Digital Commons Network^™

Closing The Knowledge Gap With Literacy-Infused And Rich Social Studies Content, Jeffrey Leffler, Ksenia Zhbanova

Journal of Research Initiatives

Social studies have been marginalized in early childhood education amid the prevalence of standardized testing and political issues. However, a comprehensive approach to early education, including social studies, is gaining attention. This article emphasizes the significance of incorporating social studies into early childhood curriculum, illuminating its potential to enhance children's cognitive and social-emotional development. The second important aspect of this article focuses on the role of social studies in literacy skill development through building background knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills of young children.

Teaching The New Deal: 1932-1941 – Review And Analysis, Susan M. Foster, Brian Walker Johnson

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Teaching the New Deal: 1932-1941 is a text of crucial and timely importance for students and teachers of middle and high school social studies. Through the lenses of four major themes, authors demonstrate inquiry-based pedagogy to intentionally provoke students to consider non-binary conclusions that closely examine the purported heroes, villains, and martyrs of traditional historical narratives. Rather than presenting a factual or ideological approach to teaching disciplinary standards, this text depicts the New Deal Era as a period in history that can be used to critically and creatively discuss the politics of personal identity and to explore the legacies of …

Digital Library Of Georgia News (April 2024), Mandy L. Mastrovita, Sheila Mcalister

Georgia Library Quarterly

News from the Digital Library of Georgia covering January 1-March 31, 2024

Building Connections: The Power Of Embedding Literacy And Math Content Into Science And Social Studies Contexts, Rachel Hallett-Njuguna Edd

Constellations: Online STEM Teacher Education Journal

Nationally, the lack of improvement in literacy scores continues to baffle experts. Instructional leaders from math, science, and social studies in one district knew the value of leveraging their subject areas to support literacy achievement in secondary students. Starting with an engaging STEM-related novel, the group of curriculum experts developed meaningful literacy connected tasks for their teacher and teacher leader participants. Working through the activities as their students would, the group found a new appreciation for the importance of leveraging the relevance of science and social studies content and the usefulness of math content when creating literacy lessons. The group’s …

Integrating Democracy Learning And Prophetic Social Studies At Baitusalam Islamic School Yogyakarta, Nasiwan Nasiwan, Taat Wulandari, Agustina Tri Wijayanti

Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan

This paper describes an attempt to integrate Islamic and scientific values into social studies education with the aim of developing prophetic social science theory to explain social problems from this perspective. The study focuses on the implementation of this theory at Baitusalam Islamic School in Yogyakarta, using qualitative research methods such as observation, interviews, and documentation. The findings suggest that social studies learning Islamic values that develop boarding power, with the learning process incorporating these values into planning, implementation, and assessment. However, the study also identifies challenges in the integration process, such as the lack of student textbook references that …

Making Quality Children’S Literature An Essential Ingredient: How Middle And High School Teachers Can Spice Up Their Lessons, Joy Hatcher, Joann Wood

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

Using the language of cooking, the authors argue convincingly for the inclusion of quality children and young adult literature as an ingredient in social studies lessons at the middle and high school levels. They provide steps for using literature as a source, blending literature with inquiry, selecting the best titles, keeping up with new works, and point to a few especially helpful titles to illustrate their message.

Developing Horizontal Expertise With Professional Learning Communities In Social Studies Teacher Preparation, Charles Tocci, Ann Marie Ryan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

As teacher education programs become increasingly organized around accreditation and licensure standards, finding opportunities to be responsive to teacher candidates' needs and interests has become more difficult. This paper traces the evolution of a professional learning community for secondary social studies teacher candidates as a key feature of one teacher education program and analyzes the collaborative projects designed for the purpose of developing horizontal expertise. We find that professional learning communities can serve as dynamic spaces to co-construct learning experiences with candidates in ways that prepare them for future professional learning as practicing social studies teachers.

Interdisciplinary Read Alouds: Building Background Knowledge To Support Learning Across Science And Social Studies, Lyndsey Bensel

Michigan Reading Journal

Science and social studies instruction at the elementary level has diminished in quantity and quality as a result of increasing pressure to maximize English language arts achievement. Research establishes a strong connection between background knowledge gained through content area learning and the ability to comprehend expository texts. Deprioritizing science and social studies instruction limits opportunities to explore disciplinary literacy practices which serve as the foundation for acquiring knowledge in different disciplines. This paper explores interdisciplinary read aloud lessons as an introduction of disciplinary literacy skills to elementary students. Interdisciplinary read aloud lessons can also support students in acquiring background knowledge …

