It is not enough for our students to be citizens of the United States of America; they are faced with the challenge that no other generation has: they are citizens of the world. Social studies, as a focus in classrooms today must be more than a history class. In fact, social studies should include all content areas and be included in all content areas. In math, it is not enough to learn isolated logarithms; students should explore economics and the interdependence of the world economies. A current events guiding question might include, Will the failure of Greece’s economy affect those of its neighbors and beyond? Science class should not be the teaching and learning of statics and dynamics and origin of life, but how bridges have influenced the world; and what regional, religious, and socio-economic factors have influenced the debate on the origin of life.
English should not be the only language studied in U.S. classrooms; in order to be competitive our students must learn and use other major languages of the world: Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, or Farsi. While a classical education is still competitive, incorporating modern functionalities is vital. In order to achieve a country of global citizens, our students must become well versed not only in reading, writing and arithmetic, but also in the study of societies and their impact on one another.
Enter the surprisingly overlooked curriculum of social studies. This untested, citizen- producing, rich curriculum, invites participants to explore the interactions of people, cultures, economies, religions, governments and more! As a throughline for all subject areas, social studies could very well be the unifying thread that pulls the world together.
An English teach...
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...tures and dynamics of human interactions should permeate all areas of our students’ lives. As it is outside of the classroom, so should it be within.
Works Cited
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Volger, Kenneth,. (2003). Where does Social studies fit in a high-stakes testing environment?. The Social Studies, 94(5), 207.
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The promotion of foreign language education in America’s primary schools is vital to a child’s learning process, cultural awareness, and future in the workforce. Although they are scarce, there are some elementary schools across the United States that incorporate foreign language courses in the curriculum. This is most common in areas bordering other countries and relative to the language spoken, as French is taught most often along the border of Canada and Spanish along the border of Mexico. The process of learning another language is beneficial the learning process of all subjects because the methods used combine teaching procedures present in every class. The broad learning capacity gained from learning a foreign language and the ability to converse with other peoples helps people in careers as well, making them apt for any profession. Special schools have been created to promote a mixed-culture learning environment, such as charter schools and bilingual schools. The students who attend these specialized schools are exposed to different ways of life at the early age that is best for absorbing new information and living in two opposite cultures successfully. Foreign language education in primary school is necessary because during the years a child is in elementary school is the time in which children are most susceptible to taking in new information.
The United States is filled with many different ethnicities, cultures, customs, languages, etc. Supposedly, our public schools are equipped with classes, teachers, curriculums and materials in order to educate that part of the student population whose first language is something other than the English language. Bilingual classes, transitional classes, ESL classes are just a few of the programs that have been developed to instruct non-English speaking students in order for them to acquire the English language.
The overall, topic for this week’s reading is Social Studies Textbooks and what is there point of view. In Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, the author makes the point that books show one-sided viewpoint of historical figures, fail to show conflict happening today, and fail to present multiple sides of an issue. The second article by David Tyack, Monuments Between Covers, talks about the idea to show that our past was full of right moments and if anything that was immoral was a small part and no big deal. Tyack points out the constant influence from political groups with different agendas fighting to influence and control what textbooks tell our countries’ children. In the last reading History Lesson by Dana Lindaman talks about the view point of American History throughout the world’s public schools’ textbooks. Overall, each of the countries diminished the role their nation played in terrible events and criticized other nations for their actions.
The following is a curriculum audit of six grade social studies at Rockmart Middle School. Also, to recommend changes to the six grade social studies curriculum with a textbook program, this will ensure that Polk School District has a differentiated rigorous curriculum which challenges all students to reach their full potential while in the six grade. Rockmart Social Studies students at the middle school level develop an increased depth of understanding of global society by expanding their learning networks through collaboration with experts and other students from our local and worldwide communities. At the same time, their understanding of the fundamental principles and values of American democracy
Instead of exploring other options and learning differently many schools have chosen the same path, according to Educational Standards seventy one percent of school districts have canceled many electives such as musical, athletic and arts classes in order to focus in math and reading. As Educational Standards preaches, “Social studies prepares students to become acquainted with civil life, participation in politics, and major issues that govern the world.” With that being said, if schools become overly focused on math and reading, students will not be able to gain personal opinions on politics due to the lack of knowledge therefore relying on others for political advise. When the time arrives for students to vote many will but simply because they are of age to do so but not because they follow or understand politics in current
It has become common knowledge that the United States is falling behind the rest of the world. Economically, Industrially, and educationally, the rest of the world pushes forward and welcomes change while the United States clings to what it has known for decades. One of the largest gaps between the US and the rest of the world is its policy about second languages, and it puts the US at a disadvantage. Those who oppose change believe the US can better itself without making secondary language learning mandatory; they argue that it will cost more money, “turn students off” to learning a second language entirely, and that the benefits are not worth the costs. Unless a change is made in the United States’ language education, the country will continue to fall behind. Making learning a second language mandatory not only helps students, but the country as a whole by “raising the bar” and improving the country’s competitiveness with the rest of the world.
