Abstract
Abstract This case study examines two 10th-grade US History teachers who collaborated to create and implement an integrated, thematic eight-week unit on war with an emphasis differentiated instruction. Drawing on the National Council for the Social Studies (2010) framework for powerful and purposeful social studies instruction, the case study uses multiple sources of data, including 38 lesson observations, analyses of the teachers' lesson plans and student work, and interviews of teachers. Initially, the teachers were successful at engaging students in simulations, small-group discussions, and higher-order thinking. As the unit progressed, however, the teachers reverted to transmission-style teaching with an emphasis on breadth over depth. Changing teaching practice requires overcoming barriers associated with prior experiences and deeply-held beliefs about teaching and learning.
Highlights
The words “boring” and “useless” are often associated with the subject of social studies beginning at the elementary level and continuing through high school (Guidry, Cuthrell, O’Connor & Good, 2010; Tanner, 2008; Zhao & Hoge, 2010)
Intensifying accountability models since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) have resulted in a greater emphasis on English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics, marginalizing social studies instruction, at the elementary level (Anderson, 2014; Guidry et al 2010)
We investigated the extent to which two teachers were successful at meeting their ambitious goal of addressing the challenge of learner variance and student disdain for social studies by creating and implementing an integrated, thematic unit on war involving increased differentiation and powerful and purposeful social studies instruction
Summary
The words “boring” and “useless” are often associated with the subject of social studies beginning at the elementary level and continuing through high school (Guidry, Cuthrell, O’Connor & Good, 2010; Tanner, 2008; Zhao & Hoge, 2010). By the time students enter secondary education where social studies is more emphasized, students do not have the content knowledge secondary teachers are expecting (Guidry et al 2010; Hinde, 2005). The astonishing number of social studies content standards puts pressure on secondary social studies teachers, which is greatly heightened when students enter high school already behind in their content knowledge (Guidry et al 2010)
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