Bringing Social Studies Curriculum Design into the

21st CenturyLeslie Long

Philipsburg – Osceola Area School District

The 21st Century“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be

those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ”

Technological improvements recently have changed The way people interact …

- through social media and Web 2.0 tools

The way we produce, distribute and consume goods and information…

- advances in engineering and design, materials, computational capacity

and even the progress of artificial intelligence

Preparing the young for a future that seems to change every time you click the refresh button

is a huge challenge

- Alvin Toffler

The 21st Century• That challenge cannot be met by the same old

curriculum design, instructional strategies and tools we’ve always used.

Tradition has its place, but so does change• Often teachers try to patch the worn spots of our

classrooms with fancy 21st century buzzwords like “authentic” “inquiry” & “collaboration”

Those patches aren’t fixing the problem and they aren’t helping us meet the

expectations laid out before us

Higher Order

Technology

EngagementMedia

LiteracyRigor

New Expectations• Common Core Standards – Emphasis on

the application of literacy skills to demonstrate understanding

PA CCS 8.5 – Reading Informational Texts- Cite specific textual evidence- Determine central ideas & be able to summarize- Identify text structure- Identify, analyze and evaluate author’s point of view- Distinguish between fact, opinion and judgment- Exposure to complex texts

New ExpectationsPA CCS 8.6 - Writing

- Argument – discipline specific- Introduce claim and counter-claim- Support claims with evidence and logical reasoning- Cohesion, clarity & style- Conclusion

- Informative/Explanatory- Introduce topic clearly- Organize information into broad categories- Relevant facts, definitions & examples- Cohesion, clarity & style- Conclusion

- Evidence of planning, editing, revising with peers & adults- Use of technology for creating & publishing- Conduct research using various sources- Use evidence for analysis & interpretation- Write over extended periods of time

• CollegeBoard’s AP Historical Thinking Standards

Skill 1: Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence- define and frame a question, craft a thesis, identify, analyze and use

relevant historical evidenceSkill 2: Chronological Reasoning

- Historical causation- Patterns of continuity and change- Periodization

Skill 3: Comparison & Contextualization- describe, compare and evaluate within and beyond specific time & place- connect historical developments to specific circumstances

Skill 4: Historical Interpretation & Synthesis- describe, analyze, evaluate and create diverse interpretations of the past- ability to arrive at meaningful and persuasive understandings of the past

New Expectations

• Partnership for 21st Century SkillsNew Expectations

Interdisciplinary Themes Global awareness Financial, economic, business,

entrepreneurial literacy Civic literacy Health literacy Environmental literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills Creativity & Innovation Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Communication & Collaboration

Information, Media & Technology Skills Information literacy Media literacy Information, Communications &

Technology literacyLife and Career Skills Flexibility & adaptability Initiative & self direction Social & Cross-Cultural Skills Productivity & Accountability Leadership & Responsibility

Curriculum Re-Design• To meet these new expectations we must

Apply best practices to curriculum re-design projects

– Framework - structure– Content – knowledge, understanding,

skills– Instructional Strategies – facilitating learning– Tools – supporting learning– Assessments - checking for understanding

Framework• Backward Design Model

– Identify Desired Results– Determine acceptable evidence– Plan learning experiences and instruction

“All the methods and materials we use are shaped by a clear conception of the vision of desired results. That means that we must be able to state with clarity what the student should understand and be able to do as a

result of any plan and irrespective of any constraints we face.”

(Wiggins, McTighe, 2005, p. 14)

“You’ve got to think about big things while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go

in the right direction.” (Alvin Toffler)

Content• The Knowledge, Understandings and Skills must be

closely connected in all curriculum design because they are closely connected in the process of learning

“Understanding is the ability to marshal skills and facts wisely and appropriately, through effective

application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.”(Bloom, 1956)

Knowledge Understanding Skill

Facts, dates, people, statistics, places

Conceptual Higher Order Thinking

Thinking, reading, writing, speaking, listening

Instructional StrategiesClassroom Instruction

that Works (Marzano, et. Al., 2001)

Identifying similarities & differences

Summarizing & note-taking

Reinforcing effort & providing recognition

Homework & practice Nonlinguistic

representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and

providing feedback Generating & testing

hypotheses Cues, questions and

advance organizers

Inquiry & Authentic Learning Opportunities provide students with the opportunity to learn and demonstrate understanding of the content

“A curriculum that affirms that individuals are not just

recorders of information, but also builders of knowledge. Students occupy the center of learning.

