[Download] "Social Studies Methodology Viewed As in a Hermeneutic Perspective." by Journal of Thought * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Social Studies Methodology Viewed As in a Hermeneutic Perspective.
- Author : Journal of Thought
- Release Date : January 22, 2006
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 209 KB
Description
Introduction Many argue that Social Studies has "gone wrong" (Leming, Ellington, & Porter-Magee, 2003) because student engagement with the subject often remains either nothing more than an encounter with the discipline of history or a nebulous, content-light, and morally shaky curriculum (Alexander, Theisen, Ellington, & Bennett, 2003). Our intent is not to enter the fray of controversy over the Social Studies curriculum content but rather to concentrate the dialogue on the processes that make it possible to guide students to achieve a deeper understanding of the big ideas upon which rest the foundational spirit of this school subject. The discussion is not a resource for what to do in the classroom on a Monday morning but a way to think about how and why it is to be done. We aim to present a theoretical exploration of a process that may serve as a practical methodology to counter the monotonous and often ineffective knowledge transmission techniques found in many Social Studies classrooms. As Thornton noted, such teaching techniques, that rely largely on transmission of information, fail to capture student interest and is one of the reasons why students often complain that the subject is dull and irrelevant to their lives (1991, 2005). The objective of this essay, therefore, is to bring about an understanding of the philosophical why behind the practical how, and the mandatory what, that is often left unexamined in the demands to provide teachers with a strategy that they can adapt in their daily teaching. We hope to encourage teacher educators to motivate their students of teaching to become educational innovators and replace the priority of content with process, as the key to effective learning.