Page 309 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

CHAPTER 13 How Can the Curriculum Be Expanded and Made More Powerful through Homework? 281
frequently remind them that some home assignments are critical for children to master skills through practice, while most home assignments are designed for students to make meaning- ful connections between school and the world beyond school.
Summary
We have described principles of homework opportunities as a means of enhancing the social studies curriculum and expanding the conception of homework. Meaningful homework, if explained properly to students, parents and other family members, and community, will enhance the meaningfulness of the traditional social studies curricu- lum, begin paving the way for lifelong learning, and enhance the authenticity of what is learned in school.
Although we have suggested many different ways in which homework opportunities can enhance the curricu- lum, most of these are elaborations on a few key ideas. One is that meaningful homework can provide opportu- nities for students to think critically about how some of the ideas learned in school apply to their lives out of school and, in the process, make personal decisions about issues that they raise. In theory, much of what is in the social studies curriculum is there because it is thought to be important as a means to prepare students to cope with the demands of modern living and to func- tion as responsible citizens in our society. Unless students are encouraged and given opportunities to apply what they are learning to their lives outside of school, how- ever, they may not see or appreciate these connections and thus may not get the intended citizen-preparation benefits. In a time when so much attention is given to standards and high-stakes testing, it is important to ensure that what we expect students to learn can be understood, appreciated, and readily applied to their lives.
A second key idea is that diversity in students’ family, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and life experiences can provide valuable case material for the application of concepts and principles learned in school. With diversity as a recurring theme in social studies curricula, authentically addressing it through home assignments provides a context of respect and appreciation for students’ home backgrounds.
A third key idea is that meaningful homework can provide opportunities to involve parents and other family members in the school’s agenda in nonthreatening and personally rewarding ways. Families may feel irritated or threatened if asked to help with homework that they do not understand themselves, but they are likely to be pleased to be asked to serve as resources by answering their children’s questions about what life was like when they were younger, how they reacted to a major news event in the past, the details of what they do at work, the factors involved in economic decisions, the places they have visited, or the trade-offs involved in their jobs.
The payoffs of incorporating meaningful authentic homework into social studies lessons seem obvious. These experiences should encourage students to respect their families in new ways, reinforce familial bonds, make them more enthusiastic learners (with higher achievement levels as an anticipated byprod- uct), and support their development of self-efficacy perceptions in the social domain.
Reflective Questions
1. Imagine that one of your district’s highest prior- ities for the upcoming year is to promote more meaningful homework. For many families, this will be unfamiliar, and it will take some con- vincing in order to realize positive results. How will you approach the challenge? Explain.
2. You have been asked to speak to a parent group in your school community (or write an article for the school newsletter). The topic is “Family Participation for Promoting Powerful Social Studies.” What will you include in your presen- tation that relates to meaningful homework?
3. Imagine that diversity has been identified as one of the top priorities at your school. Teachers have been asked to share proposals for addressing it. Yours emphasizes meaningful homework in social studies. What points will you make
to convince your colleagues that a systematic approach to diversity involving families with the curriculum can be powerful?
4. What do you view as the most challenging aspects of expanding the curriculum and making it more meaningful through home-school con- nections? How will you overcome them?
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