Understanding requires more than simple introduction to information. Opportunities must be provided that help integrate new ideas with preexisting knowledge

through guided inquiry”(Steeves, 2005, p. 2)

Tools• Using technology like computers and the internet

aren’t just in line with needs of the 21st century workforce but their application in the classroom has been shown to have positive effects on student learning Students take on a more active role Increased motivation Improved technical skill Completion of more complex tasks More collaboration with peers Access to outside resources Improved design skills and attention to audience

*A Research Project Sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement

U.S. Department of EducationConducted by SRI International

AssessmentAssessment FOR Learning• Using assessments to guide, as well as evaluate,

instruction and learning means Frequent monitoring of progress toward goals Diverse assessment materials; quizzes, writing, surveys,

oral communication Analyzing examples and non-examples of student work

with the students Students play an active role in evaluating progress and

sharing results with peers, family and teachers

“When consistently carried out as a matter of routine within and across classrooms, this set of practices

has been linked to achievement gains of one-half to two standard deviations on high-stakes tests, and

the largest gains made are by low achievers.”(Stiggins, 2006, p. 4)

Flaws in Current ModelThe traditional middle level world history course

does not meet the requirements of effective curriculum design for the needs of the 21st century.

I argue that the problem lies in the way we organize the content.

We teach knowledge and skills without an intentional conceptual structure and we

fail to teach for long term retention

The current comparative regional study of the Ancient Civilizations presents a march of facts and dates across time and place with few connections to over-arching concepts and opportunities for authentic learning and application of

the skills necessary to compete in today’s economy

• Cheltenham School District – PA• Middletown School District – CT

Current Curriculum Flaws

When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test• 29% couldn’t name the vice

president• 73% couldn’t correctly say why

we fought the Cold War• 44% were unable to define the

Bill of Rights

NAEP 2010Less than ¼ of 4th and 8th

graders reached the proficient level in US history

Conceptual Curriculum Students need to have a Conceptual Understanding of

what makes a civilization a civilization before they can understand the unique features and discreet facts associated with various civilizations through time and space

Without this conceptual framework the facts fall out of their brains as soon as our classes are over

“It would be impossible to over-estimate the educational importance of arriving at

conceptions; that is, meanings that are general because applicable in a great variety of different instances in spite of their difference… they are known points of reference by which we get our bearings when we are plunged into the strange

and unknown… Without this conceptualizing, nothing is gained that can be carried over to

the better understanding of new experiences”

(Dewey, 1933, p. 153)

“In order for a person to understand the applicability or inapplicability of an idea to a new situation and to

broaden his learning thereby, he must have clearly in mind the general nature of the phenomenon with which he is dealing. School curriculum should be geared to the

teaching of fundamental ideas” (Bruner, 1960, p. 18)

Conceptual Curriculum

“During the first decades of life, most learners construct “general” knowledge about the world.

Later, they may build specialized knowledge. (Wiig, 1999, p.3)

Conceptual CurriculumConcept Mapping

Use visual tools and cognitive strategiesProvide students with explicit structures for

organizing information and associations to form templates or schemata

Encourage students to look at a concept from multiple perspectivesAnalysis, Synthesis, Evaluation, ApplicationFlexibility & Transfer

Knowledge Research Institute, 1999

The latest brain research supports repetition of concepts in new contexts and at various cognitive levels to build more neuronal pathways and increase

myelination

Development of Civlization

• Units are designed around in-depth investigations into characteristics shared by all civilizations

• Curriculum spirals in conceptual complexity and skill application opportunities

Knowledge & Concept example• In the first unit students learn

knowledge about the physical characteristics of place and this knowledge develops into a conceptual understanding of how geography affects all factors of civilization as the year progresses

Development of Civilization

Skill example• In the second unit students learn how

to identify important information and take notes. In later units they apply these skills to research and investigations while learning new skills about source analysis and using information to draw conclusions

