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This blog article was created for Lynne Ursenbach professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary

1: Effective teaching is purposeful!

My Experience: The Power in a Vision

When I began my education degree, and chose to specialize in social studies, I did not fully understand the necessity of having a clear understanding of my vision for social studies education. My professors stressed the idea that as a teacher I needed to flesh out an answer to the question:

“What is my philosophy for social studies education?”

I explored some surface level responses to this question, but I did not place great value in a deep exploration into this avenue of learning. For me, a vision of education was second to the practical skills that I would need in the classroom. Due to the impact my indifference had during my practicum, I have recognized my error, and that is why I have placed this issue at the top of the list. The simple fact that I started my journey in education by discounting the power of a vision, and that now I fully embrace the necessity of a vision, is the first way that my vision for social studies education has evolved.

Case & Abbott (2008) suggest that “clearly social studies has the potential to be an exciting, dynamic, and thought-provoking subject, but all too often it fails to achieve this potential” (p. 9). Why does this particular subject consistently illicit negative responses from teachers and students alike (Gibson, 2012)? I view social studies as a dynamic and provocative subject that has fascinated me since I was a young girl. I honestly thought the subject sold itself and that, as a teacher, I need only to focus on delivering the content and the students would naturally find the lessons engaging and come to deep understandings. However, I have learned that my fanciful ideas about social studies education were baseless, and that without a clear insightful vision for social studies education, my lessons will lack purpose and depth.

Fielding (2009) notes that throughout his years as a history teacher he received many negative responses when he mentioned his profession. Upon inquisition, Fielding (2009) discovered that these reactions stemmed from rote learning experiences, like memorization and boring lectures, and that the teachers did not endeavour to make history interesting. This raises the question:

“What are social studies teachers doing wrong and why are their lessons falling flat? ”

In answering this question, I am led to a quote from Clark & Case (2008), “Good teachers possess a clear vision of education and of what it will do for their students … They incorporate the curriculum into their philosophy of education and use what it has to offer in ways that make educational sense” (p. 18). This leads me to believe that the error made by many social studies teachers is that they, like me, have not considered the purpose of social studies education. Gibson (2012) supports this preposition and says that students enjoy social studies more when their teachers are shown to have “clear goals and a strong sense of purpose” in addition to excitement for the materials (p. 43).

My vision of social studies has morphed to embrace the idea that teaching should be purposeful. Although having a clear vision for social studies education won’t be the sole factor in improving student’s enthusiasm for the subject, a big picture view of social studies pedagogy is the first step to ensuring purposeful lesson planning and capturing the hearts and minds of our students.

2: Great history lessons are about perspective!

My Experience: Changing Perspectives

I have come to understand the importance of encouraging my students to view history from different perspectives. When starting my journey to become a teacher, I wanted to ensure that I did not bring my bias into the classroom, and so I thought that I should focus on the facts about the social studies discipline rather than the feelings. As I have explored my vision for teaching social studies, I have realized the naivete of my position.

Barton & Levstick (2003) noted that the key characteristics of history education are “investigation, interpretation, [as well as] perspective ” (p. 358). I love social studies, and I want to pass this passion to my students. At the same time, I want to avoid bringing my own bias into the picture and encourage my students to discover their own opinions based on exceptional research. I agreed with Barton & Levstick about investigation and interpretation of history, but I struggled to understand perspective in history as important. In my opinion, this idea pushed too far into the social reform purpose of citizenship education discussed by Clark & Case (2008), a position that I deemed to be divisive, have the tendency to radicalize students, and create a situation where teacher bias could flourish. So, I had to ask myself the question:

“Does perspective in history equate to bias?”

I am drawn to this quote by Duhamel (2018) in his article addressing treaties, “Instead of simply seeing two parties at the Treaty negotiations, then, we should see three: First Nations, settlers, and the Creator … This kind of understanding is not a revision but rather a correction of a narrative written by non-Indigenous peoples that has failed to fully recognize the humanity of First Nation peoples” (para. 50). Duhamel (2018) explores how the First Nations perspective at treaty negotiations was not acknowledged by government officials, or used surreptitiously to cheat the First Nations peoples in the deals made, and is a clear example of how perspective taking changes how history is told.

I have found that encouraging students to view different perspectives will help guide them to develop better informed opinions. I have also learned, that it is likely not possible for teachers to be perfectly unbiased when delivering lessons. The topic of teacher bias would require an essay on it’s own, so I will sum up my findings by pointing the reader towards an article by The Graide Network (2018), in which they suggest that a teacher’s unconscious bias is unavoidable, and that striving to suppress bias can be counterproductive. Educators should instead aim to self-reflect and be open to acknowledging their own bias. This aha moment about bias has been monumental in accepting the importance of historical perspective. In fact, guiding students to interpret history through different lenses does not bring bias into education, but helps to eliminate bias. We have all heard the statement that “history is written by the victor.” The truth in this statement is that historical interpretation can be biased, and as such, bringing perspective into social studies education is essential to negating bias. Gani & Scott (2017) note that educators come to history education with their own bias which can cause them to “resist efforts to teach the perspectives of those they perceive as outside their identity position” (p. 11). As such, my original position has been flipped. In fact, my resistance to studying historical perspectives could be seen as a representation of my own bias.

My vision of social studies education has significantly changed. I now envision social studies as a path for students to explore different perspectives. Bias is a natural part of historical recollection; however, acknowledging this bias exists, and guiding students to explore perspectives, is key in developing the student’s humanity.

3: Social studies is a process of inquiry!

My Experience: See, Think, Wonder!

When I noticed the explosion in student engagement during inquiry-based lessons I was sold, and my vision for social studies education evolved to embrace inquiry as an authentic strategy to approach unit and lesson planning. When I began my education degree I disagreed with constructivist theories of education. I saw them as chaotic and uncomprehensive. I envisioned teaching as a process where teachers pass on knowledge to students, which is grounded in the need to cover the curriculum. I have come to realize that students are not empty vessels to be filled. Instead they are active participants in gaining knowledge and create connections from their experiences (Davis et al., 2015). It is possible to cover all aspects of the curriculum using inquiry-based methods; however, I recognize that inquiry must be purposeful, scaffolded, and requires thoughtful planning on behalf of the teacher (MacKenzie, 2016).

I respect the need to cover the curriculum, but this is no longer my driving goal for social studies education, instead I am focused on more of a social reform vision for social studies education (Clark & Case, 2008). I believe that the goal of social studies is equip students to become participating members of society, which for me, means that by understanding themselves, their community, and Canadian culture, students can better transform society and make it a better place. I also place great emphasis on students having the opportunity to develop their own opinions as free from my bias as possible. Keeping this purpose in mind, I realize the necessity of guiding students through a process of inquiry whereby they will experience authentic and deep understanding in relation to their personal truths and values.

“How can inquiry support a citizenship purpose of social studies education?”

Barton & Levstick (2003) say that “students’ encounters with history should center on the process of historical interpretation” (p. 358). Barton & Levstick (2003) also explain that historical investigations are essential for students to understand how stories from the past are created and how to interpret those stories. So, inquiry is at the heart of what it means to be a historian, geographer, or social worker, all of which are potential student futures that are grounded in social studies education. The process of inquiry becomes an essential skill for our students to master and through which students will learn to distinguish good and bad sources of information and develop their understanding of Canadian society based on good data (Barton & Levstick, 2003).

Evidence points to inquiry as essential in social studies education and as such my vision has changed from one of filling students with information, to one where I guide students through the investigative process so that they can draw their own conclusions and become contributing members of Canadian society.

In Summary:

My Vision for Social Studies Education

“Engaging in purposeful social studies is not an easy task ... however, we can begin by thinking about our vision for social studies.”

— (Case & Abbot, 2008)

References

Alberta Education. (2005). Social studies kindergarten to grade 12: Program rational and philosophy (pp. 1-10). Alberta Education. https://education.alberta.ca/media/159594/program-of-studies-k-3.pdf

Barton, K. & Levstik, L. (2003). Why don't more history teachers engage students in interpretation? Research and Practice, 67(6), 358-361. https://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/publications/se/6706/6706358.pdf

Case, R. & Abbott, M. (2008). Purposeful teaching in elementary social studies: In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The anthology of social studies: Issues and strategies for elementary teachers (pp. 8-17). Pacific Education Press. https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/384738/viewContent/4747262/View

Clarke, P. & Case, R. (2008). Four defining purposes of citizenship education. In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The anthology of social studies: Issues and strategies for secondary teachers (pp. 18-29). Pacific Education Press

Davis, B., Sumara, D., & Luce-Kapler, R. (2015). Engaging minds: Cultures of education and practices of teaching (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-ebooks/detail.action?docID=2038974

Duhamel, K. (2018). Gakina Gidagwi’igoomin Anishinaabewiyang: We are all treaty people, understanding the spirit and intent of the treaties matters to all of us. Treaties and the treaty relationship, Canada’s History, 11-22. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/settlement-immigration/gakina-gidagwi-igoomin-anishinaabewiyang-we-are-all-treaty-people

Fielding, J. (2005). Engaging students in learning history. Canadian Social Studies, 39(2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1073994.pdf

Gani, R., & Scott, D. (2017). Social studies teachers’ resistance to teaching francophone perspectives in Alberta. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research, 15(1), 34-48. https://www.history.org.uk/secondary/resource/9330/social-studies-teachers-resistance-toteaching-fr

Gibson, S. (2012). "Why do we learn this stuff"? Students' views on the purpose of social studies. Canadian Social Studies, 45(1), 43-58. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ972852

Mackenzie, T. (2016) Bringing inquiry-based learning into your class: A four-step approach to using a powerful model that increases student agency in learning. https://www.edutopia.org/article/bringing-inquiry-based-learning-into-your-class-trevor-mackenzie

The Graide Network. (2018, August 27). Teacher bias: The elephant in the classroom. thegraidenetwork.org. https://www.thegraidenetwork.com/blog-all/2018/8/1/teacher-bias-the-elephant-in-the-classroom

Indigenous Education

3 Significant Ways My Vision for Social Studies Education Has Evolved