Page 197 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

CHAPTER 7 How Can I Teach the Other Social Sciences Powerfully? 169
teer activities), rationalized with the explanation that governments cannot be expected to do everything and good citizens contribute to the common good as individuals. For a unit on government that incorporates these and other basic ideas, see Alleman and Brophy (2003b).
How will you make civic ideals and practices meaningful and relevant to students’ lives? How will the way you manage your classroom reflect principles of justice and liberty?
Social studies is a pan-disciplinary school subject that bears special responsibility for socializing students to fulfill their roles as citizens in a democratic republic. Much of this involves learning about the history and geography of the United States as well as its people. As the NCSS (2010, p. 3) put it, however, “the primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned deci- sions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.” The approach that we recommend calls for infusing global and multicultural perspectives throughout your teaching rather than planning special units that address global or multicultural topics but otherwise walling them off from the rest of the curriculum.
An ongoing source of concern to many social educators is that the “culturally diverse” and “interdependent world” aspects of this statement often do not receive the attention they deserve. This has led to calls for more attention to diversity as well as the develop- ment of curricular models featuring global and multicultural education. For in-depth treatment of these instructional models and the curricula and learning activities associated with them, see Banks (2005) and Nieto (2004).
The big ideas emphasized by the foundational disciplines of social studies point toward the same conclusion (e.g., analyzing events within the context of the time, place, and political structure in which they occur, portraying a culture from an insider’s perspective, and fostering empathy while avoiding presentism and chauvinism). You can accomplish these basics most naturally by routinely embedding social studies content within a global purview (and where relevant, addressing the causes and consequences of events with reference to the world at large, not just the United States, and helping students notice and appreciate the significance of current events occurring all around the world), as well as analyzing them with attention to multiple perspectives, including the beliefs and traditions associated with those perspectives. Recent events in our increas- ingly connected and interdependent world underscore the need for global awareness and a multicultural perspective. Far too many Americans are ignorant about other people and places (not only where they are located but their needs, interests, priorities, con- cerns, and cultures generally).
Another fundamental principle to emphasize is capitalizing on the diversity that exists within your own classroom by connecting with your students’ families and using them as resources for creating authentic learning experiences relating to global and multicultural
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Embedding Social Science Content within Global and Multicultural Perspectives