Curriculum Outline• Prezi

Example Unit: Settlement PatternsStandards Addressed

PA CCS 8.5 – Reading Informational Texts- Cite specific textual evidence- Determine central ideas & be able to summarize

PA CCS 8.6 - Writing- Argument – discipline specific- Introduce claim and counter-claim- Support claims with evidence and logical reasoning- Cohesion, clarity & style- Conclusion

Historical Thinking Skill 1: Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence

- Define and frame a question, craft a thesis, identify, analyze and use relevant historical evidence21st Century Skills

- Global awareness- Productivity & Accountability- Communication & Collaboration- Information literacy

• Knowledge– Nomads – population size, ancient and living groups (Early

man, Hadza, Sami), technology, social stratification, geography, daily life

– Agriculturalists – population size, ancient and modern settled groups (Mesopotamia, modern USA) technology, social stratification, geography, daily life

• Understanding– Settlement patterns are shaped by geography and time. – Nomads and agriculturalists live differently and this results in

different effects on individuals, societies and the environment• Skills

– Identifying important information and taking notes – Crafting an argument– Using Microsoft programs– Using the class wiki

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

Instructional Strategies & Materials• Lesson 1: Comparison of various

environments through pictures around the world and evaluating for human settlement by identifying advantages and disadvantages. Defining nomad vs agriculture as settlement patterns.

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

Essential Question How does Geography affect the way

people live? Analyze geographic locations to

understand the connection between geography and settlement patterns

Characteristics of Place Land

The shape the land takes Climate

Long term weather patterns Natural Resources

Are there natural resources (water, food, energy)? Renewable or non-renewable

Time When are we talking about?

How might those Characteristics shape human settlement patterns?

What are the characteristics of this place?

How do you think humans might live here?

How might those Characteristics shape human settlement patterns?

What are the characteristics of this place?

How do you think humans might live here?

Response to Geography

Nomadic

SettledAgricultural

Forager – Hunter/Gatherer

PastoralistHerder

Simple – grow enough for my family

Advanced – grow enough to sell or share with my community

Modern Industrialized world

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

• Lesson 2: Nomadic groups: the Hadza, read a NG article using SQ3R and Double Entry Journal. Video analysis of Sami people in Scandinavia. Prehistoric man notes from student textbook using outline note format

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

• Lesson 3: Settled groups: Neolithic revolution and beginning of civilization notes. Comparison chart “My daily life/Hadza daily life” to highlight aspects of life among the modern settled. World population analysis and instruction in framing an argument. “Is there a population crisis?”

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

• Summative Assessment

Example Unit: Settlement Patterns

Final ProjectHistorical Novel Analysis • Students choose a historical novel from

a list of about 30 novels• They complete reading logs, engage in

literature discussions and research the historical context of their fictional storyThis project incorporates all of the

knowledge, understanding and skills learned throughout the course

Works CitedBibliography Bloom, B. (1956). Taxonomy of Education Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. New York

City: David McKay. Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education:A Landmark in Educational Theory. Cambridge: Harvard

University Press. CollegeBoard. (2011). Historical Thinking Standards. New York: CollegeBoard. Dewey, J. (1910). How We Think. New York: D.C. Heath & Co. International, S. (2000). Technology and Education Reform. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational

Research and Improvement. Marzano, R. P. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. McLester, S., & McIntire, T. (2006). The Workforce Readiness Crisis: We're Not Turning out Employable

Graduates nor Maintaining Our Position as a Global Competitor--Why? Technology & Learning, 22.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, C. o. (2010). Common Core State Standards. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C.

National Governors Association for Best Practices, C. o. (2010). Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Studies. Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills, w. (2013). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Washington, D.C.: P21.

Statistics, N. C. (2010). Nation's Report Card: U.S. History . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

Steeves, K. (2005). History: Uncovering the Past through Inquiry. In R. J. Audet, Integrating Inquiry Across the Curriculum. Corwin Press.

Stiggins, R. (2006). From Formative Assessment to Assessment for Learning: A Path to Success in Standards-based Schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 324-328.

Wiggins, G. M. (2006). Understanding by Design, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Wiig, E. H. (1999). Conceptual Learning Considerations. Arlington, TX: Knowledge Research Institute, Inc.