Running Head: SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION 1

Social Studies

By Dawn Rauwolf

Master’s Portfolio ED698

Dr. Elizabeth Hartley, Ph.D.

November 29, 2019

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Social Studies Standard

A teacher knows the teacher’s content area and how to teach it. Candidates know,

understand and use the major concepts and modes of inquiry from the social studies ~ the

integrated study of history, geography, the social sciences and other related areas ~ to promote

elementary students’ abilities to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse

democratic society and interdependent world.

Social Studies Education Frame

Social studies is the study of history, economics, civics, and geography (National Council

for the Social Sciences [NCSS], 2008). Students who take to heart their social studies education

end up having the skills to be responsible citizens and the tools to be lifelong learners.

A constructivist philosophy of learning and teaching works well for social studies. When

students are encouraged to construct their own meaning from interesting history lessons or

learning opportunities that are based on familiar places, the knowledge gained becomes part of

each student’s core knowledge. A constructivist teaching attitude takes more time, but the

lessons learned stick with students much longer than fill-in-the-blank worksheets full of dry

facts. A constructivist social studies curriculum is built upon the idea that “knowledge is not

passively accumulated, but rather, is the result of active cognizing by the individual” (Doolittle,

2003, p. 77). This means that each student learns in his/her own unique way, combining

personal experiences and cooperative learning opportunities to find meaning.

This passion project is the result of a question I had regarding old wooden boats here in

Ketchikan. I spent a few formative years on old wooden boats, working in the commercial

fishing industry. I enjoyed the experience immensely; working on the water, and in the most

remote places in Southeast Alaska, was exhilarating and satisfying. This Animoto video
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chronicles my search for the oldest working wooden boat that is registered and homeported here

in Ketchikan. My love for the wooden boat lifestyle inspired this inquiry.

This passion project helped me to understand that it is possible to show knowledge

without using a paper assessment and without a verbal report in front of the class. This research

project addresses the history of boats and the history of people. I was able to learn by digging

into boat registration records and by doing a lot of walking around the boatyards and harbors in

Ketchikan. I also learned that having a choice about my research project made the research more

engaging; this is exactly what I strive to do for my students. In Strategies That Work, Stephanie

Harvey and Anne Goudvis (2007) remind us that, “If we want classrooms brimming full of kids

who are engaged, enthusiastic, and independent learners, they must have ownership in what they

study and investigate” (p. 231).

Teaching social studies should never be dry and boring. In my classroom, I give students

opportunities to show what they know in creative ways. Our social studies projects are usually

fun for students to make. We don’t sit down and blindly plow through an assigned textbook. On

the contrary, our social studies learning is relevant, interesting, and enlightening. We learn using

songs and real artifacts. We go visit our local museums and look at authentic items. We allow

students to absorb the lessons and then they create a visual representation of their understanding

in the form of hands-on projects, diagrams, and maps. By encouraging students to build 3D

artifacts, we are honoring their natural inclination to draw and build. When students take

information and transform it into a tangible project, they are “extending their repertoire” of

learning and presenting skills (Moline, 2012). Recomposing information in this way is “an

effective research strategy and a powerful aid to comprehension” (Moline, 2012). By using these

constructivist strategies in social studies, my students are actively learning.

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References

Doolittle, P. E. & Hicks, D. (2003). Constructivism as a theoretical foundation for the use of

technology in social studies. Theory and Research in Social Education, 31(1), 72-104.

Retrieved from http://peterdoolittle.org/publications/publication-6.pdf

Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension for

understanding and engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Moline, S. (2012). I see what you mean. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

National Council for the Social Sciences [NCSS]. (2008). A vision of powerful teaching and

learning in the social studies: Building social understanding and civic efficacy. Retrieved

November 29, 2019, from http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerful