Social Studies Methods Goes Pop [Culture]: Incorporating Elements of Film and Television to Develop an Inquiry-Oriented Approach to Social Studies Instruction
Abstract
Teaching elementary social studies methods is a passion of mine, but I find it is not always of immediate interest to some of my elementary education majors, who may feel disconnected from one or more of the social sciences. Toward that end, two contemporary texts from pop culture - the film Pay it Forward and the tv series Kid Nation - have helped me bridge some potential gaps and the students have really responded well to each. I am curious how effectively each type of text and corresponding assignments do (and perhaps do not always) offer useful entry points for helping preservice teacher, novices in the field of social studies, come to embrace identities as inquiry-oriented social scientists ready to interact with and appreciate the world.
Presentation Description
Having taught elementary social studies methods courses now more than 20 times to date, I continue to be on the lookout for new texts, inspirations, projects, lessons, and vehicles to substantively improve upon the course. In this presentation, I hope to share my ongoing investigation of certain pop culture elements of film and reality-television I have incorporated into the course - some more meaningfully than others. The way the projects and discussions surrounding each of the two texts invites a range of potentially critical curricular dialogues I should hope to invite and participate in with others at the conference.
Keywords
Social studies methods, INquiry-Based Instruction, Elementary Education, Pop Culture, Community Outreach
Location
Magnolia Room C
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Reilly, Cole Ph. D., "Social Studies Methods Goes Pop [Culture]: Incorporating Elements of Film and Television to Develop an Inquiry-Oriented Approach to Social Studies Instruction" (2015). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 18.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2015/2015/18
Social Studies Methods Goes Pop [Culture]: Incorporating Elements of Film and Television to Develop an Inquiry-Oriented Approach to Social Studies Instruction
Magnolia Room C
Teaching elementary social studies methods is a passion of mine, but I find it is not always of immediate interest to some of my elementary education majors, who may feel disconnected from one or more of the social sciences. Toward that end, two contemporary texts from pop culture - the film Pay it Forward and the tv series Kid Nation - have helped me bridge some potential gaps and the students have really responded well to each. I am curious how effectively each type of text and corresponding assignments do (and perhaps do not always) offer useful entry points for helping preservice teacher, novices in the field of social studies, come to embrace identities as inquiry-oriented social scientists ready to interact with and appreciate the world.
