Social studies are the incorporated study of humanities and sciences enhanced to endorse effectual community development. This paper therefore identifies and discusses three journal articles from different sources discussing about social studies. An annotation of the three journal articles dealing with social studies is presented below.
Lawlor, D. & Mariscal, Q. (2006). ‘Longman Social Studies.’ Journal of Social Studies Research, 10(3), 34-41.
In this journal article by Lawlor and Mariscal, a set of three books have been discussed in the journal article. These are a student’s book, a workbook and a Teacher’s guide. This are enhanced in order to link through the advanced preparation of English language learners and stressed readers to finger complex educational skills and comfortable acquaintance in later conventional social studies classes. Therefore, the set of the three manual books emphasizes mostly on educational language, social study skills and content reading strategies.
The student’s workbook is intended to assist students to strengthen and enlarge significant academic language, social studies skills, reading strategies and finally the writing skills achieved from the student’s book. The work book forms importance basis since it can also serve as a measure where students grasp information before continuing with the relevant skills. In addition to that, the same is used by teachers to measure grasp of concepts of learners.
On the other hand, teacher’s guide book serves to provide detailed information and instructional measures for presenting and teaching social studies skills for academic contents. Generally, from the article, it is clear indication that the study of social studies encompasses a wide base of information consisting of the diverse branches of social science. This calls for the idea and reason for everybody to get well acquainted with the skills of social studies so as to be in better position to compete with the global emerging issue in all relevant fields which are related with social studies skills.
‘Social studies.’ Source: 11 United States History and Government. The New York Education Department. Albany, NY. Adapted for Journal of Social Studies Research.
The article emphasizes on the importance of the skills acquired from the social studies teachings. In this case, the skills are introduced and applied within the relevance framework of social studies programs and thus remediating the skills is considered a developmental process to a student. The article points out that: students will get the best understanding of such skills once they use apply them in examining, interpreting and analyzing concepts of social science.
Further, students are foreseen to aim for mastery objective skills. This is because empirical research proves that students lacking appropriate social studies skills will face numerous difficulties when it comes to applying information to new fields and analyzing emerging issues and past problems. Regarding this journal, social studies teachings should be conducted in all classroom activities. This is to ensure that students connect to methodical and developmental progress to learning how information is processed and how to apply the same in the relevant emerging fields.
Social studies skills are categorized into two: thinking skills and thinking strategies. Thinking skills involves the talent to collect, understand, classify and manufacture information, where else thinking strategies includes processing information while students engage in solving the problem so as to come up with relevant solution. The recommendations of learning and teaching social studies revolve around some basic dimensions which are necessary in ensuring meaningful programs. The dimensions cover widely on the essential parts of all social study program and teaching. They include; multi disciplinary approaches, skills of intellectual, breadth and depth, student-teaching, knowledge, and evaluation and patterns for organizing data among other dimensions.
Higgs, P. L. (1996). ‘Using Inquiry to Teach Social Studies.’ The Charter Schools Resource Journal, 1(1), 20-32.
This journal article by Higgs revolves around the ‘studying and teaching’ of social studies through the use of inquiry. Through this mode of teaching, the structure encourages teachers to teach without the use of exclusive textbooks. This is done with the aim of assisting the students to make relations with the world; in other words beyond the classroom setting.
The article calls for more participation and thinking of the student to come up with solutions towards emerging problems when applying the same skills in the new information fields. Further, this method includes special and advanced techniques of dealing with social studies, this includes; public dialogue, decision making and resident participation principles that anticipate learners to examine their humanity as social
It also encourages and explains the need for scientists to conduct empirical studies through the use of scientific skills to recognize emerging issues and to be in better position of solving such problems that lead to feasible solutions. The basic standard of ‘inquiry’ expects the instructors to connect the learners in an advanced manner and categorize the thinking activities. This comes with the benefits of expanding learner’s knowledge concerning social studies education. Mostly, this is achieved through comprising students in substantive conversations and further creating lots of activities that help students relate with the world beyond the classroom.
The journal article reiterates further on the importance of teachers planning and assessing lessons. This enhances better and advanced experience which in turn results to production of meaningful learning. Basically, influential social studies in this article are seen to be of help in guiding students to create meaningful learning by serving students to associate truth and concepts which they later apply and explain to the entire globe.
References
Higgs, P. L. (1996). ‘Using Inquiry to Teach Social Studies.’ The Charter Schools Resource Journal, 1(1), 20-32.
Lawlor, D. & Mariscal, Q. (2006). ‘Longman Social Studies.’ Journal of Social Studies Research, 10(3), 34-41.
‘Social studies.’ Source: 11 United States History and Government. The New York Education Department. Albany, NY. Adapted for Journal of Social Studies Research.
