Memories and Interests in Social Studies (Question 10)

Since a lot of you put some good thought into your responses to question 10, I thought I would simply post them up here.
By doing this they are available to view as topic starters for anyone.
I must be careful however that the topics of yesteryear do not always apply, and I don't want to be another educator repeating and regurgitating the past. Social studies is all about being applicable and relevant and developing in students the capabilities to tackle the future confidently and respectfully:

Results of Questionnaire

RESULTS:

These are the results of the questionnaire. All percentages have been rounded in order to view data more easily. Data recorded here are from the first 100 responses to the questionnaire, and while some of them did not complete all 10 questions (only 94 out of 100 participants’ completed q 1 – 9) I have kept all the data available nonetheless.

If this data and analysis were to be presented on a more high-stakes academic forum to inform even more people, I could potentially explore the data more closely eg. Examine the differences between female and male responses, or the age of those people who considered themselves ‘active’ citizens etc.

I will discuss each question to an extent which I believe necessary, providing, if applicable, the conclusions that can be made and the application for classroom teachers.

Photo Essays!!

The Big Picture: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/

Here's an exciting discovery that will definately improve my attitude towards Social Studies (even more!!). I stumbled across this website which contains a database of important current events all documented through photos and captions.
Some of the latest issues include:

• The Chilean miners rescue
• Pink Ribbon: Breast cancer awareness
• The Commonwealth Games
• Haiti 9 months on from the disaster

These are all prevalent, hot topics for social studies discussion and debate. The photos are of really high quality so it will not disappoint.
Check it out and tell me what you think!!

Blog Question #2



I have to admit that the reading material before my last blog question was unreasonably arduous and therefore I will make an effort to make this one less tiresome and easier to answer from personal experience.

Simply, answer for me this:

1) What perceptions did you have about your Social Studies teachers in high school?

2) How about at primary and intermediate - can you remember any of your teachers showing a real passion for social studies content?

3) If you liked their 'style' did you also develop a greater interest in what they taught through social studies?

Hilary Swank plays the role of Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers (2007), a naively-optimistic young teacher who battles to form bonds with her students, to create an attitude of social understanding and need for change.

 Just as we witness in Freedom Writers (2007), a movie production based on the true story of Erin Gruwell and her first class of students, the positive impact that a teacher can have in students' lives and learning, there is unending research showing that positive student-teacher relationships improve management, attitudes, and learning in the classroom.

If you intend to read more about the movie and corresponding research about the effects of teachers role in improving students attitudes to learn in social studies please continue reading: