After perusing the social studies content standards for the first time in quite a while, I am left feeling the same sentiment that I had the last time: when did the school year get extended to 270 school days? Honestly, when I am supposed to find the time to cover New Jersey's role in World War II or the Civil War? Or make time to have students analyze how American colonial experiences caused change in the economic institutions of Africa? Most of the things that are mentioned in the content standars are covered in most social studies classrooms, to one degree or another. I may not spend too much time, if any, discussing the Paterson Silk Strike. However, this is not to say that I do not think it is important. I have always believed that the content in the social studies classroom is only the vehicle by which students arrive at their ultimate goal: critical thought. If it keeps their attention and stirs up their emotions, then I think it is useful. If I spend three days on John Brown and only one on Abraham Lincoln, sue me.
I try very hard to not be a cynical critic of curriculum content standards. They have a place and it is important. I do think that the CCCS are effective in providing teachers with a framework to follow. If so inclined, a teacher would use them to guide their units and dictate the subjects of each day's lesson. The problem is that they would probably get only halfways through them by June. The content standards, in my view, have almost a built-in recognition that no one will actually attempt to cover them all. Implicit in the quantity of standards is the suggestion that you should do the best you can to cover what you can. In this way, most teachers if not pressured to will not refer to the standards at all.
The best way that teaching a social studies curriculum was ever described to me was to view it like a barbed wire fence. The wiring is thin, but continuous. However, to suspend the wire, ever now and then, a thick, sturdy post must be laid into the ground. The posts are the things that a teacher chooses to zero in on because they recognize the opportunity for critical thought, discussion, analysis, etc. I see many or most of the content standards as being effective suggestions for those posts. However, it would be difficult to set the barbed wire to those standards.
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3 comments:
I liked the comment about the "barbed wire". If only we could think about everything that way. I really do not put too much emphasis on what cannot be obtained in the NJCCCS. I am a Special Education Teacher my concentration/certification is in ELL. I teach 6 different subjects!!
Yes, In High School. Do you have any idea what my curriculum looks like? It is tripled by subject. That is why in order to keep my sanity, I do what I can.
Yes, you cannot cover all that! No one can. Now this opens up another can of worms! What's more important to NJCCCS breadth or depth?
I love that you mentioned critical thinking as the most important goal in social studies, and I would say, in all subjects.
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