Blog Post #5
Over the course of this class, I have learned about many things. Three that come to mind right away are Project Based Learning, Social Studies Inquiry, and IDM. Before this class I had heard of Project Based Learning before but my perception of the topic was very off. I just thought that PBL was just having students to projects about the content. PBL is so much more than that, it is a way for students to be able to think deeper about the content, explore real world content/problems, and much more. Social Studies Inquiry was something I had never heard of before this class. I learned that Social Studies Inquiry is a way of teaching that involves one large compelling question and smaller supporting questions that get students thinking deeper and deeper about content. IDM was also something I had never heard about before this class. I learned that IDM is a way to teach social studies in a way that also gets to students to really think about content which in return, helps them engage and learn more. We learned so many strategies and techniques over this quarter to get students engaged and excited about Social Studies and I will definitely be using these strategies in my future classroom.
Identify one challenge/concern/question you still have about teaching social studies. Explain your thoughts about this issue.
The only concern that I still have about teaching Social Studies is my lack of knowledge on the subject. I am going to be honest, I was one of those kids in school who really disliked Social Studies, so I didn't engage in the content as much as I should have and did everything I could to just skim by. Now that I am becoming a teacher, I really need to do some research and build my knowledge base on the subject so that I can provide my students with the best education that I can!
Hi Katie!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog! I am glad I was not the only one who thought project based learning was just giving students projects to work on based off of the content. I was pleasantly surprised to learn otherwise! I never would have given PBL a chance if I did not learn this! I am also glad that I am not alone in being nervous about my knowledge on different subjects. I too was similar in school and struggled with enjoying social studies, when I become a teacher it's important that I do not let my students know this, so they do not develop a negative feeling towards SS.
Great job!
Kenzie
Kenzie,
DeleteThank you! Taking this class has really imporved my interest for social studies which I am so grateful for! I definitely want to make sure my students don't sense my weariness towards the subject, so by expanding my knowledge and gratitude toward the subject I can do my best to make sure my students enjoy SS as well!
Katie
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog, and I believe those three things you said really was this class like those were the big things I connect from this class most as well. They were very important and taught me so much, like you said that you didn't no those things before and neither had I and have really picked up a lot from this class. I also feel the same about the something to be a struggle for you still and that's me to never really connected well with social studies before so I need to do that as well.
Madison,
DeleteThis class really expanded my knowledge in SS as well as great ways to keep students interested and engaged in the content from a teachers standpoint. I am super excited to get into a classroom so I can practice these skills! Thank you!
Katie
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI also hadn't heard of Social Studies Inquiry prior to this class, but I wish my teachers had! Social Studies Inquiry makes the process of learning and understanding the content much more enjoyable and investigative. This way of teaching social studies will make students fall in love with history, geography, economics, and civics. I was also one of the students that didn't like, therefore engage in social studies content so I'm not very familiar with it. However, I like how the "National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies" book has the "knowledge", "processes", and "products" sections for each theme. This will help us narrow our research before we start planning a lesson.
Ashlyn,
DeleteI feel that if we had experienced SS inquiry when we were in school, it definitely would have changed our perspectives on the subject. That's why I am so grateful for this class and the knowledge we have gained so we can give our students that experience that we were deprived of.
Katie
Katie, I enjoyed reading your blogs this quarter, you did a really great job!! When reflecting on this class and this quarter, project-based learning and IDM stood out to me as well. These, as well as subject integration, are key things that I plan and hope to take with me into my future classroom. One thing that I felt like was very helpful that we learned in this class was how to structure a unit plan around IDM. Understanding how a compelling question can serve as the overarching theme and goal for the unit, and then elaborating and doing the majority of the teaching through answering the supporting questions was really helpful to understand what it can look like in my future classroom! I feel like we got a lot of good 'real-life' examples this quarter of what our classroom can and should look like and I am so grateful for that!!
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to your concern about your knowledge of content in regards to teaching social studies!! I think I can say this across the board for all the subjects we are learning about! I completely agree that I need to do the work to expand and deepen my knowledge in the content I will be teaching in the Elementary grades.
Thanks for sharing!
Sorry, I forgot my question - What is one way you can make sure your PBL lessons are more than just 'having students do a project about the content' to make it more meaningful for them?
Delete