Trying to Revalue Elementary Social Studies: Dilemmas and Insights

Abstract

In 2007, the authors conducted a case study of 13 teachers across seven elementary schools. We learned that, due to pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) and state mandated testing, these schools were akin to reading academies—focused chiefly on the teaching of reading skills. They promised to share their results with local administrators and teachers, initiating the reconsideration of elementary social studies. To this end, they revisited school sites, revealed their findings, and offered to “fit into” ongoing discussions of curricular change. They attempted to engage teachers in courageous conversations, or honest, frank appraisal of current conditions. Eventually, they talked with approximately 100 K-6 teachers, principals, and district administrators. Framing their inquiry in Giddens (1984) theory of structuration, they present their efforts to build collaborative relationships in three cases of narrative inquiry. They follow it with dilemmas and insights for the field organized into five considerations: courageous conversation, curricular control, integration, social studies advocacy, and courting schools.

Where is the Content?: Elementary Social Studies in Preservice Field Experiences

“…When I asked the teacher about the lack of social studies, she said they tried to integrate it in their reading." The integration of social studies content in literacy instruction occurred frequently for participants, indicative of a larger trend documented in the research (Boyle-Baise et al, 2011;Heafner et al, 2007;Evers Holloway & Chiodo, 2009). The most common frustration expressed by participants across semesters was that their observations frequently included lessons related to English language arts and math.…”

“…One study (Heafner et al, 2007) evidenced that integration was often utilized in combination with standalone social studies instruction (67% of the time), with only 28.3% of teachers indicating that integration was the only method of social studies instruction implemented. Conversely, Boyle-Baise, Hsu, Johnson, Serriere, and Stewart (2011) suggested that integration was often impromptu occurring through unintended conversations often initiated by the students themselves, and not the calculated work of the teacher.…”

Teaching Elementary Social Studies during Snack Time and other Unstructured Spaces

“…Because both teachers discussed integrating social studies with language arts, and expressed an importance that they do so, we anticipated seeing social studies integrated with language arts the most. Literature on social studies integration typically describes social studies integrated with language arts; Hinde (2015) and others (Boyle-Baise et al, 2008; Lintner, 2011) note that this is the most frequent place social studies is integrated in elementary classrooms. Although we did see this type of integration, we also saw a pattern of social studies happening during unstructured time in the day that became complicated to define.…”

“…Even when district testing mandates include social studies, time for social studies has not necessarily increased (Heafner, 2017). To combat this, many teachers have been asked to or have taken it upon themselves to integrate social studies with other subject areas, especially with language arts (Boyle-Baise, Hsu, Johnson, Serriere, & Stewart, 2011;Heafner, 2017). When done well, integrating with other subject areas can enrich social studies instruction.…”

Preparing elementary pre-service teachers for social studies integration in an alternative field placement

“…In the existing literature described in the previous section, the in-service teachers displayed a fractured integration approach to social studies integration (Boyle-Baise et al, 2011;Heafner, 2018). In these studies, the elementary teachers considered social studies as a helper to reading and language arts instruction.…”