Obstacles To Employing Virtual Reality Technology In History For The Second Secondary Grade In Jerash Governorate From The Point View Of Social Studies Teachers, Maen Hamdan S. Alzboun

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education (مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية (للبحوث في التعليم العالي

The article aimed to identify the obstacles to employing virtual reality technology in the history subject for the second secondary grade in Jerash Governorate from the viewpoint of social study، in addition to developing procedures to overcome the obstacles to employing virtual reality technology in the history subject for the second secondary grade in Jerash Governorate from the social study teachers’ point of view. The researcher used the descriptive approach of the comprehensive survey، and the study tool was the questionnaire، and the study population consisted of all social studies teachers in Jerash Governorate. The sample of study consisted of …

Securing Global Health: Global Citizenship And Covid-19 Awareness, Birol Bulut, Muhammed Kursat Oksuzoglu

Georgia Educational Researcher

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prospective social studies teachers' global citizenship levels and their COVID-19 awareness levels. To do that, Relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The sample consisted of 409 prospective social studies teachers selected by simple random sampling method from six universities in Turkey. Global Citizenship Scale (GCS), The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Awareness Scale (CAS), and the Personal Information Form developed by the researchers were used in data collection. The t-test, Pearson Correlation Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis were per-formed to analyze data. A positive and significant relationship …

Graphic Models And Instructional Tools For Students With Special Needs (Revised), Edward A. Polloway, Jacqueline Lubin

LC Journal of Special Education

This document is intended for educators with interest in students with special needs. It provides various graphical models and instructional tools that relate to teaching reading, writing, math, and social studies and science to students with disabilities. The paper is divided into four sections: reading, writing, math, social studies and science. In each section, multiple examples of models are provided. The information provided can be used for general knowledge, as part of course content in special education classes and/or as reference material. The authors acknowledge the work of Allison Meade and Wendy Bailey-Joseph in developing an earlier edition of this …

A Comprehensive Look Of Social Studies Instruction Seeking Effective Strategies, Lihua Yang

LC Journal of Special Education

First, this paper explains the possible barriers of instruction efficiency in social studies. Effective approaches, including application of universal design for learning, mnemonics, learning strategies, graphic organizers, and controversial discussion, are then reviewed to address learning problems in social studies. Thirdly, informal assessments such as portfolio, critical tools of preparing students in taking state wide assessment and tools of learning executive skills such as self-management, are discussed. Finally, this paper acknowledges the importance of effective instructional strategies in social studies and encourages educators to embrace student with different learning needs in social studies. Assessments are also emphasized to be incorporated …

Enacting Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: Essential Practices In Action, Darin B. Stockdill, Stacie B. Woodward

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

In this paper, we will explore elements of the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy: Grades 6-12 , a statewide initiative in Michigan designed to support exactly this kind of teaching. In particular, we will discuss key instructional implications of the Essential Practices for both social studies and ELA instruction and highlight important commonalities and distinctions across these two content areas. We provide concrete examples of these practices in action as we share activities and reflections from a curricular project we undertook with US History and ELA teachers called Equitable Futures. In this initiative, teachers engaged their students in inquiry-driven …

Steam Explores Project Based Assessments, Erica Luvone, Loretta Radulic, Joe Mondanaro, Nicole Acevedo, Erika Dent, Ann Rhodes

STEM Month

This year, our approach to STEAM explores project based assessments in the disciplines of science and social studies. Students work in groups to produce projects that showcase work and proficiency. These projects are presented, displayed, discussed, and revisited or revised at student discretion.

فاعلية استخدام موقع تعليمي تفاعلي في تدريس الدراسات الاجتماعية في تنمية التحصيل والتفكير الناقد لدى طالبات الصف العاشر بسلطنة عمان. The Effectiveness Of Using Interactive Learning Website For Teaching Social Studies To Develop Achievement And Critical Thinking Of 10th Grade Students In Sultanate Of Oman, أنفال عاشور العجمية, أحمد الربعاني

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى الكشف عن فاعلية استخدام موقع تعليمي تفاعلي في تدريس الدراسات الاجتماعية في تنمية التحصيل والتفكير الناقد لدى طالبات الصف العاشر بسلطنة عمان، واستخدم المنهج شبه التجريبي لتحقيق أهدافها، وتألفت العينة من (52) طالبة من طالبات الصف العاشر للتعليم الأساسي، وقد قسمت العينة إلى مجموعتين: المجموعة التجريبية تكونت من (26) طالبة درست باستخدام الموقع التعليمي التفاعلي، والمجموعة الضابطة تكونت من (26) طالبة درست بالطريقة الاعتيادية, وجمعت البيانات بواسطة اختبار تحصيلي، واختبار للتفكير الناقد تم التأكد من صدقهما من قبل المحكمين، ومن ثباتهما من خلال تطبيقهما على عينة استطلاعية من خارج عينة الدراسة.

