the theoretical frameworks frameworks of instruction that help in shaping the course.

 

Six Widely Acceptable Teaching Models •

Discovery Learning Approach

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Problem-based Learning Approach

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Inquiry Learning Approach

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Cooperative Cooperativ e Learning Approach

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Decision-making Approach

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ACES Approach

 

Discovery Learning Approach •

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content is not given to learners in finished form discover something and not merely to learn the content

 

Problem-based Learning Approa Approach ch •

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presenting students authentic and meaningful problems driving questions or problems and having interdisciplinary inter disciplinary focus

 

Inquiry Learning Approach •

application of scientific method to teaching

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provides learning activities reflecting the highest form of higher-order thinking skills

 

Cooperative Learning Approach •

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learners work together together in small groups and are rewarded rewar ded for their collective accomplishments combination of independent learning and group work

 

Decision-making Approach •

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requires students to select the best alternative choice on a set of conditions making of intelligent choices by identifying objectives

 

ACES Approach •

Activity, Analysis, Abstraction, Activity, Abstraction, Application mood-setting activity to closing

 

Presentation Techniqu Techniques es in Social Studies

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Bubble Tree Web

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Concept Map

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Discussion Web

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Fact actst storm orming ing Web

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Semantic Web

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Venn Diagram

 

Bubble Tree Web •

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is used with information that can be categorized categ orized beneath a core or main understanding tree begins with a top bubble containing the core understanding understanding and an d the branches labeled as major ideas

 

Concept Map •

is used to define d efine a concept or illustrate an idea

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helps in organizing organizing categories of concepts

 

Discussion Web •

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helps students org organize anize arguments in connection with a given lesson is used in addressing issues in which there are balanced pro and con arguments

 

Fac acts tsttor ormi ming ng Web •

shows the coverage coverage of the lesson or unit of study

 

Semantic Web •

helps students org organize anize complex ideas

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is used when the core question calls for four answers(a) core question, question, (b) web strand, (c) strand support,(d) strand tie

 

Venn Diagram •

compares two sets of ideas or concepts

 

Conclusion •

In using the various teaching models and presentation techniques in Social Studies, we can create a meaningful teaching-learning teaching-learning atmosphere where learners become active constructorss of their own knowledge and constructor dynamic participants in understanding the various realms of social realities.

 

Exercises •

Using any of the three models of teaching social studies: expanding horizons model, decision-making model, and democratic method in action model, create a lesson that would best exemplify exemplify the model you choose.

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Demonstrate Demonstra te in cclass. lass.

 

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