Real Life Lessons from Social Studies

By -
July 4th E Pluribus Unum
Fireworks, parades, family, and barbecues (BBQ here in the South). These are staples of the July 4th holiday. As Americans are celebrating a major historical event, I'm compelled to consider the importance of education...especially the teaching of social studies in Elementary and Middle School years. Unfortunately, we are losing social studies due to the pressures of high stakes standardized testing.

Social Studies is the study of life. It is the study of how humans adapt and modify life on Earth. How cultures, governments, and communities shape life and thought. July 4th is commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. This historical document expressed and codified ideas that helped revolutionize how we think about life, liberty, and government. The signors of this document were expressing support for ideas that were evolving for many years from many cultures. The ideas have been tossed around and revised for millennia from Cleisthenes and Plato to John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and even Immanuel Kant. All of these philosophers, and countless more, expressed ideas that contributed to the modern idea that we are all better off with informed justice, free pursuit of happiness, and respect for life.
Social Studies instruction

Math, science, and language arts are inarguably important. Social studies is the same. Though state governments don't hold schools as accountable for teaching social studies...we must hold each other accountable for it. Without social studies, where will our younger generations learn the following:
  • A passionate pursuit for equality and liberty.
  • The beauty of difference in people, families, communities, and culture.
  • The belief that justice is fundamental to happiness and is based on law and reason.
  • The dangers of misinformed decision making
  • The benefits of solving-problems in ways that value life, property, and liberty.
  • Limiting the powers of governing bodies so as not to oppress the lives and freedoms of all.
Tradition and culture shape what and how we celebrate holidays. They make holidays beautiful expressions of communities. This July 4th, enjoy your family, freedoms, and community. And remember, these all are supported by continuing to teach and learn the social studies.

Comments

Post a Comment

What are your thoughts?

Popular posts from this blog

Accidental Diminishers, 6 Types for Self-Reflection

By -
Image
Multiplying results, multiplying your network, multiplying strength in others, multiplying your team's effective - these are all traits of multipliers (here's the amazing book by Liz Wiseman ). On the flipside, there are many actions that can diminish in spite of being spurred by good intentions. In this post, I'll share with you 6 types of accidental diminishers : The Optimist The Rapid Responder The Pace-Setter The Rescuer The Idea Guy Always On Marci Houseman shared the graphic below on Twitter, and I thought it would be perfect to share with you. The Wiseman Group " Being a multiplier means being aware of those times when we have a tendency to be an accidental diminisher. To build capacity we must provide others with the opportunity to learn and grow—even if something is done “differently” than we would have done it." - Marci Houseman The Optimist Being an optimist is a strength, and it's much needed. However, the strength...
Read more

How Long Should Direct Instruction Be?

By -
Image
How Long Should Direct Instruction Be? Direct instruction is great, but how long should it be - based on brain research? This is a great reminder from Eric Jensen about the length that most students can cognitively engage (in direct instruction, that is). Thanks  @DavidJHuber , for sharing this as we go back to school. But what can be done in only 8-12 minutes? Here are 5 high-yielding strategies that fit perfectly in this short direct instruction window. 1. Expand Prior Knowledge in Direct Instruction Part of the challenge in teaching classes of students (instead of individual students) is the range of background knowledge. Each student comes to class at a different starting point. Direct instruction can very efficiently build prior knowledge for all students. Present visuals, videos, quick reads, or graphic organizers. Fill in prerequisite background knowledge and push the limits on enriching background knowledge. This will allow all students to make richer conne...
Read more

Learning is an Adventure

By -
Image
I'm spending time in the mountains this week and am confronted with the awesome beauty and strength of nature. So much to fear, to wonder, and to explore.  A couple days ago we climbed Flattop Mountain ...ugh, I'm still sore. But I came across so many moments of inspiration that made me reflect on learning and education. Really, I came to believe that Learning is an Adventure. Here are a few of those moments that I felt were inspiring. Do. Learn. Live. These three words have been a theme lately ( shared on facebook ), but it really hit me on the hike. The path is not the destination. It is where the living is. It is the path where we find learning. We may or may not arrive at the destination - enjoy the path. What are you passionate about? Do. Don't delay. You don't need to know how, where, or why - just do. You will learn along the way. In that learning, we live.  Learning is not about inert facts and details. Learning is about life. Empowering each othe...
Read more