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Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students
studies concepts, processes, and actions to demo- cratic life outside the classroom.
A productive learning community draws on all of the senses, is established on the premise of democracy, and shapes constructive human interactions. At the same time, it provides a natural framework for acquir- ing meaning in the social studies. Establishing and maintaining your classroom as a collaborative learning community will provide an ideal context to motivate students to learn and develop attitudes, beliefs, and dis- positions that reflect the goals of preparing students for citizenship in a culturally diverse, democratic society. Whether or not it includes formal structures like those established by Mrs. Paul, your learning community should feature rules, routines, expectations, and social interaction patterns that foster respectful and egalitarian discourse and frequent collaboration in constructing understandings.
Approaches to teaching that can contribute to the development of the classroom community include modeling and explaining key attitudes, beliefs, and beha- viors; beginning with a unit on childhood that provides many opportunities for students to learn about their
classmates’ personal characteristics and home back- grounds; frequent opportunities for students to work collaboratively in pairs or small groups; and emphasis on classroom management and student motivation strategies that emphasize collaboration over competition. Whole-class activities should feature assertive but respect- ful interaction in which the emphasis is on discussing opinions with reference to relevant arguments and evidence as a means toward negotiating common understandings.
A learning community provides a supportive atmo- sphere that enables all students to focus on developing knowledge and skills without worrying about failure or embarrassment. Other keys to supporting students’ motivation to learn include maintaining an appropriate level of challenge (students can succeed with reasonable effort) and focusing the curriculum on content that they can appreciate and value as worth learning and is applicable to their lives outside of school. With respect to both learning and motivation, teachers need to work in the zone of proximal development, be ever mindful of the range of student assets, and provide their students with whatever structuring and scaffolding they may need in order to accomplish the intended goals.
TeachSource Video Cases
• Bilingual Education: An Elementary Two-Way Immersion Program features two teachers and their students who are involved in a two-way bilingual program (in English and Spanish).
• Cooperative Learning in the Elementary Grades: Jigsaw Model showcases the jigsaw model in practice, using the topic of ancient Olympics.
• Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Multicultural Lesson for Elementary Students focuses on incorporating multicultural education within a writing lesson.
• Diversity: Teaching in a Multiethnic Classroom features a second grade class- room in which students collaborate on a project in which they produce Japanese Kamishibai books.
As you view the videos, consider the following questions: Does the teaching in these videos meet the needs of all learners in the classroom, and if so, how? If not, why not? Does the teaching and learning in these videos reflect the kind of learning community you would like in your classroom? Why? Why not? How would you adapt the practices for social studies lessons in your classroom? The videos are available in the Education Media Library at www.CengageBrain.com.
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