As I begin my journey towards becoming an effective social studies educator, I am excited for the opportunity to explore the new BC Social Studies Curriculum and find ways to make it a fun and exciting area of curriculum not only for my students, but for myself. As a student, I often found that Social Studies was taught as a series of history lessons from an outdated textbook. Thus, it seemed like a subject area with little relevant connection to my life. Thus, it is my goal as a teacher to gain a strong grasp on both the content and big ideas of the social studies curriculum, so that I can find more engaging ways to explore social studies with my students. If I do so, I believe that Social Studies has the potential to be one of the most meaningful and impactful areas of the curriculum.
Although there are areas of new BC curriculum that seem vague due to their open-ended nature, this provides a great deal of opportunity for teachers to make Social Studies one of the most engaging subjects for students. Nevertheless, I recognize that this freedom offers a great deal of challenge for beginning teachers, as we may become overwhelmed by the need to actively find sources and plan activities that best support student learning. Thus, I recognize that it is important to begin gathering and creating resources that will give me a starting place from which I can develop a rich Social Studies curriculum, and that is what this blog aims to do.
Although teaching social studies is going to require a great deal of personal learning and exploration on my part, I am excited to begin expanding my knowledge both as a learner and as a teacher!
Comments