"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -George Santayana

Teaching is a thinking practice and therefore we will put thinking in the center of our work together – students’ thinking in and about history/social studies and teachers’ thinking about teaching history/social studies.  You have already had experiences as students in social studies classrooms.  But, learning to teach social studies asks you to reframe those experiences, that is, to reconsider teaching and learning from “the other side of the desk.”  In this class, we will explore how to use community resources to design and engage in effective and engaging social studies teaching. 

 

The course defines “community resources” to include those of students and other people in the community, local institutions such as foundations and museums, and the curriculum and standards used in the community where you teach.  Additionally, the course will focus on resources for middle and high school history, geography, economics, and civics. Over the semester, we will consider ways students learn history and social studies, the challenges they encounter, and how teachers might plan and support students in meeting these challenges.  Last, this course will allow you to investigate and use technological tools in social studies that will be useful for you as a teacher and for your students.