The New Social Studies
The New Social Studies

Author: Barbara Slater Stern

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2009-11-01

Total Pages: 522

ISBN-13: 1617352853

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This volume, The New Social Studies: People, Projects and Perspectives is not an attempt to be the comprehensive book on the era. Given the sheer number of projects that task would be impossible. However, the current lack of knowledge about the politics, people and projects of the NSS is unfortunate as it often appears that new scholars are reinventing the wheel due to their lack of knowledge about the history of the social studies field. The goal of this book then, is to sample the projects and individuals involved with the New Social Studies (NSS) in an attempt to provide an understanding of what came before and to suggest guidance to those concerned with social studies reform in the future—especially in light of the standardization of curriculum and assessment currently underway in many states. The authors who contributed to this project were recruited with several goals in mind including a broad range of ages, interests and experiences with the NSS from participants during the NSS era through new, young scholars who had never heard much about the NSS. As many of the authors remind us in their chapters, much has been written, of the failure of the NSS. However, in every chapter of this book, the authors also point out the remnants of the projects that remain.

Constructivism and the New Social Studies
Constructivism and the New Social Studies

Author: Geoffrey Scheurman

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2018-07-01

Total Pages: 435

ISBN-13: 1641132965

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The New Social Studies refers to a flurry of academic and commercial activity during the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in the mass development and dissemination of revolutionary classroom materials and teacher resources. In science as well as social studies, a spirit of “inquiry-based teaching” filled the air during this time, resulting in the development of curricula that were both pedagogically innovative and intellectually rigorous. “Constructivism and the New Social Studies” contains a collection of classic lessons from some of the most successful projects of the era, providing a resource of exceptional ideas and materials that have stood the test of time. These revealing artifacts are presented with commentaries from some of the original directors of major projects, including Edwin Fenton, Barry Beyer, and Suzanne Helburn. In addition to American and World History, groundbreaking lessons are represented in Economics, Government, Sociology, and Geography, including the Public Issues Series (Fred Newann), The Amherst History Project (Richard Brown and Geoffrey Scheurman) and Teaching American History: The Quest for Relevancy (Allan Kownslar, Gerald Ponder, and Geneva Gay), and Man: A Course of Study (Peter Dow). With a Foreword by Jerome Bruner, the volume not only provides a resource of exceptional curriculum ideas and actual materials, it also builds a lucid bridge between the theoretical ideas of constructivism and the pedagogical principles of inquiry learning. With over 50 years of expertise from curriculum history and social studies pedagogy, the editors make the case that “guided inquiry” as presented in these projects was constructivist by design, offering a range of instructional methods that begin with questions rather than answers and considers progress in terms of the development of analytical skills and experimental habits of mind rather than the mere acquisition of knowledge. Projects developed during the New Social Studies serve as both an interesting historical archive of powerful curricular innovations as well as a treasure trove of actual lessons and materials still useful in social studies classrooms striving to become more constructivist. The lessons and other materials we chose should be relevant if you are an historian, researcher, theorist, or teacher of any subject, but it will be especially significant if you are interested in the nature of social, civic, or historical literacy in America, including how to teach for authentic achievement in those areas.

Leaders in Social Education
Leaders in Social Education

Author: Christine Woyshner

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-09-23

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9462096651

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Research in social education over the last forty years has broken new ground in such areas as historical understanding, civic education, cultural studies, and curriculum and assessment. This collection is comprised of reflections on the professional trajectories of nineteen leading social studies scholars. Demonstrating that their professional interests have emerged from their autobiographies, the scholars write about their personal influences, professional choices, and contributions. The book reveals how social justice, difference and diversity, and a commitment to the ongoing project of democracy have been central to their work. The chapters in this volume reveal leading social educators’ determined sense of urgency about making the world a better place through their leadership in the field. Each essay provides students, practitioners, and researchers alike with background on the nineteen scholars. Also, the scholars provide lists of their favorite publications as well as the works of other scholars that influenced them. Taken together, the chapters in this volume offer thoughts on the past, present, and future of social studies.