Past to Present As a product of the American school system during the 60’s and 70’s our generation was exposed to a method of Social Studies that was formatted and best described as Citizenship Transmission. Through the decades that have past since secondary school I have questioned the methods applied by teachers in the classroom of that time period. As the years went by, I found myself increasingly disagreeing with the methodology of my former teachers. I have now found a program at Auburn University that puts into words that which I have previously only felt rather than knew.

Social Studies Teachers RESPONSIBILITIES A social studies teacher, unlike other teachers, has the responsibility to train students to take their rightful place in society as participating citizens. However, unlike the teachers of the past it is no longer a simple matter of relating values, beliefs, and traditions of the historical nature. The student must be prepared, not for a America of the 18 th century rather a America of the 21 st century.

History is not simply a matter of the past but rather a combination of the past, present, and future. A close study has revealed that history has pivotal occurrences that repeat through the centuries. Auburn University Secondary Education – Social Studies Department, accepts and trains students who believe that students should be able to look across time and connect the dots with current issues and apply concepts previously learned to prevent the reoccurrence of issues that should not be repeated. In other words, the goal is to produce students that will be able to evaluate current events and make rational and knowledgeable decisions.

The traditional model of Social Studies is unacceptable for today’s thinking student. In this modern era of rapid change, the student needs to be taught in a manner that promotes higher order thinking. The path to this goal is done by presenting material in the classroom in a format that gains student attention, provides reach material, and demands thoughtful reflection by the students. This is accomplished by presenting the students with a central question to be answered in a one day lesson or up to a two week lesson.

An example of a central question: “When may the majority legitimately limit the rights of a minority?” Such a question might be considered across a variety of instances and eras in American history, The trial of Anne Hutchinson; Tactics of radical Abolitionist; Internment of Japanese-Americans; and Denying marriage to gays and lesbian

After addressing these issues the students as individuals or members of a group would be required to render a judgment upon the issue. The students would be required to present their judgment with the pro’s and/or con’s, explaining how they arrived to their conclusion/decisions. Thus a Social Studies teacher goal should be to produce students who will not blindly follow the rhetoric of politicians, news organizations, or friends; but rather students who will consciously, rationally, and without bias apply the fair decision to any given social issue at the local, state, national, or global levels.