Written by Dr. Jeff Wiechman

Is your social studies classroom lifeless? Was your social studies classroom lifeless as an elementary school student? Students describe social studies classrooms in this way still today (Grant & VanSledright, 2014). Why? Perhaps it’s the pressure to give more and more time to the teaching of reading and math, forcing a subject like social studies into a dimly lit corner of the curriculum. Standardized tests only look for low level, factual information in social studies. Maybe you never liked social studies as a student, and this dislike has carried over into your attitude in teaching it. These are issues with which we all must contend, and yet we know the potential for better instruction in social studies exists.

At Martin Luther College (MLC), I am privileged to engage students in discussions about how they’ll teach social studies in their future classrooms. I do so from the standpoint of four commonplaces in education. These commonplace elements – learners and learning, subject matter, teachers and teaching, and classroom environment – are the foundation of these discussions. Here are four hints toward utilizing these elements in your social studies instruction!

1. Get to know your learners.
   “Research on general teacher education shows that prospective teachers tend to focus first of all on trying to understand their students: Who are they, and how do they learn?” (Grant & VanSledright, p. xv). How do we do this? Do we take on a behaviorist approach where students’ minds are considered to be blank slates on which we can write information? What does this look like in a classroom? Or do we take on a more constructivist approach where students gather knowledge from more than one source (in other words, not just the teacher or the textbook), have more control over their learning, and build knowledge based on prior experiences and other resources (like trade books, stories, pictures, pop culture, parents, community, movies, etc.)?
2. Connect your subject matter to the “threads.”
   Are you familiar with the “expanding communities” model promoted by Paul Hanna in social studies curriculum? I think you are. At the center, it begins with kindergartners learning about themselves. The exploration expands predictably each year: grade 1 – my family; grade 2 – my neighborhood; grade 3 – my community; grade 4 – my state; grade 5 – my country; and grade 6 – my world. This model has use, but it limits what students can engage in. Students have background and experiences in many areas at every age. The subject matter in social studies can be connected at any time to five major “threads” of thought: geographical, political, economic, socio-cultural, and global. Try it. Pick a topic at any level, and you’ll be able to connect it to all five!
3. Remember to ask, “What’s the big idea?”
   Teachers and teaching are at the heart of the methods course I teach. We spend more time here than anywhere else. I stress to future teachers the need to teach to “big idea” themes that help teachers decide what to teach, give them options and ideas on how to teach, and provide opportunities for their students to think at higher levels. I introduce a wide variety of materials and strategies to use in their teaching, including individual, small group, and whole group methods of instruction. Finally, we recognize the need to vary our forms of assessment in order to match our objectives and engage students in ongoing, multi-sourced, broad perspective assessments.
4. Get away from the “old school” environment.
   What should the classroom environment be like for social studies (or any self-contained room)? Grant & VanSledright (2014) help me teach and believe it involves three main areas: discourse, organization, and disposition. We want students talking to each other, organized in such a way so as to promote active learning, predisposed toward ideas of respecting the learning and ideas of everyone, being willing to make an argument, and to support arguments with evidence. This leads to more of a “genuine classroom community” feel and gets away from the traditions of lecture, student rows, and attitudes of “you sit while I teach.”

Dr. Jeff Wiechman (‘92) serves as vice president for academics at Martin Luther College-New Ulm MN. He also serves as an instructor for MLC’s graduate studies program.

References

Grant, S., & VanSledright, B. (2014). Elementary Social Studies: Constructing a Powerful Approach to Teaching and Learning. New York: Routledge.