Two-Column Notes

Date:
Name: Morgan Niese
Class/Subject: EDTL 2760
8/29/201
6
MR Title(s): Mark C. Schug, Why Kids Dont Like Social Studies
MR Source(s): Schug, M. C., Todd, R. J, & Beery, R. (1984). Why kids dont like social
studies. Social Education, (48). 382-387.
Page #
The Text Says
I Say
Notes (key concepts, direct quotes, etc.)
My notes, commentary
364

However, 13 percent of the high school

students hinted that social studies was
important because of its emphasis on
citizenship education.

364

real world experiences which can help

students learn for themselves the
importance of being an active citizens

It truly amazes me that only 13 percent of the

students interviewed in this research thought
that social studies was important. It is
important for students to learn their duties as a
United States citizen and one great way for
students to learn that is through social studies.
Without social studies how are students
supposed to learn how our government
functions? Or how are the students going to
learn who to vote for in the upcoming elections.
Students need to learn good and bad qualities
of a government official before they vote. That
is only one of many reasons social studies is
very important.
In elementary school, I remember going on
many field trips to experience historical sites to
learn from them in person. As a child, I really
enjoyed going on these field trips because it
got me out of the classroom and allowed me to
experience history in a different way. Rather
than sitting in a classroom listening to a
teacher talk for a day, I was able to watch and
learn from reenactments of historical events

386

We just take notes, take tests, and watch

the news, or It was just read the chapter,
do a worksheet, take the test

and witness how people lived before me. But,

as I got into middle school and high school,
field trips lessened. I think that it is important
for even high school students to go on these
trips because it is good for them to learn from
their own real life experiences. Going to these
historical sites may open the students eyes
and make them realize that what they have
now didnt just appear, many people before
them had to fight and work extremely hard to
make the United States what it is today. They
need to learn that their actions will affect the
lives of many generations after them.
Even though reading chapters, doing
worksheets, and taking notes is crucial to
student learning in social studies, I do agree
with the students that there needs to be a
change in teaching methods. Rather than just
relying on textbooks, it would be nice for the
teachers to broaden the horizons and refer to
personal experiences such as their visits to
monuments, landmarks, or historical sites.
Providing a story of what the teachers learned
and pictures that they took while they were
their might make the lesson more interesting
for the students.

Connections to previous MR:

As I went through high school I had one really good social studies teacher and one really bad social
studies teacher. The bad teacher only relied on the internet. We watched news casts all the time which
was fine but it was also very boring. He would give us research assignments that were very complex
and hard but only gave a little help. Other than that we would just sit in his class and watch him flipped
through slides as he would barely talk. Most of everything he said was written on the board, so it made
note taking very boring. But, my really good social studies teacher was amazing. His love and passion
for history and teaching really inspired me to become a teacher. He also taught me and many others to
really love and enjoy history. He was energetic and kept the class interesting at all times. Even though
he repeated himself all the time trying to get us students to understand the information he was
teaching, the class was never boring. I strongly agree with Schugs findings. I think that it is very
important that teachers start incorporating more fun activities, real life experiences, and pictures into
the classroom to get the students involved. Once the students are able to engage themselves in class,
they will find social studies more interesting and be more willing to learn. That is one of my main things
I want to do as a teacher. I want to be able to incorporate real life experiences into the classroom and
make the class lively to make my students more interested in the subject matter.