Blog Post 8: What social studies content does one need to know to achieve the citizenship

purpose?
Social studies is broad, ever-changing, and complex. There are many subcategories of social
studies including psychology, sociology, history, geography, and economics. Throughout my
time at BGSU I have been able to understand how important it is that students and adults have a
fundamental understanding of each topic. The amount of social studies content that one needs to
know to be a knowledgeable citizen is dependent on the person and their roles in everyday life.
However, I believe it is safe to say that the content standards for k-12 touch only the tip of the
iceberg and that there is much more exploring to do outside of the classroom when it comes to
social studies.
I have been observing Mr. Boggs twelfth grade psychology class. During my time around the
students they have been working on projects, engaging in group activities, and have had lecture
time. The classroom is more democratic than I expected it to be. Mr. Boggs allows his students to
play an active role in their education. He has utilized online classrooms to prepare students for
upcoming assignments, tests, and content coverage. Often he will post articles and other useful
information that keeps students in the loop with relevant current events.
The Penta Career Center provides a unique alternative to traditional public education. Not only
are students able to complete the content that the state requires for graduation but they also get to
start working on their future job prospects such as cosmetology, graphic design, mechanics, etc.
The classrooms provided by Penta are open, up to date, and aesthetically pleasing. There are
many useful resources provided such as a media room and library where students can check out
laptops for their classrooms. As I have had time to learn more about the school and the classroom
I was assigned to I have asked myself two important questions.
How does Mr. Boggs introduce citizenship in his Psychology course?
As I started observations I often wondered what psychology really had to do with citizenship. In
other words I wondered why psychology was actually relevant for high school students. I quickly
found my answer to this question which came as a bit of a surprise to me. Although psychology
isnt technically listed as a requirement for graduation it does prove to be useful for students to
have (Department of Education). The technical definition for social studies is the various aspects
or branches of the study of human society, considered as an educational discipline. Students are
able to directly apply their knowledge of psychology in all aspects of social studies. Knowing
how the human brain operates and how it is motivated can provide a useful tool when trying to
understand the decisions and actions of people around the world.
Mr. Boggs is able to introduce citizenship in multiple different ways. Not only does he provide
current event topics in his classroom but he asks his students to analyze them and understand
why they are important to them. He also provides his classroom with chances for group work and
decision making. Because of this Mr. Boggs is directly modeling real life situations within the
classroom. Students are learning to better cooperate, use critical thinking skills, and find deeper
meaning within their content.

How can an educator make productive citizens?

The making of a good citizen goes beyond classroom expectations. Teachers must understand
that teaching the content is not enough. On top of ensuring that students are receiving the
information they need for graduation we must also work on critical thinking skills, cooperation,
and discipline as well. There was a quote that I came upon during last weeks reading that said
The challenge is not simply to adopt innovative teaching techniques or to find new locations for
learning, but deliberately to counteract two persistent maladies that make conventional schooling
inauthentic: 1. Often the work students do does not allow them to use their minds well. 2. The
work has no intrinsic meaning or value to students beyond achieving success in school
(Newmann, Wehlage). This statement stuck with me because it was a representation of
everything that makes students frustrated with their education. They need relevancy. To make
productive citizens we need to be upfront and specific about why the knowledge is necessary
along with allowing them to understand why our instruction is providing them with a pathway to
success.
An educator can help develop productive citizens by first understanding what is truly important
in the classroom. If a student walks away knowing the basics of my subject but has improved
significantly in cooperation and discipline then I know that I have done my job well. It is more
important for teachers to help their students understand how to engage in their communities and
country than it is for them to teach to the test. The content provided by the Department of
Education gives teachers many lessons to teach and within those lessons teachers have the
opportunity to create a lesson that is engaging and relevant. Informed and knowledgeable
students will be able to step away from high school knowing that they are able to take on the
world if we introduce critical thinking skills, cooperation, team work, and discipline.
A video that we watched from the show Newsroom provides an excellent example of why it is
important that teachers help students develop their own voice. Often teenagers and adults will
form their opinions based off of what their parents, friends, or co-workers believe. If we can
create a questioning mind then students will be able to choose what they believe and understand
why they believe it. The central most important thing for citizens of the United States to have is a
fundamental belief system based upon individual experience, knowledge, and academic study.
Each person has a view, hopefully our students will be able to create one uniquely their own.

References:
Department of Education. (2010). Ohio's new learning standards: Social studies standards. Retrieved
from http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Ohio-s-New-Learning-Standards/SocialStudies/SS-Standards.pdf.aspx.
Newmann,F.M.,&Wehlage,G.G.(1993).Fivestandardsofauthenticinstruction.Educational
Leadership,50(7),812.
Sorkin, A. (2009). The Newsroom First Scene. YouTube Video retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJWKccHQFOA