Chapter 13

 

As a graduate student studying education, much of my knowledge comes from my text. I have learned a great deal about Geography instruction and its pedagogical value from the final chapter. My conclusion from my examination of the chapter is that Geography instruction is well structured with a variety of tools. For example, there are 5 themes of Geography which can be studied individually to construct the student’s understanding of the study of Geography. If we apply the cooperative learning model which was the focus of my graduate study during this term, we will discover that an instructor can apply the JIGSAW method here. Each individual in a base group would be tasked with learning one of the 5 themes in an expert group. Then, when each student returns to their original base group, they can share what they have learned. As an educator in training, I believe the themes of Geography are an excellent centerpiece for a cooperative lesson.

Of course, there is a plethora of effective lessons outside the cooperative model such as mapping your own community. I believe such a task would cause students to learn about their community as a bonus to learning the different parts of a map. By having students create a map, it requires the 2 highest steps of Bloom’s metacognitive pyramid; creating and applying. Therefore, a project such as mapping the community could be a good way to end a unit about the Location theme of Geography. Tools such as keys, compasses and scales support teaching these concepts. These tools can be incorporated in other teaching strategies outlined in the text such as a treasure hunt. As a graduate student, my journey this term began with a scavenger hunt. As I reflect on that experience, I found it fun and engaging. I had to use my metacognitive thought and knowledge of Social Studies to solve the puzzles and clues. A Geography treasure hunt would challenge the student’s ability to apply knowledge to fulfill their task.

As an educator in training, I believe it’s one thing to memorize information for a limited length of time and it’s another to put that information to work. Using knowledge is the best way to foster real learning. Putting the student’s Geography skills to work further develops and reinforces their level of understanding. The same is true for an athlete who practices their workouts and drills each day. The more the athlete practices, the better he/she becomes at their sport. To conclude my argument on this point, application of skills is not only an accurate assessment of the student’s knowledge, it is also a way to develop it.

The text highlights a creative cross-curricular method for teaching Geography using literature and mapping skills. The example provided in my graduate text uses the Wizard of Oz story as the centerpiece of a mapping lesson. I believe students would truly enjoy this since it involves their creativity to map the significant landmarks in the story. In addition, cross-curricular lessons such as this one, are great solutions to the time problem that looms over Elementary teachers like a dark shadow. Instructors often run out of time trying to cover all their material stipulated in the state curriculum. Cross-curricular lessons solve this by incorporating multiple disciplines at once. In my study as a graduate student, I have been taught to avoid assigning homework. But what if homework is another answer to the time problem. The obvious problem with homework is that a teacher can’t be available to answer questions. On the other hand, the good news is that technology addresses that problem. Technology allows students to communicate better than ever before with their classmates and the post-COVID world will make it even easier.

The COVID19 Pandemic has been an enlightening time for teachers and budding educators such as myself. The chaos and disorder have caused educators to adapt by using tools such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Pear Deck interactive slides, Nearpod and so much more. These are not going away with the defeat of COVID19. Rather, they will remain tools for Geography teachers to use to teach each of the previously mentioned lessons and more. Technology will evolve these conventional lessons and I can’t wait to see what comes of it.

 

Chapter 12

 

As an educator in training, my study of my text informs me about the role of teaching history. As I read this particular section of my text, I discovered that I agree with much of the assertions and ideas. History is my personal favorite piece of Social Studies primarily because of its hands-on aspect. I have often asserted in the past that learning about different times is like travelling to a foreign land. The past is simply impossible for us to wrap our minds around because we only know our way of living. It’s nearly impossible to empathize with someone who lived during the American Revolution. According to my text, history teaches us perspective and how our society came to be (). When I began my Social Studies Methods course, I defined Social Studies as the story of our origins. I defined it that way because I believed that it was all about history. Therefore, I gave my definition of history. After reading the chapter, I felt that my definition of history was validated.

History may be exciting but it comes with its challenges. For example, many educators struggle to cover their material as stipulated in the curriculum. This leads to anxiety which blocks learning. The other nemesis that haunts social studies teachers is how to talk about sensitive concepts to a culturally diverse class. If we discontinue teaching the Big Lie that is the first Thanksgiving then how do we tell the truth? The next problem highlighted in my text is the holes, exaggerations, biases and inaccuracies in history. That is the leading reason why as a future educator, I plan to teach my students to cross examine different perspectives in their search for truth.

An effective way for educators to address some of the previously highlighted problems is by using a strategy called EPIC. EPIC stands for Experience, Perception, Information and Connections. In the past I have asserted that students will not remember concepts that are not significant to them. The EPIC strategy creates connections by drawing from the student’s life experiences that parallels the concept under study. This is accomplished during the opening Experience stage. Next (Perception), students are tasked with reflecting about those experiences by recalling thoughts and feelings and comparing different points of view. Once the student’s interest has been sparked, the instructor moves on to introduce concrete information to the students (Information). Finally, the teacher highlights the connections shared in the Experience stage between the student’s thoughts and the topic (). According to my text, this is an effective way to make the past more relatable for students. Although it may be effective in switching on the student’s minds, I do not believe it will establish a deep connection with the past.

As a professional historian, I have discovered the best connections with our history is through artifacts and the sights themselves. The strongest example of this is a living history museum because it possesses both. In the 5^th Grade, I had the good fortune to visit one of the best living history communities in the country; Colonial Williamsburg. There, museums and artifacts surround visitors. Beyond that, visitors can watch demonstrations of matchlock and flintlock muskets along with the Guttenberg Printing Press and so much more. I remember purchasing reproductions of all the important documents, visiting the Yorktown Battlefield and trying on a British uniform! I visited a windmill, gunsmith and actors playing the key figures from Virginia such as Patrick Henry. Not only did I watch but I left with one of the first authentic items in my military collection. That is when I discovered that objects from the past are our direct portals to the past. Only authentic artifacts tell us the plain, raw, untainted truth. It is my hope that one day I can mount these artifacts and replicas to the walls of my classroom.

My text lists a variety of items for teachers to use to draw students to learning. I found games to be the most interesting. After pondering the idea of teaching with games, fun and interesting lessons suddenly sprung out of my mind. I thought of a way to create a lesson plan around the game of Dungeons and Dragons. Since the game is a campaign that follows a story controlled by a “Dungeon Master”, almost any historical period can be adapted to the game. The students can name their own characters and decide what they do in the story as they learn about different time periods. The text shines a spotlight on how relatives can be part of a history lesson by sharing stories and pictures with their children about their youth. They can be helpful in constructing a family tree. I believe that a family tree project is perfect for teaching young students how to conduct research professionally for a purpose that is significant to them (family).

History is such an exciting topic but it is important to note that the attitude of the teacher will spread to the students. No matter how exciting history is, if the instructor is dull, down and dry then the content will be too. For the most part, my viewpoints as an educator in training are in check with those in the text. Plugging the holes in historical pedagogy is up to the creativity of the teacher.     

 

Chapter 11

 

The study of civics in social studies is of particular importance today and educators should be diligent about teaching its key concepts to students. We currently live in a historic time with Trumpism, COVID, black lives matter, conspiracy theories about our government and a Capital attack. Since we live in a Democratic society, we must teach students about their role in this picture. This is where that old saying “Knowledge is power” comes into play. As educators, the more we can shed light on our student’s rights as citizens the more active they can be.

As an educator in training, I believe we have failed when it comes to teaching the importance of the vote. I have herd time and again during elections that their vote doesn’t count or doesn’t matter. I have been told that our government is corrupt and the choices we are given during election time are all self-interested and corrupt. The question is, are these the conclusions of a properly educated citizen. I believe the answer is simple. As President Joe Biden bluntly put it during his final debate against former President Trump, NO! According to my text as a graduate student, one of the benefits of civics education is to “improve our democratic shortfalls.” If we examine the 2016 election, we can conclude based on the low voter turn out that there is tremendous apathy. It appears that in spite of our efforts to educate students about their role in government, we have failed.

According to my text, another intended benefit of civics education is “to improve our idea of civic equity.” If we take a close look at the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, we will discover the strong presents of hate and racial prejudice. The murder of George Floyd is proof that the education system has failed. As a graduate student tasked with studying how these issues are related to how we educate our students, I have come up with my own theories to explain these failures. I believe the apathy is rooted in the distance between the ordinary citizen and the government. Much of what goes on feels far away and doesn’t impact us. To solve this, educators must find ways to “put our students in touch with the government” such as organizing field trips to Washington D.C. However, after the capital riot, such visits will be difficult to arrange. As a future educator, I might consider organizing or attending an event with my class. For example, I could organize a visit with the local government. Educators must show as well as talk about the connections between them and our distant representatives on capital hill. I also believe that communicating with a politician or representative can be intimidating. Therefore, as a future educator, I will teach my students how to communicate with politicians about issues that concern them. Students must learn how the decisions made in Washington affect their lives because they do!

As I have asserted in class, “people are entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts.” If we take a good hard look around, we can see the truth about how our government works is slowly being eroded. The biggest example of this is something known as the big lie which states that Democrats unlawfully stole the 2020 election from former President Trump. Individuals who believe this assertion clearly don’t understand that our government doesn’t choose its own leaders. Only the vote of the people determines our next leader. This could be the result of poor education. I believe the individuals who voted for former President Trump were simply angry with the results. We live in a time where the truth is being lost and it is vital to teach it. Another shinning example of the truth becoming lost are those who don’t believe in climate change.

