This action research case study describes how varying the levels and format of technology integration into high school social studies classroom lessons impact students' motivation to learn and how the teacher's effort to support student motivation through the integration of technology supports student achievement. This research study was grounded…

In the age of standardized testing, science and social studies are not given the same priority as mathematics and reading in the curriculum of United States schools. High stakes testing is viewed as having heavily biased schools toward teaching tested subjects and away from less frequently tested subjects. This paper is premised on the notion that…

How does teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) inform their instructional planning? How can this knowledge be enhanced? In an interpretivist study of experienced secondary social studies teachers' planning, we sought to discover clues to the nature and development of these teachers' TPACK-in-action as it was expressed in…

The Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG) is a research unit of the College of Education at the University of Hawai'i. Part of its mission is to develop curriculum materials for students in grades K-12. The social studies section of CRDG has been developing curriculum materials on Asia since the early 1990s. As part of a project…

Examines the dispute concerning ideas related to a national scope and sequence for the social studies curriculum. Urges social studies teachers and other interested parties to review all proposals for a national scope and sequence so that they can participate in developing an improved plan or recognize that defining a scope and sequence is…

Discusses how to develop a chapter based unit, a very brief planning scheme that enables a social studies teacher to organize instruction drawing upon content from a single textbook chapter. This involves identifying a focus generalization, describing major concepts and subconcepts, preparing performance objectives, and developing key questions.…

Offers suggestions for teachers to increase their awareness of effective thinking in the classroom. Gives a list of types of questions that can stimulate critical thinking in students. Urges examination of teaching strategies and curriculum to determine if they elicit thought. (LS)

Two views of social studies curriculum development are discussed. The technical project view assumes a linear sequence of discrete events; the social process view assumes a dynamic, interactive relationship among policy, planning, enactment, and their sociocultural context. An alternative conception that integrates technical, social, and critical…

A request for increasing instructional time on subjects that have a mandated passing-score requirement and decreasing instructional time on subjects like social studies that are either not tested or do not require a passing score for high school graduation is not intended to improve the overall quality or cohesiveness of an educational program.…

Recent research suggests that there may be systematic differences in instruction and learning associated with particular social studies subjects. The researchers question whether social studies instruction differs across the various subjects that constitute the social studies curriculum. If so, to what extent do these differences have…

This report summarizes and compares the views of six experts (three university professors and three elementary teachers) concerning elementary-level social studies teaching. The experts were asked to treat the topic comprehensively by addressing issues of curriculum (goals and objectives, selection and organization of content); instruction…

A compilation of five documents defines and explores the role, scope, reforms, and current trends in history teaching in Hungary. Ivan Berend in "Educational Ideas and History," considers whether or not the traditional uses of historical knowledge have become obsolete and examines the value of this knowledge in today's society. Peter…

Discusses the restructuring of the social studies curriculum after the attainment of political independence in Zimbabwe. Divides the discussion into three levels of curriculum development: primary, secondary, and teacher education. Stresses the Zimbabwean educational aims as the development of self-reliant individuals, the fostering of national…

A model for Continuous-Integrated-Sequential (C/I/S) curricula for social studies education is presented. The design advocated involves ensuring continuity of instruction from grades K-12, an integration of social studies disciplines, and a sequential process of refining and reinforcing concept and skills from grade-to-grade along the K-12…

The purpose of this paper is to establish the position of the Michigan State Board of Education regarding the humanities through a definition and an explanation of the purposes of the humanities within the schools. The humanities are most clearly identified with philosophy, ethics, comparative religion, history and criticism of the arts. In the…