My Social Studies Philosophy

 

Social studies is an educational discipline that teaches students to play a role in their civic community. Specifically social studies helps students develop a greater understanding of the past, an appreciation for the reality of the present, and what lies ahead in the future. It prepares students to function successfully in a democratic society which means they will be knowledgeable enough to participate in government activities such as voting and most importantly the multicultural society we live in today. I believe that students are able to understand and retain more information about a subject when they are able to make text to self connections. With that being said, I see myself as a constructivist and an advocate for information processing, because the learner will actively construct his or her own understanding of reality through acting upon and reflecting on experiences in the world. When a new object event or experience does not fit the learner's present knowing structures, a conflict is provoked that requires an active quest to restore a balance. Through inquiry-based learning, problem solving, analytical thinking, reasoned decision-making, and utilization of technology, students are provided with the skills necessary to live and compete effectively in a global community.

I have also found technology to be an important aspect of education next to textbooks. Today's society is infused with good and bad technology. It may be one of the best resources we have, but there are also some websites that could lead students down the wrong road. If students are equip with the proper technology then they will be able to become more engaged in the information you are teaching in the classroom. A good use of technology is assigning students to look up current events to share with the class every Friday. have to remember that these students grew up using this technology and we are in their world. It is incredibly important to stay up to date with all of the new technology the world has to offer, and I have to say it is wonderfully never ending. It is close to amazing that we can pull up the original copy of the Declaration of Independence in seconds thanks to technology. 

Tween Tribune

I had the opportunity to use TweenTribune for the first time this year. TweenTribune is not-for-profit online newspaper for children between the ages of eight and fifteen. It is updated with stories relevant to pre-adolescents interests. The students in your class will be able to post comments to stories, and you will be able to proof read them before they are published. I enjoyed using this site, because I was able to experiment with technology I can use effectively in the classroom. Before I use anything with my students, I will want to perfect the glitches that may occur when I try it the first time. In order to assign these websites to my students, I want to make certain they are kid proof and 100% appropriate. This electronic news system was great to experiment with, and I feel as if I became more knowledgeable using it, because I can now take note of how to word certain phrases to make them more understandable for my students. 

Here are a few of the posts I made throughout the semester:

lindsayb-Smi commented on: Microsoft's new Windows 8 confuses users

The Microsoft engineers and engineers in general are all going over the top, trying to come up with this new technology the fastest. Now more then ever, these companies are competing to try and be the best, and now it is starting to backfire. Not only are they changing the computer world we are accustomed to, but they are also making a new operating system that is not cheap and not affordable for everyone. Personally, I think these computer companies are way over their heads. They need to take a step back and look at how technology can help the people instead of putting anything on the market as fast as they can.

lindsayb-Smi commented on: Turtle in Paradise

I love the story line of this book! It sounds like something I would do and easy for me to relate to. Turtle sounds a lot like me. The pirate treasure map sounds very exciting, and I'd like to read it sometime.

lindsayb-Smi commented on: ACT more popular than SAT

Personally, I performed much better on the ACT than I did on the SAT. This exam tests students more on their common knowledge, whereas the SAT is everything you have ever studied. I think it is very interesting males score higher on critical reading. I guess that does go along with science, but it is still surprising. Another thing that surprised me was the 100% SAT rate in Delaware. I think everyone should take both tests.

lindsayb-Smi commented on: Should teens be allowed to trick-or-treat?

Personally, I trick or treated until my sophomore year of college. My friends and I dressed up in great costumes and went door to door every year, and never had a problem. We looked young enough to pass for 14 and 15 when we were actually 17 and 18. We also never caused any problems with toddlers. My friends and I love dressing up and it is a nice way to feel young again. Now I am obviously too young and would rather hand out candy instead of dressing up. If the kids are acting in a polite manner I think it is alright for them to trick or treat for longer.

lindsayb-Smi commented on: What did this eyeball come from?

Finding an eyeball on the beach is not something that happens everyday. This is such an astounding discovery. I'm not sure how I would act if I found it, but I probably would not touch it--someone else would have to do that for me. If I had to guess it definitely is a marine animal, but I'm not able to pin point what type of animal. I was really interested in this addition to science so I looked into it further and saw that the mystery was solved! On this website you will read that it is the eyeball of a swordfish. I had no idea they grew that big! http://deepseanews.com/2012/10/solved-where-did-the-big-eye-in-the-sea-come-from/

lindsayb-Smi commented on: SHHH! Scientists invent cure for boring people

This device is definitely unique. It can be used in acceptable and disrupting ways. I wouldn't say this is a cure for boring people. This can actually be a good thing for students if used correctly. Professors/teachers can use this device to help pupils in a public speaking class. Although they must be aware of any kind of disability a child may have, because then it could become learning gone awry .

As you can see, there are a variety of different topic students can look into. Current events are a great way to open up a social studies class. Talking about current events helps the student become more aware of the world, and neighborhood around them. Since Tween Tribune is written for pre-adolescent children, that means the students will be able to understand the articles very easily. Tween Tribune also follows the common core requirements because the students are reading informational texts and writing about them. I personally really liked using Tween Tribune, because it was a quick way to get updated on obscure news I have never heard about, and I also knew I was going to use this with my students one day. I will be certified to teach first through sixth grade, therefore I have to come up with different ways to assign this website. Luckily for me, there are different tabs on the website that I can assign. There is a choice of TTJunior, Tween, and Teen, therefore I can assign the proper tab to each age group, how convenient! After I have assigned the current event, I will ask each of my students to come into class prepared to share what that have learned from the article and their own opinions about it. 

Alice Walker once said, "All History is current; all injustice continues on some level, somewhere in the world."



Hearing this quotes make me believe that students should keep up to date on their current events. Something new happens in the world everyday, not just things that ruin your day, but also new experiments working, a break through in medicine, a new park created in honor of loved ones, or even artifacts from long ago. Scott Foresman Social Studies has a great current event page for students. It gives students the chance to look at events from 2012-2005 and also 1900-2012. That is a lot of history to go through! I also found their link about The Presidents to be a fantastic tool to turn to if I ever needed it!

Group 3 (Cooperative Learning)

Alyssa, great job today! You were more confident and spoke and were able to manage the class better. My only critique is on the review. Instead of just asking the students the names of the people you went over, have them tell you something interesting about that person and then repeat it just in case the whole class didn't hear you. Other then that nice work!

Mackenzie, you had a nice review of what teamwork meant, and got the students inspired to work on their next task!

Letter--> Chris, well done. I thought that was an excellent idea to write a letter to the president. I think the students thought that was pretty awesome too. It was also nice that everyone in the group was working on making their own letter, then as a group they combined all of their ideas and made one fabulous letter. 

Play-->Alyssa, I loved this! You're extremely creative and that is an awesome quality to have. All of the props were a great touch to the lesson. I really think the students had a fantastic time with this 

Poem--> Giving the students the option of creating four different kinds of poems was a great idea. Students work better when they actually have a say in what they are learning. Each of the small groups were extremely creative and I couldn't help but smile at how much work they were putting into the project.

Victory Poster --> Melissa you had a difficult group of boys to work with, but you pulled the best out of each of them. They came up with a creative title, expressed themselves well, and backed up all their facts. Well done!

All: Group 3,  there was only one thing I would change. When you're working in groups, make sure that you have a visual for the students to look at. You had it in your other lessons and they were really great. Your last lesson was a complete success!! Each one of you should be very proud of yourselves! Also you're the only group that ever ended on time, give yourself a big pat on the back for that!

It's the last day of field work for Dr. Smirnova's class. We're sad to say goodbye, but I think we have all had a very good run. We learned from our mistakes, and most importantly we learned from each other. We will take these experiences with us and continue to better the quality of our lessons and perfect our performance. As a goodbye present, we put all of our favorite pictures and videos together, and made a virtual scrapbook for our favorite 4th grade! What a great experience!

Group 3 Bishop Dunn (Inquiry)

Group 3, your voki book idea was so clever! I loved the fact that you had the students rewrite the missing pages of the book. Just a suggestion for your voki if you'd like. If you want your voki to sound less like a robot and more like a human, you can record your own voice or call the voki website. I did that and had one of my friends read the script.

Your packet idea was also very effective. You could tell the students really learned new information. Your hypothesis idea was nice, because the students didn't even know they were making a hypothesis. 

 The sticker idea was really great too! It was easy to distinguish what everyones position 

The highlighter was also a nice touch! I really like how you taught your students how to use a highlighter effectively, also the students were able to pick out the information quicker. 

Chris and Alyssa: you both made a great lesson plan together! You really learned from the other groups and didn't make the same mistakes.

