Page 171 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

pointing out places on the map or globe as they arise in teaching (in any subject, not just social studies), and informing or reminding students about any features of these locations that might be relevant to the big ideas of the day’s lesson. Use geographic illustrations that are well suited both to your students (level of com- plexity) and to your instructional goals (illustrating clearly those aspects of the place you want to emphasize).
Because geographers attend not only to the physical characteristics but also the human characteristics of places, they are interested in cultures. Anthropologists, however, focus more specifically on cultures. They seek to depict cultures as they are viewed by insiders, which is an important part of developing empathy and avoiding
chauvinism. Anthropologists also emphasize “making the strange familiar” and “making the familiar strange,” which facilitates cross-cultural comparisons and helps us to transcend our own ethnocentrism by learning to understand our familiar cultural practices within larger global and historical contexts. Making the familiar strange can be as simple as taking an object such as a silk shirt and asking, “Where do you think this came from? Does anyone know how it is made?” Emphasizing commonalities or variations on common themes (such as human actions relating to cultural universals) when teaching about cultures also fosters empathy and other desired multicultural dispositions, whereas overempha- sizing the bizarre or exotic can foster chauvinism.
CHAPTER 6 How Can I Teach Geography and Anthropology Powerfully? 143
Reflective Questions
1. How would you respond to individuals who believe that the teaching of big ideas associated with geography and anthropology should relate to the development of students’ life roles in work, family, leisure, and as citizens?
Provide examples to support your response.
2. Often classroom teachers begin the school year
with a map and globe unit. What is your opinion
of this and why?
3. What do you view as the geographic and
anthropological priorities appropriate for your
grade level?
4. What do you view as the benefits of incorpo-
rating more big ideas associated with geography and anthropology in your current social studies curriculum?
5. Many social studies educators are convinced that U.S. students need to become better informed about the rest of the world in terms of its geog- raphy and cultures in order to understand global, economic, and political issues. If you agree, how might you address this matter in your classroom?
6. Many educators believe that leveraging the human resources in your classroom is one of the most powerful ways to address cultural diversity. For example, if you had a child from China, one from India, and another from Brazil, compare and contrast how human activities are conducted in each of these places using the children’s families as resources. What is your reaction to this approach?
Your Turn: Geography
If the focus of social studies teaching at your grade level is geography, we suggest that you secure a copy of the Guidelines for Geographic Education. Then contact your state’s geographic alliance for information and resources to help you. Review the school’s curriculum guide at your grade level and carefully examine the text- book, if one has been adopted. If you have developed your own units, you will want to revisit those materials as well.
As you inspect all of these sources, use the fol- lowing grid (see Figure 6.1) to plot the key ideas that correspond to the five fundamental themes. Once you have identified the weak spots, spend time developing the key ideas for each. This activity will bring you one step closer to teaching geography in depth.
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