Final Reflection
Social studies is an exceptional subject. The purpose of the content is to help students develop a social understanding. Teachers must expose their students to social studies to help them become effective citizens. Without the studies, students are not aware of their geographic surroundings, history, or civic efficacy.
This semester, Several K-2nd teachers reported that they did not have time to implement social studies into their daily lesson. I find that hard to believe that any teacher is not able implement social studies into a daily lesson. Teachers can easily integrate social studies into other subjects. For example, students could learn and write a description on a specific the geographic location. However, I think those teachers did not feel obligated to teach social studies because their students are not required to take a social studies standardized test. If a student does not learn any information from the social studies content, then they will have some delays or lack social studies knowledge. Teachers are the number one variable of why students like or dislike any subject. There are several ways teachers can make social studies a likable subject.
When teaching social studies, teachers must be creative and utilize their resources. Creative teachers allow students to explore different aspects of social studies. Exploring different aspects of social studies allows the classroom to be student center. Some students need to take advantage of their learning in order to learn or retain information. If a classroom is teacher centered, then the classroom revolves around the teacher’s needs and wants verses the student’s needs. Another way of teachers being creative is implementing great hands-on and instructional activities in the classroom. Hands-on activities accommodate visual and kinesthetic learners. Reader’s theatre or constructing a map out of play dough are two great hands-on activities. Students will benefit from activities that accommodate their learning style. Also if teachers need help creating social studies lesson, they can search websites that provide social studies lesson plans or activities.
Teachers should align their curriculum and state standards to the learning objectives to social studies standards. Implementing the state standards and curriculum can and will prepare students for standardized test. However, teachers must make sure that they do not only focus on standardized test. Focusing on standardized test can sometimes eliminate the purpose of a subject.
My social studies method course was a great representation of an ideal modern day social studies classroom. I learned great strategies and K-6 social studies content knowledge. The course work and activities enlighten my perspective on social studies. In grade school, my social studies class was boring and long. Before taking this course, I disliked social studies and thought it was pointless. My instructor taught my classmates and I how to teach social studies to benefit students learning style.
In the future, I plan to implement social studies in my daily lesson. I will utilize different instructional strategies to captivate my student’s interest. I would like for my students to love social studies as well as values its’ purpose. If students do not understand the purpose of social studies, then I have failed as a teacher. I want my students to realize the significance of social studies.