Chris, you worked really well with all of the small groups. The students really liked you and Kiara was definitely your biggest fan! At first your voice was a little intimidating. You were in a stressful situation, just be careful that you're not scaring everyone. 

Alyssa, you're working really hard, and it shows. Don't be afraid to be a little more confident and you'll be golden :) 

Mackenzie and Melissa, you worked very well with the groups and made it very personal :)

Nice job group 3!!

Group 3 at Bishop Dunn (Direct Instruction)

Group 3 will be teaching about The Victory of Independence!

Group 3: Alyssa, Christopher, Mackenzie, and Melissa

Powerpoint- I like how you had a star next to each sentence the students had to copy down. It was also a good idea to write the sentences on the board so that you can make the lesson go faster. Next time maybe tell some stories while the students are copying down their notes, this way the room isn't quiet and it doesn't seem as if the lesson is going really slow.

Timeline- The worksheet was a very good idea! I liked the set up and everything. Next time maybe have less for them to write down.

Venn Diagram- I like how you did this worksheet. Having the students think of their own ideas, and then going over it as a class. 

I wish you had more time to finish every activity! It's always great for a teacher to over plan :)

Chris and Alyssa-I know this wasn't your lesson, but don't be afraid to walk around while your peers are explaining the powerpoint. Making sure everyone is on task is a big job in that classroom. Also Alyssa, have more confidence!

Melissa and Mackenzie- You girls did a great job, I liked your activities a lot, and you both managed the class very well. Your reinforcement was on point, and the thumbs up thumbs down method worked well. I loved how enthusiastic you both were :) As I said before, maybe tell some stories during direct instruction next time.  My group also had a difficult time with direct instruction, and found it very frustrating. I feel as if direct instruction is hardest, but I have a feeling we will all get the hang of it in no time. The only other thing I would change was the cards with numbers on them. If I was a 4th grader I'm not sure if I would have liked being called on if I didn't know the answer. Other then that well done ladies!!

Group 1 (Cooperative Learning)

The last lesson group 1 taught was Cooperative Learning! In my opinion, this is my favorite lesson to plan. Cooperative learning involves more than students working together on project. There are also 5 rules a teacher must incorporate into this lesson too. Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Face to Face Interaction, Interpersonal and Small Group Social Skills, as well as Group Processing. Academic and social skills will be assessed during this lesson. Students have to work together to obtain a certain goal, and need the success of their other group mates complete the project. 

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Group 1! Great job today! We could all tell you worked very hard on this lesson. You all had such an excellent idea for the students to be news reporters. You could tell the students liked it too. Some of the responses they had were really great and surprising. Sam, Lauren and Barbara, you all worked well within the small groups too :) It was really cute watching their eyes just glued to you. I liked your visual as well. The only critique I have for you though is to mark the pages where the students can find the information, because you have a time constraint. Also, ten sentences was a lot for the students to put together and they were all struggling to find the information and make a final draft at the same time. The three of you did a great job, and I'm proud of each one of you! Thank you for setting a goal for the rest of the class. We really needed that, and you are going to make each one of us better. Thank you :)

Group 1 at Bishop Dunn (Inquiry)

Group 1 has finished their first lesson, direct instruction. The next lesson they taught to the class was an Inquiry lesson. An Inquiry lesson contains the Five E's: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. The 5 E's are called the Learning Cycle Model. You're probably wondering what the 5 E's mean and how they can be applied to a lesson. The first E is Engage. The learner has a need to know, therefore, defines questions, issues or problems that relate to his/her world. The second E is Explore/investigate. The learner gathers, organizes, interprets, analyzes, and evaluates data. The third E is Explain/clarify. The learner clarifies understandings discovered, reaches conclusions or generalizes and communicates in varying modes and forms. The fourth E is Elaboration. Applies concepts in contexts, and builds on/ extends understanding and skill.The last E is Expand. The learner will apply these conclusions or generalizations to solve problems, make decisions, perform tasks, resolve conflicts or make meaning.


You all had an effective review session, it was short and to the point. All of you made some great improvements from the last session too! I really liked how you asked students to repeat difficult words. Your voki was pretty cool also. The 4th grade loved it, because it was so personal, James Madison very clever :) Also all of your artifact boxes were awesome. I don't know where you got all the artifacts, but well done! Your letter at the end was also clever. It made the students feel as if they were making a difference.