Two-Column Notes

Date:
Name: Morgan Niese
Class/Subject: EDTL 2760
8/29/201
6
MR Title(s): Mark C. Schug, Why Kids Dont Like Social Studies
MR Source(s): Schug, M. C., Todd, R. J, & Beery, R. (1984). Why kids dont like social
studies. Social Education, 48(5), 382-387.
Page #
The Text Says
I Say
Notes (key concepts, direct quotes, etc.)
My notes, commentary
364

However, 13 percent of the high school

students hinted that social studies was
important because of its emphasis on
citizenship education.

364

real world experiences which can help

students learn for themselves the
importance of being an active citizens

It truly amazes me that only 13 percent of the

students interviewed in this research thought
that social studies was important. It is
important for students to learn their duties as a
United States citizen and one great way for
students to learn that is through social studies.
Without social studies, how are students
supposed to learn how our government
functions? Or how are the students going to
learn who to vote for in the upcoming elections.
Students need to learn good and bad qualities
of a government official before they vote. That
is only one of many reasons social studies is
very important.
In elementary school, I remember going on
many field trips to experience historical sites
and to learn from them in person. As a child, I
really enjoyed going on these field trips
because it got me out of the classroom and
allowed me to experience history in a different
way. Rather than sitting in a classroom
listening to a teacher talk for a day, I was able
to watch and learn from reenactments of

386

We just take notes, take tests, and watch

the news, or It was just read the chapter,
do a worksheet, take the test

historical events and witness how people lived

before me. But, as I got into middle school and
high school, field trips lessened. I think that it
is important for even high school students to go
on these trips because it is good for them to
learn from their own real life experiences.
Going to these historical sites may open the
students eyes and make them realize that
what they have now didnt just appear, many
people before them had to fight and work
extremely hard to make the United States what
it is today. They need to learn that their actions
will affect the lives of many generations after
them.
Even though reading chapters, doing
worksheets, and taking notes is crucial to
student learning in social studies, I do agree
with the students that there needs to be a
change in teaching methods. Rather than just
relying on textbooks, it would be nice for the
teachers to broaden the horizons and refer to
personal experiences such as their visits to
monuments, landmarks, or historical sites.
Providing a story of what the teachers learned
and pictures that they took while they were
there might make the lesson more interesting
for the students.

Connections to previous MR:

As I went through high school, I had one really good social studies teacher and one really bad social
studies teacher. The bad teacher only relied on the internet. We watched news casts all the time which
was fine but it was also very boring. He would give us research assignments that were very complex
and hard and only gave a little help. Other than that, we would just sit in his class and watch him
flipped through slides as he would barely talk. Most of everything he said was written on the board, so
it made note taking very boring. But, my really good social studies teacher was amazing. His love and
passion for history and teaching really inspired me to become a teacher. He also taught me and many
others to really love and enjoy history. He was energetic and kept the class interesting at all times.
Even though he repeated himself all the time trying to get us students to understand the information he
was teaching, the class was never boring. I strongly agree with Schugs findings. I think that it is very
important that teachers start incorporating more fun activities, real life experiences, and pictures into
the classroom to get the students more involved. Once the students are able to engage themselves in
class, they will find social studies more interesting and be more willing to learn. That is one of my main
things I want to do as a teacher. I want to be able to incorporate real life experiences into the
classroom and make the class lively to make my students more interested in the subject matter.