Best Practices in Social Studies
Natalie Wheeler
A Look at Social Studies Standards
- The National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) developed standards in 1994, These standards were updated in 2007. The NCSS standards focus on four learning skills.
- The four learning skills of the NCSS that are suppose to make social studies more meaningful, integrative, value based, challenging, and active are...
- acquiring in formation and manipulating data
- developing and presenting policies, arguments, and stories
- construction of new knowledge
- participating in groups
Partnership for the 21st Century
- Collaborated with NCSS to write social study standard for 14 different states
- Founded in 2002 by a major communications and computer business
- Standards are not clear
- Focuses on the "Four Cs" - Critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation.
- Media and technology skills are also stressed within the standards
- Focus is on what leading businesspeople believe are the skills Americans need to be successful.
Over the years many States have developed their own social studies standards, curriculum guidelines, and tests. These states included the NCSS standards as well. Listed below are the components of social study standards in 3 different states
California
California Standards consist of three categories...
1. A document called History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve.This document is ambitious-broad principals and outlines coursework for each grade level.
2. History-Social Science Content Standards, which lists the expectations for each grade.
3. the social science portions of the California Standards Tests
The actual standards are composed of lists of historic events, people, and social developments.
"History should be viewed as a story told"
Pennsylvania
Social studies standards are divide into four areas
1. Civics
2. Economics
3. Geography
4. History
The standards don't include events or places, rather ask students to analyze broad historical patterns.
The subitems include Big Ideas, Concepts, Competencies, Essential Questions, Vocabulary, and Exemplars.
Sample Question- "How can the story of another American, past or present, influence your life?"
South Carolia
- Students are required to summarize, explain, or compare various events, historical developments, people and concepts.
- Each document has to organize various material to be taught according to a revised version of Bloom's Taxonomy
- Standards also call for initiative and deeper thought by asking students to demonstrate responsible citizenship and use texts, photographs, and documents to observe and interpret social studies trends.
Qualities of Best Practice in Teaching Social Studies
- Investigate topics in depth!
- Give Choices for topic inquiry!
- Explore open ended questions
- Provide real world involvement and reading
- Provide time for independent inquiry and collaboration
- Build on prior knowledge, lives, and community understandings
- Explore other's and own cultures
- Don't track for social studies