Social Studies Philosophy Paper When most people think of social studies, they think of history or government, including myself, until now. After my first semester of college studying social studies education I realize it is so much more than history and government; or even geography, economics, and sociology. Social studies is the study of us— humans that is— and social studies education is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, more so than most realize. As a future social studies teacher, I now realize that importance. Before understanding social studies education, it is important to discuss what social studies is, how and why we should teach it, and lastly why I make a good candidate to be a social studies teacher. If social …show more content…
The author of What Happened to Social Studies (2007), explains this perfectly by stating, “If our young people… do not understand or value our democracy and their role in such a society and do not believe that they can make a difference, why does school matter?” The ultimate goal of school is to raise kids to be functioning members of society. Without social studies, children are unable to be just that. I feel very strongly towards this statement, and realize that without social studies, the future of our country and society is in the hands of youth who doesn’t think that their voice matters. As a social studies teacher I want my students to understand their place in society, and realize just how important their voice is. There is a lack of public confidence in current social studies programs, and if educators wish to improve this, they must begin to look at what students say needs to be improved (Schug, 1984). I have learned and understand the problems in social studies education that has accumulated over the years. I know I will be able to provide my students with authentic instruction that they will be able to make connections with to their own lives. The skills and methods I have learned thus far at Bowling Green State University makes me a good candidate to teach not just my students, but the future of our
Loewen’s idea that history textbooks are to blame is true. “Moreover, the processes have changed over time, for the class structure in America today is not the same as it was in 1890, let alone in colonial America. Yet in Land of Promise, for example, social class goes unmentioned after 1670” (Loewen 205). It is not possible to teach someone to be passionate about the issues that affect them, if they do not learn all of the facts. Kozol’s idea of “cutting class size and constructing new school buildings or providing universal preschool” (Kozol 414) are great ideas. However, Kozol’s ideas only address a part of the
According to the speakers in the film, the purpose of education is to have a well-informed public that can be active members of society and participate in the democratic process. The main priority of many schools thoughtout the United States is to teach to the standard tests and to concentrate heavily on language arts and mathematics. Many of the teachers in this film believe that the focus should be more balanced and should have more focus on civic education and having a more informed student. These teachers believe starting as early as kindergarten and integrating civic education into every subject in school.
Besides the classroom, nowhere in modern society emphasizes learning for the sake of knowledge. In society, the people who receive praise are the ones who did not have a solid education. America has become obsessed with success stories that forgo education because educational knowledge no longer contains any value. American leaders do not make an extra effort to try and fix the failing education system, so if the world powers of America do not care to make progressive improvements for the education system, why should citizens of America even care about the education system? The students in school have picked up on these thoughts and instead of listening to the classroom teacher the students listen to the world teachers. Barber defines these world teachers as “the nation’s true pedagogues, are television, advertising, movies, politics, and the celebrity domains they define.” (Barber, 2014, p. 2.). These leaders have different values than the values set as the standard by the education system. The education system values wisdom, knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to articulate one’s thoughts and ideas convincingly. While the American system contrasts these ideas: “We honor ambition, we reward greed, we celebrate materialism, we worship acquisitiveness, we cherish success, and we commercialize the classroom. . . We recommend history to the kids but rarely consult it ourselves. (Barber, 2014, p. 4.). This reasoning lays the foundation for the destruction of the school system. Adults do not find value in education, but they encourage their children to try and find value in area the adults do not. Children have caught on to this and decided the absolute best option for them to success is to flee the classroom setting and surround themselves in the world where they can learn firsthand the steps to become successful. The societal influence cultivates children more effectively than the classroom
If one were to ask a group of high school seniors questions like, “Who was the first U.S. president?” or, “What equation is associated with the Pythagorean Theorem?” they would likely discover that the majority of the students would answer correctly. However, if one were to pose the questions, “Why did the Civil War occur?” or, “Why are international trade relations between other countries important to the U.S.?” they would receive fragmented responses at best; few students would be able to provide clear and concise answers. This simulated example clearly underscores some of the current flaws in the education system across the nation. Instructors teach students, and expect them to learn; they do not teach them how to learn. Many educators have taught students well how to compile trivia and miscellaneous facts, but few have truly embraced the method of critical thought in the classroom. Kansans praise the system for the improving test scores, yet they fail to see through the blanket of such pseudo-success, and they do not realize the true mediocrity of the Kansas educational curriculum. Secondary schools in Kansas should place a greater emphasis on critical thinking in the classroom.
Every individual has encountered social issues within a community. A social issue is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual 's control and local geographical environment. Social issues have evolved over time, ranging from underage drinking to gay marriage. What all social issues have in common is the affect that these issues have on a community. These problems point to the lack of balance and inequality which is a law of nature. History has proved that equality cannot be achieved on a physical level, but the idea of equality is still alive. Throughout, my paper I will discuss interrelation between discrimination, poverty, health, and violence. I will also explore their impact on the individual social issues.