The most important social studies that permeate most aspects of life for every human being I think are the culture of people and the environment we live in.
There are many things wrong with the world right now and that does not exclude the US, while there are many issues with dealing with an increasingly global society but none of them are as easy to fix and as urgent reforming language education. Although it is important for language to be standardized so that we can all understand each other, the state of language education is holding back non-native and native speakers alike.
In a recent study, the National Geographic Society and the Asia Society shed light on a growing concern that showed students from the United States lacked understanding and knowledge of different people, places, and cultures around the world. This growing concern demanded higher-quality education as well as for teachers to understand the value and necessity of developing lessons based on global education. Since the 1980s, the United States government has tried repeatedly to introduce and incorporate multiculturalism and global education into the system but was met with hostility and protests by many of its citizens. Many protestors believed that global education introduces anti-Americanism, and that multiculturalism introduces and encourages "separatism and disunity". Therefore, it is important and necessary to inform and introduce the general public to the benefits of global education, or cultural education in general to our youth. This will help rise a more knowledgeable generation that is better equipped to deal, communicate, understand, and help the rest of the world.
Educators historically have argued over the propriety of offering various academic courses. One recent yet continuing argument on American college campuses tends to pit school against school, professor against professor, student against student, school against professor, professor against student and student against school. The issue is whether or not courses in a foreign language should be required to attain a Bachelor's degree. Some believe the idea is absurd, while others believe it is a progressive move toward 21st century education. Although some people believe the entire world should speak English, the reality is that all Americans should have some degree of formal education in a foreign language.
This report goes into detail about the reasons social studies is a core subject in the New Zealand curriculum, how social studies has a unique role in preparing children to be active and critical participants in a changing society, defines and explains what ‘powerful social studies’ is and lastly it will explain what qualities are required of a successful Social Studies teacher. For the purpose of this report “social studies is the systematic study of an integrated body of content from the social sciences and humanities to develop socially informed and effective citizens who are empowered with knowledge and skills in a changing society” (Barr, H., Graham, J., Hunter, P., Keown, P., & McGee, J. 1997, p. 5).
Trail, K. (2000). A changing nation: The impact of linguistic and cultural diversity on education.
International students may be sent to America to study, speak, write and read in English but the chance of encountering difficulties and struggles is high. According to researchers, learning English in America especially for foreign students is a difficult decision because one may not be able to become accustomed to the environment, behavior of difference culture and the acts of other around. English learners will also encounter reading disability because one cannot read English in a short time; additionally, international students usually struggle with reading English even though one may have the knowledge of the English language. No matter how many disadvantage the English language has, the world most common language will not be extinct because jobs, education and many other parts of the world use English as a primary
The concept of best practices in teaching is not a new one, and the discussion of how to implement the most effective strategies in social studies education is ongoing. By definition, social studies is a curriculum design focused on the relationships among multiple disciplines such as history, geography, philosophy, and the humanities, and its purpose is to help students develop the ability to make informed decisions with a world perspective. However, due to the ever increasing pressure from high-stakes testing, teachers feel the need to focus instead on memorization of names, dates, and other facts as the primary method for teaching social studies concepts (Au, 2011). For social studies instruction to be powerful, it must be meaningful, integrative, challenging, and active (NCSS, 1993), and as teachers begin to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction, they will need to weave in strategies that promote critical thinking, a skill that is inherently challenging for many adolescents.
Social Studies education is a subject in today’s schools that is undervalued. The study of social studies in schools help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (Seefeldt, Castle, & Falconer, 2010). When participating in social studies class children are learning so much about who they are, where they came from, how to succeed in the world, and more. Most of what we teach daily includes an aspect of social studies. But, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 de-emphasis or nonexistence of elementary social studies is the national focus because of high stakes testing (Sunal, & Sunal, 2008). Social studies