In terms of methods suggested by my book, I believe sharing power with the students is one of the best ways of teaching about activism and government. Many schools also have a form of student government in which there is a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Each of these jobs teaches students their role in our government. When I was an undergraduate student at Mount Saint Mary College, there was a student government and I was a representative for one of the school’s clubs. In our government, we have senators which represent each state in congress. When I was in Elementary school, I was elected by my classmates as their class representative. I believe this form of learning by doing is the strongest way to teach students how they can make a difference.

The next method I have explored in practice and theory. It is known as JIGSAW and it is a form of cooperative instruction. As an educator in training, I believe JIGSAW plugs many potential holes in the cooperative instruction model. For example, it holds each group member accountable for their role in the group’s objective. Each group member depends on the success of the others to accomplish a shared objective. The JIGSAW method creates an environment where students help each other causing growth and active learning. In terms of teaching civics in social studies, a teacher could organize groups to research the three branches of government as well as key individuals such as the President. Groups can be created to research the jobs and roles of each of the President’s cabinet members. I strongly believe that JIGSAW also addresses increasing classroom diversity since students would learn acceptance by learning about their peers.

To conclude, we live in a historic time. Events are unfolding around us which our students must learn about. They must feel secure when expressing their feelings. School is a safe place where each student’s feelings must be validated. The truth is that 70 years after Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X, here we are again witnessing the rise of the second Civil Rights movement. Clearly hate and prejudice still runs hot in America’s blood. The question Educators must ask themselves at this point is; “can we find the antidote to these issues somewhere in our teaching?” All I know is that I’m studying to become an educator to change the world and each day I turn on the news, I discover what I will be up against. After examining my text and working with my professors and peers, I feel better armed with the tools I will need to strike down these enemies and do my part to create a better world.

Chapter 10

 

As an educator in training, I have learned about the economic aspect of teaching social studies. I still am getting used to the idea that social studies is not just about history. As a student who always attended high quality schools and lived in a safe upper middle-class community, I found it difficult to wrap my brain around the effects of living in poverty on academic achievement and even disabilities. The bottom line is that by educating the next generation about making smart decisions with the resources they have, maybe we can help them build a better future.

My text discusses something called affluenza which is the concept of emptiness in our society even though we are surrounded with more “stuff” than ever before. Lives are empty, unfulfilled and unsatisfied because there’s always something new or something better. A shinning example of this is the evolution of the iPhone. Since the software is constantly being updated, our hardware is constantly outdated and it’s time to get a new one. These “things” that constantly fade in and out resemble the concept of a fad. Although fads become obsolete for a different reason, I believe it is a very similar concept to planned obsolescence discussed previously. My text shines a spotlight on the idea that children, unlike many other consumers, influence their parents’ financial decisions. Reading this immediately triggered a flash-back to a time in my childhood when I enjoyed playing with the new Star Wars action figures. I remember shopping in the Target store with my parents and how I begged them to buy me the newest action figure hanging from the shelf (I didn’t get it).     

Economics is a vital piece of social studies because it directly impacts educators and students. According to my graduate text, class size can increase which directly impacts the teacher’s ability to adequately distribute their attention to help students learn. The important thing to remember is that students are the forefront of economics. In other words, it is one of the two Social Studies disciplines that teaches the student’s place in our world; economics and civics. For example, attaining a career will affect their quality of life. By acquiring the appropriate skills, a student can learn to transform those skills into a service and exchange it for money. If we revisit my brief memory of my experience at Target, we can apply an even more vital concept. I believe the most important economic lessons educators can teach is how to earn things rather than learning to feel entitled. I have observed the absence of ambition and humility in the next generation. To put it plainly, our children do not feel they have to earn things. Learning how to do chores at home is an exchange of a service for a small allowance. If I was earning an allowance as a child, I could have bought myself that Star Wars action figure. It is important to note that the socioeconomic status of every family is different and not everyone can afford to grant their child an allowance. As an educator in training, I believe this can be addressed in the classroom. I would teach this idea by assigning different jobs to each of my students or group of students in exchange for fake money which they could use to trade for something such as candy, free time or a small toy. I would also implement games such as Monopoly to teach key economic concepts. Implementing the game of Monopoly creates a learning environment where students must apply their knowledge of managing money to win.  

 Of course, quality of life is also determined by how we teach our students to make decisions. My graduate text highlights the importance of teaching children the difference between wants and needs. I believe that the concept of wants vs. needs is the foundation for learning to manage money. We can even connect this with the other Social Studies discipline that shines a spotlight on the place of students; civics. Since part of our responsibilities as citizens is paying taxes to the government, we must teach our student not only how to make basic decisions, but also how to manage a complex budget.

It is important to note that the COVID19 pandemic has profoundly affected how we educate our children. The truth is that our classrooms are getting larger and more diverse. Our classrooms are becoming melting pots of different socioeconomic backgrounds. With more children living in poverty, their access to a quality education is diminished. The bottom line is that we can’t assume that we will ever return to the way things were. Rather, we must use our passion and creativity as teachers to bring education to everyone and move forward.