Social Studies is Important!

An article that I read this week entitled, "The Essential Role of Social Studies: Reflections on Arne Duncan's Article" discusses an article that Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Education, wrote about the importance of Social Studies in the classroom.  The article discusses a problem that I have previously written about in my blogs, students being taken out of "unnecessary" subjects to focus on subjects that require "high-stakes" testing.  The following quote from the article sums up my opinion on the matter because we are not only depriving our children of a vital piece of their education but we are also not adequately preparing our future leaders and members of our communities, "This is a travesty because it increases the ignorance of our students, our future voters and our future leaders, in the vital area of civics."  This problem can easily be avoided through integration.  Social Studies is vital to literacy and that is just one example.  Our students do need to learn to be great readers in order for them to read important documents and contribute to our society.  However, why only teach them to read and not use that ability to educate them on social issues and social expectations?  If students know how to read but they do not know anything about history or other cultures besides their own, then they are going to be ignorant and non-sympathetic to other people's morals and values.  Duncan states that, "we may have the key, but there is more than one lock and the key does not fit them all."  The article speaks of Social Studies being locked out and that without proper funding from the Department of Education, this trend will continue.
Imagine if these basic standards in 4th grade were overlooked, there are many things covered in just this grade level that educate our children how to function in a society:

EX.4.G.1.1 Understand locations have specific 

addresses that include name of town/city and state.

EX.4.G.1.4 Identify tools that assist in obtaining 

wants and needs.

 EX.4.G.1.5 Use maps to locate places in the 

classroom.

EX.4.E.1.2 Communicate the roles and impact 

producers and consumers have on the North 

Carolina economy.

4.E.2.1 Explain how personal financial decisions 

such as spending, saving and paying taxes can 

positively and/or negatively affect everyday life.

4.E.1.1 Understand the basic concepts of a market 

economy: price, supply, demand,

scarcity, productivity and entrepreneurship.

These standards cover every day things that everyone must know to be successful.  Maps are important to help us go where we need to go or to find important places.  Also, everyone from every culture must understand the importance of financial issues and how markets work.

http://www.socialstudies.org/publications/reflections_on_secretary_duncan

Technological Barriers in Education

The earlier that we as educators introduce our children to technology and familiarize them with current technology, the better.  Technology is a great tool to use to enhance lessons and broaden our students understanding.  Technology can be used in a variety of different subjects and in a virtually limitless manner.  Technology can enable the teacher to differentiate lessons, form flipped classroom lessons using websites such as ShowMe, and also to integrate Social Studies into core subjects' lessons.  However, it is important that teachers first familiarize themselves with the current technological tools in order to achieve this.  Digital literacy, or lack of, is a problem in both children and adults.  Children may know how to use their gadgets for entertainment but are not as likely to use them as an effective educational tool.  Another barrier that we face with technology in education is that there are so many technological tools that it is difficult to determine which tool is most beneficial.  This is another reason why teachers should take the time to explore different options when planning to integrate technology into their lessons.  The article that I read has many different barriers that teachers must overcome in order to use technology effectively.

The Standards that I used were for Kindergarten because it is important to begin teaching technological skills as early as possible.  However, there are many standards covered with technology.

K.TT.1.1 Use a variety of technology tools to gather data and
information (e.g., Web-based resources, e-books, online
communication tools, etc.).
K.TT.1.2 Use a variety of technology tools to organize data and
information (e.g., word processor, graphic organizer, audio
and visual recording, online collaboration tools, etc.).
K.TT.1.3 Use technology tools to present data and information
(multimedia, audio and visual recording, online collaboration
tools, etc.).
K.SE.1.1 Identify examples of responsible use and care of technology
hardware and software.
K.SE.1.2 Remember internet safety rules.

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2016/02/16/6-Major-Barriers-Impeding-Technology-Adoption-in-Education.aspx?Page=3

No Child Left Behind Act

It seemed that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was a great idea to focus on underprivileged children's needs.  It focused on helping children who were from low economic backgrounds by trying to offer the same educational opportunities as every other student.  The Act was based on the idea that if goals are set higher and goals that could be measured were set, then it would improve outcomes in education.  However, this Act seems to have cause our educators to focus on reading and math only because that is mainly where these goals have been set.  The other subjects such as social studies, science, and the arts are now commonly neglected in the school systems.  The curriculum is now based on text preparation because the results of the test are what matter with this act.  Even in cases when social studies is test, this act has forced the information to simply be memorized facts and the tests do not depict and accurate depiction of the student's actual knowledge.  The link provided touches on these issues with NCLB and there are even instances when schools transfer out students before testing begins in order to meet their goals.  This is awful because it shows that some educators care about themselves and their student's results more than they care about giving an actual proper education to their students.  This shows us that integration of social studies, science, and the arts is more important now than ever.
A few ways to do this are to connect standards in different content areas:
1.H.1.3 Explain why national holidays are celebrated
This could be done during a literacy lesson by reading a story on a specific holiday or person such as Martin Luther King Jr.  The students could read a biography that is age-appropriate and gain a knowledge of both history and literacy.  This standard could connect to:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.






http://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/publications/yl/1704/170431.pdf

Financial Struggles That May Be Preventable

There are many struggles that we all face as both children and as adults.  I have struggled with budget management since I was young.  I am sure that I am ONLY one out there that has had this struggle. I remember when I got my first car (Ford Ranger) and was so excited about the freedom that I had, able to drive anywhere that I wanted and there was nothing to hold me back!  I assume that my 16 year old mind thought that cars and trucks ran on their own and I completely skipped the step in my thought process about how I thought I was going to keep gas in it.  The job that i relied on for my "running money" was at a local butcher shop, on Saturday's only, and I made, get this.....a WHOPPING $5.15 an hour!!!! I am pretty sure that, after taxes, I cleared an impressive $30 a week! I learned (or realized at least, I don't know that even now I have "learned" this) that money comes a lot harder than it goes.  I learned that i had to prioritize in order to make the best decision and I had to make that money last.  

In my opinion, financial planning and making sound financial decisions are some of the areas that should definitely be touched on a lot more in schools.  This is a common struggle for many individuals, young and old.  As educators, our role is to help develop people for the workplace and prepare individuals to be successful in life and budgeting and being financially smart is a vital role in being successful and leading a life that is as low-stress as possible.  The standards that should be covered are:

FP.PFL.1.1 Explain how education, income, 

career, and life choices impact an 

individual’s financial plan and 

goals (e.g., job, wage, salary, 

college/university, community 

college, military, workforce, skill 

development, social security, 

entrepreneur, rent, mortgage, etc.).

FP.PFL.1.2 Explain how fiscally responsible 

individuals create and manage a 

personal budget that is inclusive of 

income, taxes, gross and net pay, 

giving, fixed and variable expenses 

and retirement (e.g., budget, 

financial plan, money management, 

saving and investing plan, etc.).

These standards should be introduced and discussed starting in Kindergarten.  Obviously, the detail in which it is discussed at that age would have to be minimal.  However, this is such an important area because it effects everyone.  It should be introduced early, and each grade level should build upon the previous.  This could allow our future leaders to make better financial decisions and start practicing making a budget to prepare for their future careers and families.

Integrating Social Studies into Lessons

As we discuss ideas to integrate Social Studies into our lessons and we talk about differentiating our lessons, I have noticed in the classrooms that I am a teacher's assistant in the many ways in which the teachers I work for have been doing this.  There are major themes each month that usually follow along with holidays (Columbus Day. MLK Jr. Day etc.) and the lessons (especially reading) are used to integrate these themes into them and teach the students about the reason for these holidays and about the people that they are named for.  Theses classes recently (January) made timelines (2.H.1.1) of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and read about the important issues that he dealt with and stood up for.  Currently, the students have began learning about our U.S. Presidents because of President's day and George Washington's birthday coming up soon in February by reading about them in our Basal series reading books.  It is really important that these topics are implemented into reading lessons because as much as reading and math are focused on, if we did not cover social studies during this time, the children would not have an opportunity to be introduced to these people and events in history.

Raise our Children's Political Awareness!

I am a teacher's assistant in two second grade classrooms.  During February, both President's Day and George Washington's birthday occur.  We will be learning about some of our former presidents and some things that each of them accomplished.  This past week I was talking with a group of students about our president and they all, as expected, could tell me that Barack Obama was our current president.  However, I did not have to even go as far back as Bill Clinton before I got some confused looks.  The children had never even heard of George W. Bush.  Considering that most of these children were born in 2007/2008, it is understandable that they do not remember having a president other than Barack Obama.  However, I find it very shocking that they have never been told about any president before Obama.  Political awareness is very important because it helps us understand why certain policies are in place and how/why they came to be (5.H.2.2).  I understand that those concepts may still be hard for a child that age to understand but, introducing them to these presidents at an early age just to familiarize them with the presidents is the first step in the child eventually developing a concrete knowledge of politics.  The attached article describes how it is not just our children who do not have a grasp on politics and our economy.  This is appropriate because it shows us that we have to start at an early age to get our children interested in politics and government because they will carry this interest and knowledge into adulthood.

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/civics

Hopefully Social Studies and Science Curriculum are Catching Up

With today's technology in the classroom, there are plenty of programs to help student's with Math and Reading (iReady) and also to assist instructors in assessing students in these (DIBELS).  However, the technology that is being developed for Social Studies and Science is far behind that of Math and Reading.  The reason for this is because Math and Reading are generally the main subjects that are tested.  It is not the instructor's fault for this being the case, of course anyone would focus on the subjects in which they are assessed.  Job performance assessment for teachers is often directly correlated with the results of their student's tests.  These tests also provide a framework for teacher's to teach by.  If a teacher knows what content will be on the end of year math test, they will focus on those things and provide their students with the best chance for success.  Without a test to assess their students in Social Studies or Science usually, a teacher does not have the same expectations to ensure that their students have an adequate understanding of these subjects.  Between the lack of testing and the absence of proper computer programs aimed at teaching these subjects, teacher's must often brainstorm their own ideas and find their own materials to integrate these subjects into their math and reading lessons.  This creates inconsistency between classrooms and between grade levels.  The following articles talks extensively about this problem.  One of the problems that it speaks about, is Social Studies instructors feeling at a disadvantage to other subjects because of the lack of material that they can access for their classrooms. At the end of the article, Scott Ellis, the chief executive officer of The Learning Accelerator, a nonprofit that seeks to expand blended learning in schools, says that he believes that with the standards of social studies and science spreading, that the marketplace will likely catch up.



http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/13/adaptive-digital-curricula-lagging-in-science-social.html