وأظهرت نتائج الدراسة وجود فرق …

Assessing Teacher Candidates’ Pedagogical Judgement: An Analysis Of Clinically-Based Instructional Assignments, Sonia Janis, Mardi Schmeichel, Joseph Mcanulty, Chantelle Grace, Kaitlin Wegrzyn

Journal of Educational Supervision

Research on clinically-based teacher education indicates that facilitating clinical experiences for teacher candidates improves their preparation for the profession. While we have answered the call to implement rich clinical experiences in our teacher education program, we have found that we also needed to design new, robust strategies to assess what the candidates are taking away from their clinical experiences. This paper describes our use of Horn and Campbell’s (2015) notion of “pedagogical judgment” to analyze the work of social studies teacher candidates in clinical placements. We describe a rubric developed to evaluate candidates’ pedagogical judgment and offer insights into the …

Formative Assessment To Help Students Decode, Process, And Evaluate Social Studies Information, Cory Callahan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Here the author explores formative assessment within a context of research-based social studies instructional approaches. While the notions of inquiry, alternative assessment, disciplinary thinking and interpretation, and using visual documents as powerful resources each provide an important element of conceptual structure, this article purposefully concentrates on the process of constructive evaluation. The author posits a wise-practice routine for developing formative assessment practices that cohere with criteria-based assessment and its tendency to describe what students did well, what they could have done differently to improve their recent academic performance, and, importantly, how they can improve subsequent academic performance. The article also …

Social Studies In Non-Western Contexts: The Development, Appraisal, And Implications Of Ghana's Social Studies Curricula, Razak Dwomoh

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Analyzing the position and rigor of Ghana's history in the social studies curricula is essential in ascertaining robustness in fostering historical thinking and yielding a possible restructuring of the curricula to meet students’ social, academic, and global needs. The social studies taught at the middle and high schools in Ghana incorporate a superficial historical account of Ghana, eroding Ghana’s history in the curricula without careful consideration. This paper examined the quantity and quality of Ghana’s historical contents in the middle and high schools’ social studies curricula. Primary data collection was in-depth semi-structured interviews. Document analyses of syllabus, textbooks, and trade …

Dissonance As An Educational Tool For Coping With Students’ Racist Attitudes, Adar Cohen

Journal of Educational Controversy

Teachers in multicultural societies that are beset by severe rifts and political polarization encounter students who express racist and extreme attitudes. According to the students’ dichotomous views, anyone who is different from them poses a threat, and teachers find it difficult to overcome this challenge solely with moralistic utterances. Anger, shock, and punishment do not help change the students’ opinions; they often have the opposite effect. This article proposes, instead, that teachers use dissonance as a tool for helping students rid themselves of their dichotomous views and become accustomed to complex thinking about society. On the basis of an educational …

The Level Of Knowledge Of Social ‎Studies Teachers For The Secondary ‎Stage In Jordan Of The Nature Of ‎History, The Impact Of Gender ‎Variables, Qualification And ‎Specialization Therein, Ali Khreisheh

Jerash for Research and Studies Journal مجلة جرش للبحوث والدراسات

The purpose of this study was to determine Jordanian Secondary-Stage Social ‎Studies teachers' Knowledge of the nature of history and the effect of Sex, ‎Specialization and qualifications on this knowledge.‎ The Sample of the study consisted of (140) social studies teachers from Irbid First ‎and Second Directorates of Education as well as Mafraq First Directorate of ‎Education and Bani-kannana Directorate of Education. A test of the teachers' ‎Knowledge of the nature of history constructed by the researcher consisting of ‎‎(112) items was administerd to all the subjects of the study.‎ The results of the study showed a low-level Knowledge of …

Civic Education In K-12 School Enhanced Through A Christian Faith Lens Perspective, Alex R. Lin Dr., Kathy H. Rim Dr.

