Two-Column Notes

Date:
8/30

Page #

49

52

Name: Hunter Worstell

Class/Subject: EDTL 2760

MR Title(s): Why Kids Dont Like Social Studies

MR Source(s): Schug, Mark C., Todd, Robert J., and Beery, R. (1984). Why Kids
Dont Like Social Studies. Social Education. pp. 47-53.
The Text Says
I Say
Notes (key concepts, direct quotes, etc.)
My notes, commentary
Students were very firm in their reasons
about why some subjects were more
important than others. Fourty-Eight percent
of students said the reason for their
choice was based on future careers.

This quote, and the results that came with it

were pretty interesting and surprising. Growing
up I loved basically everything but math, and
according to this study I was an outlier,
because math is perceived more important by a
great many students. But it also makes sense,
as math is used in a multitudes of fields, and
were taught to prepare for our future careers.

Clearly, many students find social studies

content to be uninteresting because the
information is too far removed from their
own experiences, too detailed for clear
understanding, or repeats information
learned earlier.

I feel like this is the fault of the teacher. It is our

job to make kids interested in the subject, and
it is our failing when this doesn't work.
Educators need to constantly strive for
improvement of ourselves and our lessons, so
that we may Shepard in the next generation of
adults into the world. Social Studies IS
important, and it IS necessary- its where kids
learn societal skills and the history of our world.

The dominant reasons students preferred

WHAT. DID. I. JUST. SAY.? It rests in our hands as

educators to constantly try new things to help

53

their favorite subject to social studies was

that they provided more variety in
instruction and more opportunities to be
successful.

kids learn. If were doing something wrong then

it must be changed, as it is their future we hold
in our hands. History is the story of the life of
our world, and Ill be damned if we cant make
that interesting.

Connections to previous MR:

Yes, I had and have fantastic social studies teachers. Many come to mind when I think of this, and each
one of them has inspired me to become the person that I hope to be. Not all of them are even
technically educators of the subject, but they all have helped foster my interest and passion for this
subject.
Yes, I also believe that the authors of this article and study are correct. Kids probably do find history and
social studies uninteresting, but I think that is a failure of their teachers- the ones who enjoy social
studies have seen that it can be very beneficial to their future, as the article states on page 50.