![]() As we work through our EDES 366 Social Studies UbD plans, I have noted that I take a significant amount of time assessing the resources that I choose. Why? I believe that my C.R.A.A.P test encompasses not only if the source is current, relevant, authoritative, accurate and contains purpose, but whether or not my source hold an authentic value of connecting the students to the social understanding of others. My focus of choosing quality resources with this mindset is because the front matter of the Social Studies Program Rationale and Philosophy states, "Social studies helps students develop their sense of self and community, encouraging them to affirm their place as citizens in a inclusive, democratic society" (Alberta Education, Social Studies, p. 1). This statement is extremely important to consider, as the teaching of social studies has a direct impact on the development of the whole child. In Chapter 17 of "The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers", Case & Clark (2016) discuss that social studies is a study about our human condition. Case & Clark summarize that the human condition is complex and "Literature should not be used as a social studies textbook" (p. 202). Case & Clark prompt us to 'evoke aesthetic responses' through our teaching, which inspires our students to critically think about their own social development. This again mirrors the Role of Social Studies in the Albert Program of Studies. The Role of Social Studies is defined as developing the fundamental values, attitudes, knowledge, skills, and processes, "necessary for students to become active and responsible citizens engaged in the democratic process and aware of their capacity to effect change in their communities, society and world" (Alberta Education, Social Studies, p.1) Assessing the influence that the social studies curriculum has on the whole child, It is fundamentally correct that I take care and consideration when picking my resources. The questions is then, where can I find good quality teaching resources? Whoa! I do need some type of literature - choosing the correct literature is the key to effective teaching. Literature that is personal, fits the curriculum, and matches the reading level of your students is a good start when picking literature. Literature choices can be more than historical accounts; they can be poetry or a personal response to a historical account. Keep it creative to keep the content engaging. Another way to introduce a topic is through historical paintings or photographs. Teaching students to capture the details of historical content of artwork is an effective way of sparking the imagination of your student's minds. I also think that a class visit from an expect is an engaging way to allow students to explore a topic. Depending on your budget, local field trips certainly connect the subject to the outcomes. Last, but not least, we have a wide range of technology to prepare our student with the fundamental outcomes of digital literacy. It is important to use technology to foster meaningful learning. Resources such as "Our Words, Our Ways" provides us with quality resources to properly teach a pluralistic view of social studies. Citations: Alberta Learning. (2005). Social Studies Kindergarten to Grade 12. [Program of Studies]. [Edmonton], Canada: Alberta Learning. Alberta Education. (2005). Our words, our ways: teaching First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners. [Program of Studies]. [Edmonton], Canada. Case, R. & Clark, P. (2013). The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers. Vancouver: UBC Press.
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![]() Our public education models are outdated. For example, our social studies curriculum has been a hard sell in the Alberta classrooms. As our classroom populations grow in diversity, teaching from an Eurocentric focus has been lost in the pages of our textbooks. Alberta Education has been more than aware of our outdated curriculum. Currently, Alberta is updating the social studies, sciences, mathematics, arts and wellness curriculum. It's an impressive overhaul of these subjects, which comes with a price tag of $64 million dollars, and six years of province wide collaboration (CBC News, June 2016). Our Education Minister reported that the new curriculum will be focused on financial literacy, history of indigenous people, climate change, and gender identity (CBC News, June 2016). These are heavy topics that seem more suited to post secondary teaching instead of primary school. Regardless, we can hope that our new social studies curriculum explores ideas and concepts through cognitive thought processes and inclusive discussions. An integrative approach in education would view diversity as a beginning point for knowledge integration. Building knowledge through a variety of cultures, histories, and experiences gives our students viewpoints that are pluralistic. These broader viewpoints help to build a knowledge framework that encourages global thinking. Author Jasmin Zine speaks about Removing the Margins in her article, Inclusive Schooling in a Plural Society (2005). Zine proposed the following four primary learning objectives in her teacher's guide:
The truth is that globalization is a part of our everyday reality. As we become more connected through the Internet, we need to embrace an inclusive pedagogy into our social curriculum. Integration in our schools will build a knowledge framework for global thinking. Primary education is no longer about preping students for specific career fields, but preparing our youth to collaborate and compete in a pluralistic society. Citations: CBC News. (15 June, 2016). Alberta begins six-year overhaul of education curriculum 10:22 AM MT Last Updated: Jun 15, 2016 5:47 PM MT http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-begins-six-year-overhaul-of-education-curriculum-1.3636519 The Future of Social Studies - The Voices of Alberta Teachers. (2016). Alberta Teacher's Association. Alberta, Canada. https://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/Publications/Research/COOR-101-11%20The%20Future%20of%20Social%20Studies.pdf Zine, J. (Summer 2005). Inclusive School in a Plural Society: Removing the Margins. ATA Magazine, 85, 4; ProQuest, pg. 12. In Chapter 26 of "The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers"(Case & Stipp, 2013), we explore four principles that make assessment authentic from a teaching perspective:
Case & Stipp also suggest that another way to engage the students in assessment is to use self-assessment or peer-assessment. Providing feedback in a less formal setting allows the students to reflect and analyze their own work without focusing on a grade. Formative assessment from the teacher can come in the form of specific comments, teacher conferences, and one to one conversations. During formative assessment, give the student an opportunity to revise their work. I believe that the opportunity to revise is when real, authentic learning happens. The importance of building student ownership of their learning comes from four strategies, according to Roland & Case (Chapter 27 of our textbook):
Citations: AAC Key Visual. (2017). Retrieved from: http://www.aac.ab.ca/updated-aac-key-visual/ Case, R. & Clark, P. (2013). The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers. Vancouver: UBC Press. This term, I am thrilled to curriculum plan using our own UbD template! Why? As Wiggins & McTighe (2005) describe, the backwards design challenges me "to focus first on the desired learnings from which appropriate teaching will logically follow". I agree that logic-focus design is a much more powerful way to teach rather than results-focused design. It is easy to pick up a textbook and create lesson plans with time-tested activities, rather than determining what the learner requires in order to successfully accomplish the outcome goals. As Wiggins & McTighe (2005) explain, "too many teachers focus on the teaching and not the learning". In the book, Backward Design, Wiggins & McTighe (2005) offer a design tip to test the merits of purposelessness teaching. The authors challenge us to ask our students the following questions in the middle of a lesson;
So, how do we plan UbD lessons? Use the following diagram to plan your stages of design: To me, UbD planning is similar to leading outdoor activities. When pursuing outdoor activities, we focus on our goals (assessment in teaching) before we begin to plan our outdoor adventure. Next, we consider what skills that our student need to be safe and successful. Last, we scaffold our instruction so that our students understand and apply the new knowledge.
Citation: Wiggins, Grant P. & McTighe, Jay. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA : Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. pg 13-34. Print. This week, I reviewed two fundamental principles of teaching and learning in our textbook, The Anthology of Social Studies - Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers. These fundamental principles are the 'spirit of inquiry' and supporting critical thinkers. Why do I think that these concepts are fundamental principles of a classroom?
In chapter 9, Case & Clark discuss the importance of critical inquiry and why we need to think about the way we organize the social studies curriculum. "Organizing the social studies curriculum around critical inquiry ensures a focus on key curricular ideas and concepts while allowing students to explore topics and issues of personal interest and relevance" (Case & Clark, 2016). I agree that to fully engage students in the curriculum, we need to present the materials as a problem or a challenge to encourage interest in the topic; thus bringing the learning to a personal level of discovery. When students begin to engage in critical inquiry, they begin to challenge their own decisions, problem-solving, and make their own connections to the materials. As noted by the authors, "The ability to conduct focussed research and to analyze critically are crucial life skills" (Case & Clark, 2016). I completely agree with the authors because these life skills teach our students to think critically about their lives and the world around them. So, how do we support a community of critical thinkers in the classroom? In chapter 10, Case & Clark discuss the importance of creating a community within the classroom and how to accomplish this. First, this community must be supportive and caring in nature for the students to feel enough trust to openly explore, question, and challenge. Often, students feel judged from start, thus students behaviors will focus on conforming. We refer to this behaviour as the "hidden curriculum". If students are focused on conforming, our students will never reach their full potential through group discussions, self and peer assessment, and self-reflection. So to truly engage students, teachers must create questions of inquiry that challenge students to dig deep and focus on the challenges of the topic. Case & Clark offer us five strategies to build a classroom community:
Citation: Case. R., & Clark, P. (Eds.), (2016). The Anthology of Social Studies: Issues and Strategies for Elementary Teachers, (pgs 89-109). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press. Grade 6 Social Studies curriculum focuses on the importance of active and responsible participation in a democratic society. Students will examine the underlying principles of democracy in this country and compare Canadian democracy to Ancient Athens and to the Iroquois Confederacy.