"Learning social studies is to no small extent, learning to be stupid." (LMTTM 298.) What happens when history teachers and textbooks lie? Not only will the children grow up to be uneducated, but they'll continue to teach the same lies to their own children. The excuse most teachers use, according to Loewen, is they "feel they are supposed to defend and endorse America." (LMTTM 289.) If teachers told students about Woodrow Wilson being racist, Columbus forcing Indians into slavery, or how the FBI worked against the civil rights movement then children would be too aware of how the world works. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, because the truth is always better than a lie, regardless of how ugly it may be. In order to be a truly good American, children must learn this country's true his...
The civics education in the United States needs to be reevaluated. Few teachers have the knowledge to develop civic literacy within their students, and are not supported in doing so. Today more than half of high school government teachers can not give adequate explanations of civic topics. (Black) In the article “Tomorrow's Citizens,” author ...
The inability of Social Studies Instruction to make an impact in the society have been blamed on teaching methods that stress the Cognitive domain or recall of knowledge to the neglect of the affective objectives. This point has been buttressed by the Nigerian Institute of teachers as a reason for the failure of social studies to effect changes in the society. The NTI (2006), is of the opinion that, the youths are rich in knowledge of social studies and facts but deficient in expected social values, attitudes and behaviors that commensurate the subject taught and learnt in the classroom.
Successful social studies teachers are always looking at ways to improve their current knowledge and keep up with improved pedagogical developments. A successful social studies teachers will incorporate things relevant to their inquiry throughout the lessons to help the students understand concepts and not just add them all on at the end to confuse the students. If you are a successful social studies teacher you will use a range of different approaches to teaching students for example you wouldn’t just do all practical lessons or all writing lessons they will mix it up and have a bit of everything in there . To be a successful social studies teacher you can’t be closed mined you need to be open minded to be able to put away personal views and give students a fair chance to make up their own mind about the way they feel about issues or topics. They need to be able to show all points not just the things they think are relevant or
As I was reading a lot of things stood out to me. I never thought about public education being a topic to be discussed deeply. In the book A Place Called School Goodlad states, “Teachers frequently have perceived themselves as confronting difficult problems of teaching less motivated students: “some of our classrooms are loaded with youths who have no wish to be there, whose aim is not to learn but to escape from learning” (pg.12). Reading this section of the reading made me so sad because unfortunately I do see how different our generation is becoming, and that affects students at school. During an internship I had last year at an elementary school I remember hearing a student say, “learning is for losers”. I was really surprised with what
The democratic teaching position offers students different perspectives on an issue while encouraging them to seek different points of views and to think divergently (Grant & Gillette, 2006). This is important when discussing current events and social issues in a classroom because varying opinions will be present, even at a young age. As a facilitator of discussions, teachers need to teach their students a multitude of viewpoints on varying issues so they are able to create their own beliefs on issues. The teacher needs to be sure not to persuade any of their students to hold one opinion or the other which can be done if teachers provide the beliefs of all the parties involved. Students need to begin learning how to form opinions on their own and having discussions on topics where all viewpoints are included. This is helpful in social reconstructionism because the curriculum of this philosophy will focus on social injustices were many different opinions will be fostered but all students will be required to be respectful of others’ viewpoints. This skill can begin at a young age as it is one all people will need throughout
Teacher Interview summary: I had the pleasure of interviewing the 3rd grade social studies teacher Mr. Columbie. As I observed Mr. Columbie on a weekly basis, I would constantly ask him questions on how he taught social studies in his classroom and what strategies he uses. Mr. Columbie informed me that he teaches social studies in his classroom once a week, but now that the students are preparing for the FSA test he has not been teaching social studies. He explained that the schools main focus is that every teacher is teaching and building students math and reading skills. He also explained to me that he can get in trouble with the principle if he were to teach a full social studies lesson in his classroom. He told me that for social studies he is giving his students reading passages and the students are answering comprehension questions at the end of the reading.
When starting this course, I was introduced to the main questions surrounding the field of Social Studies Education: What is Social Studies? Why and How should we teach it? From this class I have been able to understand each of these questions and how they interplay with one another, in order formulate my own thoughts on each. This combination of these questions ultimately defines why I feel I would be a good candidate to teach Social Studies. When coming to a conclusion regarding what the topic of social studies is, I realized that ultimately, it’s about people. The way people interact, alter their landscape, build systems of government, and shape the current society from past events. Each of these different human actions, it defines a specific
History is a series of important past events that connect with something. History is what makes people make better decisions. There are many definitions of history and everyone has their own.
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