Final Reflection

            Social Studies has always been and continues to be my favorite subject, and this Social Studies methods course was no exception.  I learned so much through taking this course.  The most important bit of information that I learned is that I do not know everything there is to know about Social Studies.  There are so many resources that I can pull from in order to inform my instruction.  The National Council for the Social Studies is one great resource.  They provide materials for teachers as well as national standards for the teaching of Social Studies.  Professional development activities and Social Studies journals are also great resources for teachers to explore.  Teachers can also conduct Internet research to expand their knowledge about certain topics.  I also learned that it is more important to “uncover” Social Studies concepts rather than “cover” them.  Simply seeing how much material you can cover in a year does not guarantee that students are learning, but teaching students how to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills to answer questions does assure student learning.  It is important to allow students to think and discuss in the classroom.  Social Studies instruction should not consist of the teacher standing at the front of the room lecturing, but it should be a journey of discovery.

            I realize that Social Studies is one of the subjects that has been pushed aside in the current push for standardized testing.  I feel that this is the wrong move to make.  Social Studies is just as important as other subjects taught in schools today.  Students have to have a basic knowledge of their history so that they will not repeat the mistakes of past generations.  They also need basic geographic knowledge.  I feel that students need to have a general idea of where countries are located.  There are so many different countries mentioned on the news today, and I feel that students need to have a general idea of their locations.  One way to help bring Social Studies back to the forefront of the classroom is to use integration.  It is so easy to integrate Social Studies in Language Arts.  There are many great pieces of literature that have Social Studies theme.  There are lots of creative art and music projects that students can do that integrate Social Studies.  Integration of this subject is so easy, and it will help provide students with the Social Studies knowledge that they will need. 

            I feel like I have really been able to form my curriculum ideology by taking this class.  I believe that my classroom will be learner centered.  I believe that the focus of class should be on the learner.  The teacher should provide instruction that guides the student to discovering knowledge.  I also feel that active learning is a key part of making Social Studies interesting to students.  Completing projects and participating in discussions is much more effective than teacher lecture.  I also plan to start each day with a morning meeting.  These meetings help set the tone for the day, and the teachers can set goals for the day.

            To conclude, I have learned so much through this Social Studies methods course.  I have learned so much from Dr. Meier, and I plan to take much of this information to my own classroom.  This has been a great semester, and this class has been very beneficial.