Why Should We Study History?

William Shakespeare said- "There is history in all men's lives." I believe this assertion hits the importance of studying history at the most basic level. What has happened in the past is what has shaped our present and what will shape our future. No person is immune to the events and conquests of the past- although they may have already come and gone, the lasting effects of each historical event live on in our day to day lives. Everyone, regardless of age, gender, nationality, political or religious affiliation, is affected by history- we build off it, grow from it, and (if we're being smart) learn from it. Knowing where we've come from is instrumental for knowing where we're going.

Our students have the right to know what shaped our world today, and as educators it is our job to facilitate that learning. The study of history is so much more than just a time line of events. It delves into how society became the way it is- the development of cultures and the differences and similarities among the world's many diverse people, the advancement of many global systems (such as political, monetary, technological, and physical things such as transportation), and the constant change that is going on around us every day. One of the most intriguing things about the study of history and social studies is the role each of us play in it. It's so empowering to know that WE are part of the events that will shape tomorrow! The students sitting in today's elementary school classrooms are tomorrow's Nobel Prize winners, diplomats, and first female presidents. We owe it to them to provide the best social studies education we possibly can.

Lintner Quote

Lintner expressed that "A fundamental objective of social studies instruction is to link students’ lives and experiences to the lives and experiences of others." I definitely agree with this point of view. It is so important to help open students' eyes and minds to the diversity around us. Always focusing on our own limited experiences can lead to narrow mindedness. It's crucial to keep in mind that we represent a very limited perspective of a very large and diverse world! Children are very impressionable and I think often times they pick up the prejudices of their parents and peers. Sadly this can lead to stereotypical and egocentric ideas. As an educator, it will be my job to help open minds and let students "explore" the wonderful and diverse world around us. Of course that doesn't mean I can fly my students over to Beijing or Madrid whenever I want to show them a different culture or point of view (although with the continually dropping temperatures around here, Madrid is sounding pretty nice right about now...).
Social studies by nature is a global topic. Sometimes it can be hard for students to comprehend or appreciate something that they have never experienced though. That is why tools such as photographs, videos, and speakers can have such a great impact in linking diverse topics with student's own lives. Giving them a visual or a concrete example of a more abstract topic can help make it more relatable for students. We are also lucky that we live in such an advanced technological age that has made the world more connected than ever before. We can definitely use this to our advantage when helping students relate global issues to their own lives.

Search for Meaning

It is important for students of all ages to search for meaning in what they are learning. Searching for meaning helps make learning relatable and real for students- they are able to make connections and draw conclusions about what they are learning about and other areas of their life and learning.
I realized this week that in my entire college career I have only observed ONE social studies lesson being taught. Through all of my field experiences I have observed and worked with a range of students in both age and ability level. I have met old teachers, young teachers, traditional teachers, progressive teachers... but it feels as though the bulk of my experience has been centered around math and literacy instruction. Immediately I began to jump to conclusions. Am I completely unprepared?! If I was presented with the task of teaching a social studies mini-lesson tomorrow would I crash and burn?!
As this realization sank in I began to panic a little bit. That is until I stopped to think about it a little more rationally. I did a quick mental run-through of my learning experiences both in and out of the field experience classroom. It didn't take long before I noticed that although I might not have as much experience observing social studies as I have with other subjects I do have the knowledge and strategies to help me create meaningful social studies lessons. I think that is one of the most meaningful things I have taken away from our class so far. I have not only been learning ways to teach social studies material but also how to integrate my knowledge of other subject matter into my social studies lessons (and vice versa).
Although I do plan to try and incorporate some more social studies based observation experiences into my coming trips to the elementary school, I feel confident that our class has already helped prepare me with a wide range of ideas and strategies. I'm sure next semester during my student teaching I will be given plenty of opportunities to apply them! :)

Free Post!

Although having the freedom to write about anything sounds liberating enough, as an individual who is actually quite content with a little structure a free post can pose quite a challenge. It took me a while to decide what to write about but once I settled on a topic it turned out to be the most obvious topic of all. I recently filled out my Application for Diploma and we register for spring classes soon. As much as I hate to admit it, fall semester of my senior year is winding down, and that means student teaching and graduation are right around the corner! Although it feels like a chapter of my life is sadly drawing to a close, I am also so excited to take all of the wonderful knowledge I've learned while at Meredith and move forward into the official role of educator.

