The Study of Controversial Issues in Social Studies
By Alysha Logan - October 10, 2012
Children come to school from all different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and places and we are lucky enough in Canada to live in a Mosaic model of identity where we accept these differences and encourage individuality. But it is also important we do not forget our ties, and pass on the importance and an appreciation of togetherness. There are many levels on which we are connected to others and as Social Studies teachers it is our role to ensure the children recognise their roles and opportunities in each of these.
When children have a sense of belonging I believe the learning experiences within these relationships become more meaningful. The chapter discusses teaching the meaning of ‘citizenship’ which is a complex idea with many factors affecting it including individual differences. We as teachers must know what this means and practice it ourselves in our daily life. Being a citizen is very different than showing citizenship, as the textbook points out. Demonstrating citizenship is active participation and exercising our rights as citizens as a means to influence and shape our democracy. As teachers it is our job to ensure children understand the democratic ideals of our country and promote them in the classroom- when an issue arises with multiple solutions, take a vote. When more than one person has an opinion on a matter, let them both speak. I believe that this sort of constant demonstration of the values of our democracy will help children in their understanding of such an abstract concept, especially if they are aware of what democracy is, as well as the alternatives to it.
In my own personal experience I was given a thorough introduction to democracy in grade 8 during a provincial election. My teacher dived the class by political party and we were given our arguments and as a group decided who would represent us, what our arguments on positive social change would be, and in a democratic way, elected these representatives. From this we were able to understand not only Canadian politics on a provincial level but also how do deal with issues in everyday life.
By teaching our children to deal with problems in this way in our own classroom we are not only preparing them for life in our broader society but also valuable social studies lessons geared towards responsible social action. Allow them to ask themselves “What could/should/might/will be done about this?” (133) and ensure they consider the effects of actions, and also the effects if no actions are initiated. This planning process allows for critical thinking valuable to many aspects of life as well as education.
Children come to school from all different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and places and we are lucky enough in Canada to live in a Mosaic model of identity where we accept these differences and encourage individuality. But it is also important we do not forget our ties, and pass on the importance and an appreciation of togetherness. There are many levels on which we are connected to others and as Social Studies teachers it is our role to ensure the children recognise their roles and opportunities in each of these.
When children have a sense of belonging I believe the learning experiences within these relationships become more meaningful. The chapter discusses teaching the meaning of ‘citizenship’ which is a complex idea with many factors affecting it including individual differences. We as teachers must know what this means and practice it ourselves in our daily life. Being a citizen is very different than showing citizenship, as the textbook points out. Demonstrating citizenship is active participation and exercising our rights as citizens as a means to influence and shape our democracy. As teachers it is our job to ensure children understand the democratic ideals of our country and promote them in the classroom- when an issue arises with multiple solutions, take a vote. When more than one person has an opinion on a matter, let them both speak. I believe that this sort of constant demonstration of the values of our democracy will help children in their understanding of such an abstract concept, especially if they are aware of what democracy is, as well as the alternatives to it.
In my own personal experience I was given a thorough introduction to democracy in grade 8 during a provincial election. My teacher dived the class by political party and we were given our arguments and as a group decided who would represent us, what our arguments on positive social change would be, and in a democratic way, elected these representatives. From this we were able to understand not only Canadian politics on a provincial level but also how do deal with issues in everyday life.
By teaching our children to deal with problems in this way in our own classroom we are not only preparing them for life in our broader society but also valuable social studies lessons geared towards responsible social action. Allow them to ask themselves “What could/should/might/will be done about this?” (133) and ensure they consider the effects of actions, and also the effects if no actions are initiated. This planning process allows for critical thinking valuable to many aspects of life as well as education.