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Depth by Design: Using Deeper Learning Elements in Social Studies
Current trends in social studies education, including within Virginia, point towards deeper learning experiences as the north star of desired practice. In 2015, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) revised curriculum framework for social studies introduced a standard dedicated to history and social science thinking skills. Emphasizing the use of disciplinary concepts and a pedagogy centered on inquiry, Virginia’s future embraces constructivist pedagogies and the use of performance assessments to demonstrate student learning. The shifts are polar opposites of what many VA. teachers have been used to since the early 21st century. In turn, rote memorization and teacher centered instruction continue to be held as markers of successful and valuable teaching and learning. The alternative to this approach is a pedagogy of deeper learning.
Realizing deeper learning practices in classrooms, however, is ultimately a local, classroom, phenomenon. How a teacher enacts a curriculum, therefore, is where practice intersects with policy. To this end, successful implementation of deeper learning practices involves the following six outcomes:
1. use of inquiry through student generated questions
2. constructivist approach where students generate meaning and understanding
3. use of disciplinary concepts as part of student learning
4. connections are made to the student’s life or to the contemporary world
5. authentic demonstration of learning by students
6. time to reflect on how the content impacted their understanding of themselves or the contemporary world.
Craig Perrier is the High School Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, VA. He is also an adjunct professor for the teacher certification program Educate VA and with Framingham State University. . Previously, he taught at American Schools in Brazil for six years and for six years in public schools in Massachusetts. After leaving the classroom, Craig was the Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction for Social Studies and History at Virtual High School and then the PK-12 Social Studies Coordinator for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He has consulted with IREX, IIE, iEARN, The Global Campaign for Education, ABC-Clio, The World History Project, and the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. In addition, Craig has a M.A. in Global History, M.Ed in Education Leadership and is pursuing his doctorate in Education Leadership He presents at regional and national conferences, and is the creator of the free online teacher resource "U.S. History in a Global Context."
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By Virginia Council for the Social Studies
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Current trends in social studies education, including within Virginia, point towards deeper learning experiences as the north star of desired practice. In 2015, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) revised curriculum framework for social studies introduced a standard dedicated to history and social science thinking skills. Emphasizing the use of disciplinary concepts and a pedagogy centered on inquiry, Virginia’s future embraces constructivist pedagogies and the use of performance assessments to demonstrate student learning. The shifts are polar opposites of what many VA. teachers have been used to since the early 21st century. In turn, rote memorization and teacher centered instruction continue to be held as markers of successful and valuable teaching and learning. The alternative to this approach is a pedagogy of deeper learning.
Realizing deeper learning practices in classrooms, however, is ultimately a local, classroom, phenomenon. How a teacher enacts a curriculum, therefore, is where practice intersects with policy. To this end, successful implementation of deeper learning practices involves the following six outcomes:
1. use of inquiry through student generated questions
2. constructivist approach where students generate meaning and understanding
3. use of disciplinary concepts as part of student learning
4. connections are made to the student’s life or to the contemporary world
5. authentic demonstration of learning by students
6. time to reflect on how the content impacted their understanding of themselves or the contemporary world.
Craig Perrier is the High School Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, VA. He is also an adjunct professor for the teacher certification program Educate VA and with Framingham State University. . Previously, he taught at American Schools in Brazil for six years and for six years in public schools in Massachusetts. After leaving the classroom, Craig was the Coordinator for Curriculum and Instruction for Social Studies and History at Virtual High School and then the PK-12 Social Studies Coordinator for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. He has consulted with IREX, IIE, iEARN, The Global Campaign for Education, ABC-Clio, The World History Project, and the U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. In addition, Craig has a M.A. in Global History, M.Ed in Education Leadership and is pursuing his doctorate in Education Leadership He presents at regional and national conferences, and is the creator of the free online teacher resource "U.S. History in a Global Context."
Links for this episode: