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Social Studies Learning Task 1: The Fundamental Understandings of Grade 3 Individual Reflection Jenna Callaghan

University of Calgary Education 510

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Social Studies Learning Task 1: Individual Reflection Having little to no experience with the teaching of Social Studies, I was forced to reflect on my own encounters as a student learning about the subject in order to undertake this initial learning task. I am sure this is not the only experience I had, but the most predominant memories of my own Social Studies learning experience, specifically in high school, involve copying copious amounts of notes from the chalkboard, opening the textbook to read a specific chapter or designated set of pages, and independently answering the corresponding questions at the end of the chapter. I also remember the feelings of boredom and disinterest that accompanied this learning experience. It is from this disappointing memory that what I believe to be my own philosophy of Social Studies has stemmed. Reflecting on these learning experiences now, inspires me to want to teach Social Studies in a way that engages students in the vast possibilities that the subject has to offer. More specifically, I believe that the Social Studies curriculum should be approached in a way that allows students to actively participate in, and learn about the world around them, rather than just memorizing facts and statistics from a textbook. Hence, learning in Social Studies, and all other disciplines, should be authentic and meaningful for students. In contrast, I would not consider my own learning to have been overly authentic or meaningful, as it is embarrassing to admit how lacking my knowledge of history or the worlds geography (for example) is today. This philosophy and inspiration to approach Social Studies differently in my classroom influenced my interpretation of the fundamental understandings of the Grade 3 Program of Studies outcomes immensely. For example, this philosophy led us to discuss that when studying communities in the world, it is not enough for students to simply learn about the surface characteristics (population, location, climate, etc.) of the four countries included in the Program

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of Studies. If this is our only focus in addressing the curricular outcomes, students will simply continue to memorize information to write on the test, forgetting about it as soon as they finish (a strategy I can relate to, particularly in my secondary education). Instead, we must help students to discover the intricate structure underlying the surface, which contributes to the quality of life in each place and relates to that of Canada. We must aide our students in understanding that differences among communities are to be expected and do not necessarily make one superior to another. We must encourage students to explore how interconnected the world is, and to find their place in it (Learn Alberta, 2009). Finally, we must push students to discover that there is always more than one view to any story, and encourage them to consider these views, helping them to become more accepting, compassionate and educated individuals (Alberta Education, 2005). In order for my students to experience success in developing a deep view of these fundamental understandings, I must truly understand these factors first. In planning our presentation, we often discussed the challenge of deepening our own understanding of what it means to be a global citizen and to truly understand our relation to others. The way I have come to understand this is that my task is not so much about learning specific facts, but instead about challenging myself to think differently about the world and my own place in it. I cannot recall who said this, but what resonates with me most about our group discussion around this task was that you dont learn global citizenship, you live it. In the event that I was approached by concerned parents, I would begin by explaining what the fundamental understandings of the Grade 3 Program of Studies are, followed by why they are important. Specifically, I would explain to parents that the world we live in becomes more and more connected every day, and it is important for their children to develop an

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understanding of their important role in it. This will help my students, and their children develop an attitude of care toward humanity, and a feeling of responsibility for how their actions may affect others around the world. Teaching students so that they successfully build these understandings in Social Studies requires more than simply teaching the definitions and facts. Instead, it requires me, as the teacher, to develop these understandings, and truly accept the values that the Program of Studies is trying to portray first. References Alberta Education (2005). Social Studies Program of Studies: Kindergarten to Grade 12. Retrieved from: http://education.alberta.ca/media/456082/sockto3.pdf Learn Alberta (2009). Social Studies: Kindergarten- Grade 9 Big Ideas. Retrieved from: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/ssogmd/html/kto9bigideas.html