Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of the Importance of Social Studies Instruction in the Era of Accountability
Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of the Importance of Social Studies Instruction in the Era of Accountability

Author: Terrance Scott Trego

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13:

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This study examined the perceptions of elementary teachers regarding social studies instruction. Teacher beliefs on the curricular importance of social studies instruction and why it is included in elementary school curriculum was the specific focus of the study. In addition, the research examined the factors that influence the amount of time elementary teachers provide social studies instruction. Participants were teachers employed by three districts located in south central Pennsylvania. Thirty-nine elementary teachers participated in a researcher constructed online survey. Twelve elementary teachers answered researcher designed interview questions. The study concluded that elementary teachers believed social studies was an important subject because it provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate content knowledge, historical analysis, and helps students develop skills in reading/English Language Arts. However, participants ranked social studies' importance behind other core subjects of math, reading/English language arts, and science. Participants believed that social studies instruction should receive more minutes and believe that school districts do not consider it a priority subject in earlier grade levels. Some teachers believed that the fact that social studies is not a state tested subject contributed to a lack of curricular commitment to instructional minutes by school districts. In addition, elementary teachers were confident in their ability to provide instruction in social studies.

Integrated Social Studies Curriculum
Integrated Social Studies Curriculum

Author: Margaret McNamara

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 724

ISBN-13:

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This study examines teachers' conceptualizations, planning, enactment, and assessment of integrated social studies curriculum as well as teachers' perceptions of how these practices were impacting students' literacy and social studies knowledge, skills, and strategies.

(Re)Imagining Elementary Social Studies
(Re)Imagining Elementary Social Studies

Author: Sarah B. Shear

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2018-01-01

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 164113075X

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The field of elementary social studies is a specific space that has historically been granted unequal value in the larger arena of social studies education and research. This reader stands out as a collection of approaches aimed specifically at teaching controversial issues in elementary social studies. This reader challenges social studies education (i.e., classrooms, teacher education programs, and research) to engage controversial issues--those topics that are politically, religiously, or are otherwise ideologically charged and make people, especially teachers, uncomfortable--in profound ways at the elementary level. This reader, meant for elementary educators, preservice teachers, and social studies teacher educators, offers an innovative vision from a new generation of social studies teacher educators and researchers fighting against the forces of neoliberalism and the marginalization of our field. The reader is organized into three sections: 1) pushing the boundaries of how the field talks about elementary social studies, 2) elementary social studies teacher education, and 3) elementary social studies teaching and learning. Individual chapters either A) conceptually unpack a specific controversial issue (e.g. Islamophobia, Indian Boarding Schools, LGBT issues in schools) and how that issue should be/is incorporated in an elementary social studies methods courses and classrooms or B) present research on elementary preservice teachers or how elementary teachers and students engage controversial issues. This reader unpacks specific controversial issues for elementary social studies for readers to gain critical content knowledge, teaching tips, lesson ideas, and recommended resources. Endorsement: (Re)Imagining Elementary Social Studies is a timely and powerful collection that offers the best of what social studies education could and should be. Grounded in a politics of social justice, this book should be used in all elementary social studies methods courses and schools in order to develop the kinds of teachers the world needs today. -- Wayne Au, Professor, University of Washington Bothell, Editor, Rethinking Schools

A Qualitative Study of Urban Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions of Accountability in Their Practice
A Qualitative Study of Urban Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions of Accountability in Their Practice

Author: Rhiannon L. Gishey

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13:

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Current federal and state education mandates were developed to make schools accountable for student performance with the rationale that schools, teachers, and students will improve through the administration of high-stakes tests. Public schools are mandated to adhere to three accountability systems: national, state, and local. Additional elements include the recent implementation of the Common Core standards and newly devised state accountability systems that are granted through waivers as an alternative to the accountability mandates in the No Child Left Behind Act NCLB of 2001. Teachers' voices have been noticeably absent from the accountability debates, but as studies show, as primary recipients of accountability sanctions, many teachers withdraw, "burn out," or leave the profession altogether. The present study is based on the premise that teachers are vital to student achievement, and that their perspectives and understandings are therefore a resource for educational reform especially in light of the accountability mandates under NCLB. With that premise as a starting point, this dissertation examines practicing urban teachers' experiences of accountability in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. To fulfill these goals, this qualitative study used individual and focus group interviews and observations with veteran elementary school teachers in an urban Southwestern public school district, to ascertain practices they perceive to be effective. The study's significance lies in informing stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers of practicing teachers' input on accountability mandates in diverse urban schools.

Elementary Social Studies
Elementary Social Studies

Author: S.G. Grant

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-03-14

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1134673000

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Organized around four commonplaces of education—learners and learning, subject matter, teachers and teaching, and classroom environment—Elementary Social Studies provides a rich and ambitious framework to help social studies teachers achieve powerful teaching and learning results. By blending the theoretical and the practical, the authors deeply probe the basic elements of quality instruction—planning, implementation, and assessment—always with the goal of creating and supporting students who are motivated, engaged, and thoughtful. Book features and updates to the third edition include: • New chapter on classroom assessment that outlines and compares existing assessment strategies, contextualizes them within the framework of state standards, and articulates a constructivist approach that moves away from traditional high-stakes testing towards more meaningful ways of evaluating student learning • New chapter that highlights and explains key elements of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, and shows how the incorporation of critical ELA instruction into the social studies curriculum can foster more ambitious teaching and learning • Real-classroom narratives that introduce each chapter and provide in-depth access to teaching and learning contexts • Practical curriculum and resource suggestions for the social studies classroom • End-of-chapter summaries and annotated teaching resources

The Status of Social Studies
The Status of Social Studies

Author: Jeff Passe

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 1623964148

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A team of researchers from 35 states across the country developed a survey designed to create a snapshot of social studies teaching and learning in the United States. With over 12,000 responses, it is the largest survey of social studies teachers in over three decades. We asked teachers about their curricular goals, their methods of instruction, their use of technology, and the way they address the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities. We gathered demographic data too, along with inquiries about the teachers' training, their professional development experiences, and even whether they serve as coaches. The enormous data set from this project was analyzed by multiple research teams, each with its own chapter. This volume would be a valuable resource for any professor, doctoral student, or Master’s student examining the field of social studies education. It is hard to imagine a research study, topical article, or professional development session concerning social studies that would not quote findings from this book about the current status of social studies. With chapters on such key issues as the teaching of history, how teachers address religion, social studies teachers’ use of technology, and how teachers adapt their instruction for students with disabilities or for English language learners, the book’s content will immediately be relevant and useful.

Inside the Social Studies Classroom
Inside the Social Studies Classroom

Author: Jere Brophy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-08-26

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 113560097X

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This book, resulting from a collaboration among an educational psychologist, a social studies educator, and a primary teacher, describes in rich detail and illustrates with excerpts from recorded lessons how primary teachers can engage their students in social studies lessons and activites that are structured around powerful ideas and have applications to their lives outside of school.