For Social Studies grade 6, I chose the following five principal outcomes for Knowledge & Understanding: 6.1.2 demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental principles of democracy by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: • What is democracy (i.e., justice, equity, freedoms, representation)? (C, PADM) • What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens living in a representative democracy? (C, PADM) 6.1.3 analyze how the democratic ideals of equity and fairness have influenced legislation in Canada over time by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: • How does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protect the individual rights and freedoms of all Canadians? (I, PADM) 6.1.5 analyze the structure and functions of Alberta’s provincial government by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: • How is the provincial government structured? (PADM) 6.1.6 analyze how individuals, groups and associations within a community impact decision making of local and provincial governments by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues: • How can individuals, groups and associations within a community participate in the decision-making process regarding current events or issues (i.e., lobbying, petitioning, organizing and attending local meetings and rallies, contacting elected representatives)? (C, PADM) • For the Skill & Processes outcomes, I chose seven outcomes as I believe that the grade 6 skills and processes are a large part of the skill set needed for the higher grades in middle school: 6.S.1 develop skills of critical thinking and creative thinking: • assess significant local and current affairs from a variety of sources, with a focus on examining bias and distinguishing fact from opinion 6.S.2 develop skills of historical thinking: • use primary sources to interpret historical events and issues 6.S.3 develop skills of geographic thinking: • construct and interpret various types of maps (i.e., historical, physical, political maps) to broaden understanding of topics being studied 6.S.4. demonstrate skills of decision making and problem solving: • propose and apply new ideas, strategies and options, supported with facts and reasons, to contribute to decision making and problem solving • consider multiple perspectives when dealing with issues, decision making and problem solving • collaborate with others to devise strategies for dealing with problems and issues ¾ select and use technology to assist in problem solving “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being that determines their consciousness.”
― Karl Marx, A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy To me, the Alberta Social Studies curriculum is an exploration of the past, a discussion of the present, and a knowledgeable estimation of our future. According to the Alberta Education program, the study of social offers students values & attitudes, knowledge & understanding, and skills & processes to understand others in relation to themselves and their world. Effective teaching encourages students to explore the student's individuality and collective thoughts that reflect their place in our democratic society. How would I create an effective teaching experience to encourage my students to explore their thoughts? My belief that the most effective way to engage students is to make real connections between their identity and their citizenship in Canada. Real connections come from teaching an understanding of democracy, individual and collective rights, levels of government, pluralistic society, and respect and dignity of all people. Real connections can be made through reflections of our past history, being engaged in current affairs, tackling controversial issues, and examining Canada's future in a global perspective. In the classroom, I would certainly offer both PBL and UBD projects IF my students were at their required grade level both academically and emotionally. As discussed in our EDES 366 class today, our instructor reminded us that an entire class of students is rarely at a required grade level. The perfect classroom would be a balanced classroom within the spectrum challenge we were given. This balanced classroom would be ideal to teach project based learning. However, when considering teaching styles of academic vs personal and societal transformation vs conservative, and the various learning styles of students, I would target to teach a balance of these teaching styles to offer a variety of perspectives to my students. Citation: Alberta Learning. (2005). Social Studies (K-12) [Program of Studies]. [Edmonton], Canada: Alberta Learning. Good, Mr. Nathan. "Introduction to Course and to Social Studies" Lecture - Monday, September 11, 2017 at 5:30 pm. Red Deer College, Canada. |
Lorie PennerCurrently, I am enrolled as an undergraduate Education student in the U of A/RDC Collaborative Program in Alberta. ArchivesCategories |