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Nationwide concerns about the declining political health of the United States has prompted questions on how to instruct and prepare youth to engage in civic life, particularly in K-12 public schools. This priority is also known as civic education, a broad curricular approach aimed at facilitating students’ development of key civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Fortunately, the Christian worldview can enhance the individuals' ability to effectively teach students about the importance of civics due to overlaps in community values. This literature review draws on theoretical and empirical work to provide an integrative framework that fuses Christian ethos with civic …

The Counterculture Generation: Idolized, Appropriated, And Misunderstood, Rina R. Bousalis

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Students today possess the impression that all members of the 1960s-70s counterculture generation, or hippies, were long-haired radicals who engaged in deviant behavior. This is attributable to the way media has portrayed youth from this era. Contemporary youth have appropriated the counterculture style without understanding the movement. Businesses transformed the hippies into symbolic commodities, thus reducing their historical significance. This paper describes the implications of this shift and how educators should go beyond the emblematic symbols to teach the counterculture movement in a meaningful way.

Facilitating Experiential Learning Experiences Through A Class Pioneer Day, Ronald Vaughan Morris

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Students experience a reenactment of life on the frontier created by the interaction of their teachers and community volunteers. Students in elementary social studies learn content, skills, values, and dispositions through engaging in experiential learning. The classroom environment is described through a case study of one classroom of fourth grade students with an experienced teacher with deep roots in the community. Teachers develop skills in negotiation with volunteers to accomplish tasks that support student learning. Descriptions of student and teacher preparations in addition to budgetary constraints describe how to replicate the experience. Examples and assessments are provided as well as …

Using Instructional Time And Race/Ethnicity To Predict Social Studies Accountability Test Results, Kenneth E. Vogler, Susan Schramm, Audrey Allan, Jake D. Parler

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This study investigated the relationship among the variables instructional time configuration, gender, race/ethnicity, and poverty to predict the academic performance of seventh-grade students on a state-mandated social studies accountability test. Results of 24,919 seventh-grade student social studies test scores from 117 middle schools, as well as a survey given to principals of the same 117 middle schools, were analyzed. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that when controlling for poverty, the variables instructional time configuration and race/ethnicity were significant, explaining 11% of the variation in student social studies accountability test results; a small effect. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis …

Planning For Student Initiative: Creating A Digital Textbook, Ronald Vaughan Morris

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Undergraduate students enrolled in a university class created an elementary social studies book delivered to computers, personal communication devices, and tablets. Students worked in an interdisciplinary team to create the interactive platform. The students worked with both university and community partners to create the text. The study presented described both the content and the process of student generation of material followed by community member review, and the revision cycle used by the students to create features and components of the text materials. A variety of false starts and marketing challenges reflect the obstacles undergraduate students face when creating marketable products …

Hello From The Other Side: Social Studies Faculty Teaching Biography Within State History Courses, Aubrey B. Southall Phd, Lauren Y. Bradshaw Phd

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This paper explores the opinions and interests of pre-service social studies students at two universities enrolled in a state history course taught by a socials studies faculty member. Findings include similar motivation for learning state history and opinions on interactive history lessons, while showcasing different interests in historic figures.

We Are History Too: Using Text Sets To Honor Latinx Stories In Social Studies And Ela Integrated Instruction, Sara B. Demoiny Ph.D., Jessica Ferreras-Stone Ph.D.

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Recognizing the need include more Latinx voices and experiences in elementary social studies curriculum, the authors discuss using texts sets as a way to develop integrated and meaningful social studies instruction. The authors define text sets, provide resources for creating Latinx text sets for integrated social studies and ELA instruction, and include a specific example of how to use a text set focused on Latinx activism in the classroom.

Up Against A Wall: Combating Fatigue And Oppression In Antiracist Education, Erika Horwege

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

No abstract provided.

Progressive Portfolios: A Yearlong Process Of Research, Reflection, And Revision, Dana Haring, Tom Kelner

The Montana English Journal

An English teacher and a Social Studies teacher collaborated to create a year long progressive process of research, writing, reflection and revision at the middle school level. After their own reflection and substantial planning, they implemented this plan at the beginning of a school year. In these joint, cumulative research projects, students were engaged in the acts of questioning history, practicing methodology, and developing essential literacy skills as required by the Common Core State Standards. Throughout the process, digital tools were employed for presentation, research, writing, reflection, revision, and portfolio management.

Classroom Culture In The Social Studies Classroom: The Abilities Of Preservice Teachers, Sarah J. Kaka

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

The purpose of this study was to explore how secondary students interpret the classroom culture that preservice social studies teachers create during their student teaching semester. This question was answered by examining results of a survey of secondary social studies students that allowed them to evaluate the classroom culture their social studies preservice teacher created. A Student Perception Survey was used for the study, which loaded four main indicators of classroom culture. Through descriptive statistical analysis of the survey results, this study found that secondary social studies students believed their preservice teachers were most adept at creating a student-centered classroom, …