Quinn Austermann University of Connecticut SOCIAL STUDIES RATIONALE 2 The importance of Social Studies education, specifically throughout secondary years, is to provide students with skills and interests that will carry-on after high school. Many students often do not take a history class after high school graduation, so it is crucial to instill democratic practices in adolescents. The most effective way have a lasting effect on students is through promoting historical understanding. Developing historical understanding includes provoking empathy through multiple perspectives, evaluating turning points, making past and present connections, determining cause and effect, and recognizing change and continuity. Social studies education is essential for promoting this historical understanding in students and preparing them to be active citizens after high school. As a future social studies educator, I will achieve this by teaching with multiple sources, engaging students in controversial issues, and promoting participatory democracy. Social studies classrooms open a door to learning that many students would not have the option of exploring. With the use of multiple, engaging sources, students have the availability to think, analyze, and engage in aspects of history, or other parts of the world, that they may not otherwise be exposed to. For example, teaching social studies through film and museums introduces students to authentic issues in an engaging way. Film, specifically, provokes historical literacy in students. Students are already highly accustomed to film, but when presented in a social studies classroom film can be used as modern-day cultural artifacts (Marcus et al., 2010). Students can analyze the time period it was created, develop connections between the past and present, and evaluate the historical content. Additionally, students are developing their historical analytical skills by using film as primary and secondary sources. These aspects of historical understanding, combined with empathy through caring and SOCIAL STUDIES RATIONALE 3 recognizing multiple perspectives, promote valuable skills that will transfer to other subjects and carry-on throughout life. Museums, like film, are tools to supplement historical understanding in social studies classrooms. Students are able to analyze artifacts and develop a sense of empathy for a person, or group of people, in a different time period. Outside of the classroom, students may be limited to this opportunity for a myriad of reasons, which is why social studies education is essential to student growth. In addition to museums, students can visit monuments and memorials, which provide a sense of attitudes and beliefs of the time period of construction. This sense of past- present connections provided through museums, monuments and memorials, as well as empathy stimulation, greatly contribute to students historical understanding. Through experiencing these artifacts, many controversial issues may arise, such as why something was created, or why something was left out. This, in turn, promotes open and deliberate discussion that reflects citizenship education. Furthermore, the use of multiple sources in social studies classrooms, such as music and art in addition to film and museums, develops analytical skills that allow students to think and form conclusions independently (Marcus, et al., 2012). Social studies and history are essential subjects in order to engage students in discussion about controversial issues. Controversy is often a topic that is avoided and perceived as a chancy subject. Rather, it is an essential topic to be addressed as it promotes empathy and tolerance for differing perspectives. Discussion about controversial issues creates open-mindedness and understanding about important issues, thus promoting a healthy democracy (Hess, 2009). A social studies classroom, therefore, is the ideal environment for holding these discussions. Within social studies and history curriculum, there is a wide range of topics considered controversial and open for debate. For instance, politics, civil rights, and historical events all SOCIAL STUDIES RATIONALE 4 contain moments of controversy. I strive to become a social studies teacher that is effective in teaching students how to participate in effective, authentic instruction. Additionally, all schools contain classrooms that hold a degree of diversity, and therefore it is important for social studies teachers to present students with the practice of engaging in discussion of controversial issues. In order to create a comfortable environment to engage in meaningful discussions, social studies classrooms must represent a Community of Practice (CoP) that promotes participatory democracy. Participatory democracy includes developing knowledge, skills, and attitudes that contribute to intelligent discussions (Levine). History and social studies are essential to education in order to provoke social action. Since history is a deeply analytical subject, teachers must engage students by providing access to multiple sources and activities, which in turn promotes students to discuss, debate, and act like informed citizens. Students knowledge of government must be greater than how it works, which requires participation in behaviors that represent democratic societies (Barton and Levstik, 2004). Active members of society grow from social studies classrooms that represent a community of practice. Regardless of what direction one takes in life, social studies and history are crucial to a well-balanced education. Students develop historical understanding, which provides skills and attitudes that only social studies can provoke. Through analysis of multiple primary and secondary sources - such as film and museums - and contribution in discussion of controversial issues, students are practicing democratic participation that extends well beyond school. Social studies classrooms provide students a Community of Practice, in which they think critically about authentic issues. As a future social studies educator, I will develop an environment that prepares my students for an active, influential life post-graduation.
SOCIAL STUDIES RATIONALE 5 References Barton, K. C., & Levstik, L.S. (2004). Participatory Democracy and Democratic Humanism in Teaching History for the Common Good, 25-44. Hess, D. E., (2009). Why Democracy Demands Controversy in Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion, 11-19. Levine, T. H., A small group of thoughtful, committed citizens: Social studies classrooms as communities of practice that enable social action. Marcus, A. S., Metzger, S. A., Richard, P., & Stoddard, J. D. (2010). Teaching History with Film. Marcus, Alan S., Jeremy D. Stoddard, Walter W. Woodward (2012). Teaching History with Museums.