When I reflect back on why I chose teaching it's hard for me to pinpoint the exact origin of my desire to teach. It's almost as though the idea had always been there at the back of my mind.. in fact, I've hardly ever considered doing anything else (okay, I'll admit there was a brief "dolphin trainer" stage...). Since starting my teaching education I've not had any regrets about my decision. That being said, I'm not going to pretend it's been rainbows and butterflies the whole time. Because honestly- this stuff is hard! Not just the long hours and heavy workload but also the inherent desire to be your absolute best for these students. I think one of the most striking attributes about teachers is their unwavering belief in their students and their desire to offer every student the best learning experience humanly (no, superhumanly) possible. I know I've barely begun but I've already noticed time and time again that so much of the pressure and stress that teachers are under is self-induced simply as a byproduct of wanting to offer these students a truly wonderful education. The more classrooms I spend time in and the more teachers I observe and work with, the more I realize what big shoes we pre-service girls have to fill! This semester I'm observing and teaching mini-lessons in the first grade classroom that I will be student teaching in in the spring. My cooperating teacher is awesome and the students continue to amaze me with their intelligence, humor, and over-all precocious natures! The mix of emotions I feel when I leave the classroom is always a blend of excitement, awe, and just plain being overwhelmed! But it's in a good way, and I'm trying my best to be a sponge and to just absorb every ounce of experience and advice I can.

This past weekend I had an experience that just further cemented my assertion that there simply is no other profession for me besides teaching. One of our dear family friends stopped by the house with a surprise for me. She is a retired teacher who taught more or less every facet of elementary education during her 30+ years of teaching. When I opened the door to let her inside she presented me with a large cardboard box. From the outside it didn't look like much and there were no clues to give away its contents. Mrs. Cathy just nodded to me as I tentatively started to peel open the flaps of the box- and let out a large laugh as I squealed at what was inside. I was beaming as I sifted through the books, manipulatives, posters, lesson ideas, craft items, flash cards, and other gently loved items inside the box. Mrs. Cathy explained that she was sorting out her attic and needed to find new owners for things- and would I offer this box a loving home? I quickly assured her that it would be near impossible for anyone to pry the box out of my hands at that point! "It's just like CHRISTMAS!" I exclaimed, so completely excited about the tools now in my possession. "To you and me it is," Mrs. Cathy mused, "and that's what makes teachers a breed of their own."

Technology in the Classroom..?

Well I think it's safe to say my initial reaction to this blog's topic was YIKES. Who is this professor and where has she been for the last 10 or so years?! Technology is such an instrumental- and positive part of today's society!
Laptops, the internet, and the global connectivity resulting from them are some of the most valuable resources for learning at our disposal. I also believe that depriving students from a helpful tool to “force” them to interact is both silly and counterproductive. Laptops can be beneficial for typing notes, looking up information to support discussion, and sharing information.
Many times in my classes professors will ask us to look up an article, video clip, et cetera, and post it on Blackboard so that the whole class has access to everyone’s selection. It’s a quick and easy way to share information and instantly compile a wide selection of resources.
I also have a feeling that technology-deprived classrooms revolve around a professor standing at the front of the class and lecturing for an hour while students furiously hand write notes (if my personal experience is anything to go by, these notes are often so rushed, choppy, and written in shorthand that I am unable to decipher them later on… let alone share them with a classmate!). Maybe that’s a slightly biased point of view considering I’m a big fan of electronic notes (and how easy they are to bullet, number, and organize of course!), but I’m pretty sure the majority of college students would concur that electronic notes are the best thing since sliced bread.
Maybe this professor (and her supporters) are just jealous because they didn’t have such an awesome tool at their disposal when they were in college… but I think it's time they let it go and embraced all the good things technology has to offer in the classroom! :)

The Social Sciences

The social science disciplines are anthropology, economics, geography, history, sociology, and political science. Each of these disciplines has a unique and important role in a solid social studies curriculum.

Anthropology- whenever I think of Anthropology I automatically think of the word "people" (okay, not entirely true... I actually think of the shop Anthropologie... they have the most adorable and eclectic clothes!). Where was I..? Oh yes, people. Anthropology is generally categorized as the study of culture or the scientific study of human beings. Anthropologists incorporate elements of behavior, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, and other social sciences into their investigation of people and cultures. In a nutshell, anthropology looks at all the diverse characteristics of a culture and how they interrelate to make that culture unique. As a person who has always been an avid traveler (I hate to stay in one place for too long!) I have always been fascinated by different people and cultures.

Economics- no one can deny (especially in today's environment) that economics are at the central hub of daily life. Of course the first term that springs to mind is "money"! But economics is more than just monetary distribution, it's also all about the production and consumption of all goods and services. Instruction in this area can span from teaching responsible money management to the idea of supply and demand and the role and necessity of taxes. I was never that enthusiastic about this particular strain of social studies because to me economics=numbers, and that meant math. It's a generalization that largely ignores many of the other areas of economics, but I can't seem to stop my mind from jumping straight from "economics" to "math". Yes, math is important. Yes, math is everywhere. I understood that (and still do) and always put forth my best effort when it came to our tricky number friends. But I just never have enjoyed math. So any extra math time is just plain too much.

