Social Studies

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Social studies has always been my favorite subject, because of its amorphous and open-ended qualities. According to psychology, learning occurs with disequilibrium the event when new emerging experiences or thoughts shatter preconceived opinions or constructs that an individual had before the experience. It is this discomfort and the resulting assimilation or acculturation that triggers learning. The brain struggles to come up with either a rejection of the experience or acceptance as a truth.. Out of all subjects, social studies provides the best environment for positive disequilibrium. Instead of focusing on what should or should not be taught, I will teach within the existing system and try to facilitate discourse to add constructively to the disequilibrium and thus create a conducive environment for learning and perception expansion. I do not seek to create a standard, but instead I seek to teach effectively using the results of standardized psychology experiments that have proven effective regardless of the protests of certain scholars such as Rochester. I must achieve a number of goals in order to fulfill my ideological goals: My students should know what is required of them by their curriculum and then some, they should also be able to individually reflect upon the significance of their knowledge, and what they value should be decided to their own determination. My students should develop competency in forming unique personalized opinions that are constantly re-evaluated. First, students must possess a solid foundation of general information. This information should be the information that the local school board has approved. I will not fight this, it is not something I can possibly change on my own. Further complic... ... middle of paper ... ...tance and theories. By participating in this open-ended microcosm my students will hopefully develop pride in the freedom of speech that our country has established. I want them to remain open-minded and understand that there is always room for disequilibrium and learning. Thus by developing pride in free speech and maintaining an open mind, my students might become active and willing participants in our republic's political and social spheres. I do not want my students opinions and ideals to be cheap mass manufactured concepts created by oversimplified textbooks designed for standardized testing. Instead, I want at least a few of my students to become unique fragments of opinion and belief amongst many millions of others that through constant interaction and grouping can create a more accurate reflection of the diverse population that composes our republic.

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