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Social studies may often be seen in the list of school courses that are the most disliked by students without regard to their age and grade. The possible reason for such attitude to the subject may be in failing to understand the significance of social studies and why it should be taught throughout the whole process of obtaining school education. In this essay, I will try to persuade that social studies is one of the most significant school courses along with math and languages.
There are numerous reasons for which children do not like this course. For example, they might find reading textbooks boring or dislike not the very necessity of reading a lot but the manner of teaching and presenting the materials during the classes. What is more, teachers often think that the subject is not as important as for, example, math or languages and that the students need too much time to study it that they might have spent on more significant disciplines (Gibson, 43, 47-48). So, I believe that the major cause of such children’s attitude towards the discipline is that the tutors themselves fail to realize the need for teaching it. It should be noted that the researches have shown that when the teachers are dedicated to the whole process and find the ways to make the students believe that this subject is vital together with possessing a clear vision of the educational objectives, children are more likely to show interest in the social studies course (Gibson 44).
The most important step in defining the importance of social studies in school education is to understand the phenomenon of this discipline because it has many dimensions and ignoring some might lead to missing the whole purpose of the subject. That said, social studies is:
The study of people in relation to each other and to their world [that] is an issues-focused and inquiry-based interdisciplinary subject that draws upon history, geography, ecology, economics, law, philosophy, political science and other social science disciplines [and] fosters students’ understanding of and involvement in practical and ethical issues that face their communities and humankind. (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1)
It is a school course that is obligatory to all students starting from kindergarten to graduating, i.e. from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The purpose of and the vision for teaching the discipline are outlined in the Social Studies Program of Study. That said, the primary objective of including the subject to school curriculum is that “social studies provides opportunities for students to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge that will enable them to become engaged, active, informed and responsible citizens” (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1). In fact, it is what is often misunderstood by students because, in most cases, they believe that the goal of the discipline is to gain knowledge about culture, history, geography, government, politics or the latest events in the world (Gibson 43). Of course, these are some of the underlying reasons for teaching it, but I would like to stress one more time that they are just some, and they are subjacent.
Because the course of social studies has many elements and is taught from kindergarten to grade 12, some might really believe that it is about giving children knowledge that they will not need in the future with the goal of meeting the requirements regarding the number of school classes. However, if you look closer at the Social Studies Program of Study, you will see that it is a kind of step-by-step plan to developing different patterns of thinking. The curriculum is designed in the way that the youngest discover the simplest facts and with every subsequent year the information that is covered by it becomes more comprehensive and helps develop historical, critical, geographic, and creative thinking (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 8-9).
One might wander how is it even possible to develop thinking skills by studying social studies. The answer to this question is not as evident as you might want it to be. However, thorough studying of the discipline during all years of obtaining school education will help the students develop the skills of problem-solving and decision-making because they absorb the wisdom of the ages. Moreover, they gain an opportunity to develop a unique way of solving the problems because they know how people from different countries occupying different positions and living during the different time in history dealt with similar issues. Together with that, having the knowledge about various cultures around the world may help people reach a higher level of self-awareness. Besides, it adds to the understanding of the fundamentals of society, as children discover special features of living under other political regimes and in times of extreme situations such as warfare or other disasters.
If these reasons for teaching social studies are not enough, one might want to consider the impact the discipline has on developing skills that will help in obtaining further education. Social studies is a school course that implies conducting many researches and reading many textbooks, and that makes students deal with vast amounts of information. That said, it might be useful for learning how to find necessary material and analyze it quickly and effectively, how to express the thoughts because it is one way of fulfilling tasks required by the course, and even make forecasts about the future because the course provides the learners with the adequate level of historical background (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 10).
Aside from that, the contribution of social studies to the cultural development of the individual cannot be underestimated. I believe that the most obvious purpose of learning it thoroughly is that one will always find what to say in any situation thus filling up awkward pauses and, in general, craft his or her image as a smart person who is interesting to have a small talk with.
In the conclusion I would like to say that even though there are numerous reasons for teaching social studies at school, the primary is still helping the students develop the skills and knowledge that would make them responsible and active citizens who would want to change their society for the better by being engaged in the democratic process and, most significantly, help them realize what it is like to be a good citizen by “enabling students to develop an understanding of who they are, what they want to become and the society in which they want to live” (“Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12” 1).
Works Cited
Alberta Social Studies Program of Study: Kindergarten to Grade 12.2005. Web.
Gibson, Susan. “Why Do We Learn This Stuff? Students’ Views on the Purpose of Social Studies.” Canadian Social Studies 45.1 (2012): 43-58. Print.
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