Geography- geography is more of what I quintessentially consider "social studies." Every social studies class I've ever had has had some form of map on the wall. Geography goes further than simply describing location, however. It encompasses all of the concepts of space- including all human activity (past and present), the implications of the culture of a place, and the relationships among them, on top of the traditional concepts of landforms, capitals, and longitude and latitude. Geography and anthropology seem to go hand-in-hand, because the physical make-up of a place can have so much impact on the culture of the people living there, and vice-versa. Knowledge of geography also helps students feel a sense of global connectivity. When my parents told us we were moving from England to the United States, the first thing they did was grab a globe and show us where North Carolina was located on it. There was something reassuring about seeing my current home and my future home pinpointed on that little tabletop globe. After all, it didn't really look that far away at all! (Though now that I think about it, what looked like a 30 or 40 minute swim to my nine year old brain was a little closer to 3,000 miles of choppy Atlantic waters...)

History- this is probably the first thing people think of when they consider "social studies." It's the cornerstone of where we've been, and where we're going. History considers all areas of life. When I think of history I think of time lines, ancient documents, and cheesy video reenactments. No one event is isolated, and a knowledge of the past is essential to an understanding of both the present and the future.

Sociology- this is another one of the more elusive terms that I don't always think of right away when considering social studies. Our text describes sociology as "the study of groups and the subsequent norms of behavior that human beings exhibit as a result of their group memberships." Because it looks at both behaviors and people, I guess it's kind of a hybrid between anthropology and psychology. Sociology looks at the behaviors and structures of groups, and how they change and adapt. It also considers social norms and roles, such as gender roles, age relationships, and occupations. One problem I have with this particular area is I have a tendency to lump it under the anthropology umbrella (which I guess I just did, oops!).

Political Science- political science involves the study of human behavior as it relates to political systems, governments, laws, and international relations. Of course the key word that jumps out to me is politics (I mean, it's in the name!). It is easy to incorporate this strand into classroom learning by making it relatable to students. Mock presidential debates and elections are a great way for students to explore the election process. However it's also important that students gain a good understanding of the processes behind our political system and government. I think one of my weaknesses in this area is simply a lack of understanding in the structure of our government. Obviously it's something I need to work on!

I believe I was lucky to have a pretty well-rounded education that covered all areas of social sciences. They weren't necessarily laid out and labeled for me, but thinking back to some of the activities we did I can see how anthropology or economics, etc., were incorporated. It's important to note that all of these areas work together and influence each other, so a solid social studies curriculum should definitely have all six!

Thoughts on Diversity...

The activity in last week's class was definitely a challenge for me. By nature I'm not very confrontational or assertive, so the idea of shouting out controversial ideas makes me squirm in my seat! When the activity was first introduced my initial thoughts were, "there is NO way I'm stepping on toes and nonchalantly offering up some stereotypical ideas! After all, these are the thoughts I keep shoved down in the back of mind. They're wrong, why would I want them written on the board for all to see?!" However, that unsettled feeling slowly started to dissipate as my fellow classmates began to shout out their own "not-so-PC" ideas... some of which mirrored my own thoughts that I was working so hard on repressing. Although I began to feel more comfortable confronting these ideas as they flew out of people's mouths and onto the board, I will admit I didn't reach the point where I felt I could add my own opinion to the mix. However, as uncomfortable as the activity made me feel, it also opened my eyes to the fact that, as teachers, we are going to be dealing with our own prejudices and the prejudices of others all the time.
As an educator I will have the responsibility of helping every student learn, regardless of whatever prejudices I may have. Unfortunately everyone picks up biases here and there, and as much as I would like to say I'm are free from them, the truth of the matter is I'm not. It's important to recognize that fact so I can move forward in a more accepting and understanding way. Every student has the right to learn. I don't care if they're rich, poor, boy, girl, what color their skin is, who their parents are, if they're visiting from the moon... every child has the right to learn.
And of course that's in my power to control... how I treat my students rests fully on my shoulders. But how my students treat each other is another matter. I want my classroom to be a warm and accepting place. Students should feel comfortable to express ideas and opinions, and not feel like they have to follow the group or be a certain way. It's the different ideas, strengths, and weaknesses of everyone that makes the strongest learning environment. I hope to facilitate this acceptance in my students by being a good role model and creating learning experiences that honor differing ideas. I like to think of a classroom as a quilt- with every student being a different, but no less beautiful, piece.