Aspiring Social Studies Middle School Teacher

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Social Studies Teachers Chatboard

Aspiring Social Studies Middle School Teacher

by Martha R

Feb 21, 2011

Hello to all,

I’m currently a graduate student working on a Social studies education degree. My question is for those who are already social studies teachers what do you feel should be covered in the social studies 7-8th curriculum that at the current moment isn’t. What should schools incorporate in their schools to make History and Global studies a little more appealing and interesting?

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Veteran Social Studies Teacher On 2/21/11, Martha R wrote: > Hello to all, > > I’m currently a graduate student working on a Social > studies education degree. My question is for those who are > already social studies teachers what do you feel should be > covered in the social studies 7-8th curriculum that at the > current moment isn’t. What should schoo...See More

Feb 23, 2011

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Project based teacher I totally agree. The social studies teachers I had in high school were heavy on lectures- I wondered how anyone would enjoy the subject area. It wasn't until I was lucky enough to have a professor who involved my classmates and I in our learning that a 'whole new world" opened for me.

> Curriculum isn't necessarily the issue - a good t...See More

Feb 26, 2011

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Martha R I’m in New York City- Thank You for responding to my post. You bring up several good points. I remember in 7th Grade I had a history teacher who had 6 blackboards in the classroom filled with notes from top to bottom. As soon as we walked into class, he would tell us to start copying everything from the board every day. The worst part is that I d...See MoreI’m in New York City- Thank You for responding to my post. You bring up several good points. I remember in 7th Grade I had a history teacher who had 6 blackboards in the classroom filled with notes from top to bottom. As soon as we walked into class, he would tell us to start copying everything from the board every day. The worst part is that I didn’t even have time to read and absorb what it was that I was copying. My notebook was filled with notes but I had no interested in going back and reviewing the notes. The only thing I remember from that class was the teacher’s name. My goal is to make History and Social Studies fun and make it interesting to my future students.

On 2/23/11, Veteran Social Studies Teacher wrote: > On 2/21/11, Martha R wrote: >> Hello to all, >> >> I’m currently a graduate student working on a Social >> studies education degree. My question is for those who are >> already social studies teachers what do you feel should be >> covered in the social studies 7-8th curriculum that at the >> current moment isn’t. What should schools incorporate in >> their schools to make History and Global studies a little >> more appealing and interesting? > > > Curriculum isn't necessarily the issue - a good teacher can > make the topic of the kitchen sink interesting and appealing. > Changing curriculum around to garner greater interest doesn't > work. An uninspiring teacher can take the world's most > exciting topic and render it dull and lifeless. > > It's how it's taught and tested that makes anything dull. The > human brain does not respond to lectures other than with a > sleepy, glazed over feeling even if your lecture is literally > on the secret to life itself. Endless copying of notes from > the board, emphasizing tiny unimportant memorized details, > memorization-based tests - this is what makes Social Studies > the subject that students hate. > > As of yet, we don't have a national curriculum and you don't > say what state you're in so what your state uses for > curriculum in 7th and 8th grade Social Studies is a mystery > to anyone reading your post. But it's technique of teaching > more than curriculum content that makes an interesting class.

Feb 27, 2011

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Lynde If you have time, I would truly love to hear more about how you teach in a project-based way. I've been interested in this idea, but my tired, frazzled brain just can't seem to work out a project that would really actually cover what a chapter/unit needs to provide--what projects do you use? how do you tie it together so that the kids get a solid "...See More

Feb 27, 2011

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