Ellen Kottler - Secrets To Success For Social Studies Teachers

Copyright 2008 by Corwin Press

First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2015

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kottler, Ellen, author.

Secrets to success for social studies teachers / Ellen Kottler, Nancy P. Gallavan. -- First Skyhorse Publishing edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-63450-321-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-5107-0105-2 (Ebook) 1. Social sciences--Study and teaching. 2. Social science teachers--Training of. I. Gallavan, Nancy P., author.

II. Title.

LB1584.K667 2015

300.71--dc23

2015029669

Acquisitions Editor: Rachel Livsey

Managing Editor: Jessica Allan

Editorial Assistants: Phyllis Cappello, Joanna Coelho

Production Editor: Astrid Virding

Copy Editor: Jovey Stewart

Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.

Proofreader: Ellen Brink

Indexer: Molly Hall

Graphic Designer: Lisa Miller

Cover design by Michael Dubowe

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Jeff Passe

Foreword

A t one time, a book like this would not be needed by beginning social studies teachers. It was believed that a new social studies teacher was the same as a new teacher in any other field. In most districts, social studies teachers received the same basic preparation as every other new teacher. They went to workshops alongside their colleagues from other disciplines and learned about bulletin boards, classroom management, school policies and the like.

For many new social studies teachers, their preservice preparation in teaching was also similar to that of their colleagues, despite the differences in coursework outside the College of Education. I know of teacher education programs that required the same general methods course for everyone, whether the candidate was preparing for first grade or twelfth, for social studies or science, even for music, art, and physical education.

The belief that teaching is teaching was weakened when Lee Shulman and his associates at Stanford University discovered that effective teachers in different subject areas used distinctly different techniques. The concept of pedagogical content knowledge was born. Universities and school systems began to differentiate between teachers by subject area instead of having them participate in common courses and staff development sessions.

A related trend was the development of subject area supervisors in larger school districts. These educational leaders were responsible for the staff development of teachers under their supervision. After all, one could no longer expect a principal with a background in mathematics to help a social studies teacher with pedagogical content knowledge any more than a social studies supervisor could advise a dance teacher.

Supervisors in social studies became instrumental in the growth and development of teachers in their districts. In addition to providing relevant in-service programs and resources, the supervisors encouraged and arranged for teachers to join their state and local social studies councils, attend social studies conferences, and subscribe to the leading professional journals in the field. Supervisors were especially crucial in promoting attendance at the annual meeting of the prestigious National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), Indeed, the supervisors formed their own Associated Group at NCSS, called NSSSAthe National Social Studies Supervisors Association.

This rather sensible system was dealt a blow by the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001. The new law placed such an enormous emphasis on improving test scores in mathematics and literacy that school districts began to cut back on their commitment to in-service training that was specifically designed for social studies teachers. There was less money for social studies membership and conference attendance, and less support for social studies supervisors. Many districts replaced social studies supervisors with general ones, who tended to emphasize literacy goals.

So, weve come full circle. Social studies teachers will certainly benefit from in-service training regarding literacy, but they will miss out on the knowledge and skills that are specifically relevant to their teaching assignments. New teachers can compensate by joining the National Council for the Social Studies along with their state councils and also by studying the book that you hold in your hands. New teachers, indeed all teachers, need a handbook to guide them in their work. This book holds a valuable place in every social studies teachers professional library.

Jeff Passe

Professor of Reading and Elementary Education

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

President, National Council for the Social Studies, 20052006

Acknowledgments

T he authors would like to thank their colleagues, mentors, students, teachers, and the young learners who contributed their insights and inspiration and to extend their appreciation to Rachel Livsey for her support of this project. Ellen thanks her husband Jeffrey and son Cary for their support. Nancy heartily thanks her husband Richard for his encouraging interest and continuous care, her colleagues Kathy and Diane, and especially her coauthor Ellen for their dynamic conversations related to the social sciences.

The contributions of the following reviewers are gratefully acknowledged:

Peggy Altoff

Coordinator of Social Studies, K12

Colorado Springs School District 11

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Steve Armstrong

Social Studies Department Supervisor

West Hartford Public Schools

West Hartford, Conn.

John Lee

Associate Professor

Curriculum, Instruction & Counselor Education

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, N.C.

David L. Moguel

Associate Professor

Secondary Education Department

Michael D. Eisner College of Education

California State University, Northridge

Northridge, Calif.

Paul Nagel

Coordinator, Louisiana Geography Education Alliance

College of Education

Northwestern State University

Natchitoches, La.

About the Authors

Ellen Kottler received her bachelors degree from the University of Michigan, her masters degree from Eastern Michigan University, and her EdS from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was a secondary school teacher for over twenty-five years in public, private, and alternative school settings. She also served as an administrative specialist in curriculum and professional development for the Clark County School District (Las Vegas). She is active in the National Council for the Social Studies. She is author or coauthor of journal articles and books for educators, including Secrets to Success for Beginning Elementary School Teachers (2007), Counseling Skills for Teachers (2007), On Being a Teacher: The Human Dimension (2005), Secrets for Secondary School Teachers: How to Succeed in Your First Year (2004), and Children With Limited English: Teaching Strategies for the Regular Classroom (2002).