Ss Statement

Orsborn Masters Portfolio 1
Social studies are the discovery and understanding of people and societies around the
world, where they came from or how they got there, where they are going, and how they have
shaped the world we live in. White, Marsh and McCormac (2011) say “The journey between
social studies and social education leads travelers down a potentially transformative path with
"white spaces" on a map that continuously needs examination.” (p. 34). This is a unique subject
that can be integrated into other subjects and understood if presented in the right format. The
educator becomes the catalyst for teaching and the students ability to separate understanding
from learning is the key to assessment. Brooks (2004) believes the well-worn path for learning
is often unquestioned and even expected in the classroom (p. 11). Therefore, it is our
responsibility to provide a clear annual plan of learning which is needed to invite students into
the world of understanding.
My Unit on Tlingit life in Alaska provides students an opportunity to go back in time and
see the way people lived and survived in a society that has existed for thousands of years. This
unit has visual and hands on experiences for students to understand how the Tlingit lived prior to
the Russian invasion. The unit is designed for students to not only experience Tlingit life, but to
ask questions and make their own conclusions with the information they are given. Students
want to do history and geography, economics and popular culture. They do not want to sit and
have it "done to them" (White, Marsh, & McCormack 2011).
Social studies should be about the journey and not the destination. However, part of the
journey is assessing what the students have learned, or what they are getting form the material. I
designed this unit to allow the students to express their learning through words and art. Kathy
Checkley (2008) states “Meaningful learning activities emphasize authentic activities and
assessment tasks” (p. 30). She goes on to say, “Instead of writing down the definition of a
principle being studied, students could use the principle to make predictions about a related
situation or to guide their strategies in a simulation game” (p. 30). With that in mind, this is how
I designed the unit. I wanted the kids to ask questions I couldn’t answer simply because of my
resources in Sitka. I wanted the students to use their knowledge, think about what they were
told, read, and seen, and make their own decisions on how the Tlingit society functioned. Kara
Naidoo and Susan Kirch (2016) explain transformative reflection as:
“In the process of developing and enacting solutions to address a problem, the critical
participant (a) recognizes his or her own assumptions, beliefs, and theories in the
company of others who assist in that recognition and (b) is willing to challenge and
change these assumptions, beliefs, theories, as needed during the process and in the
company of others such that, in the future, they perceive the problem and possible
solutions quite differently than they did prior to the reflective problem-solving actions.”
(Save, et al. 2017) states “Historical inquiry as it is most commonly practiced focuses on
interpreting source documents and constructing historical narratives.” (p. 95). My students were
able to work together to understand the material and to make their own decisions when it came to
assessing the material. This is how I want them to approach the social studies subject. Make
your own decisions, listen to other people’s decisions, and come to a conclusion. Challenge
what you hear, what you see, and what you read. This is how society was created and how it
runs. I want my students to think for themselves, make their own decisions, and learn from their
mistakes. This unit provided all of that for my students.
My students were able to discover where they came from, how the Tlingit lived, and how
they created a society. The students were able to work together, using previous knowledge,
making their own conclusions, and having fun learning about their culture.
This is how learning should be, fun, interactive, and enjoyable.
References
Brooks, J. G. (2004). To see beyond the lesson. Educational Leadership, 62(l),8-9. Retrieved
from OmniFile
Checkley, K. (2008). Priorities In Practice: The Essentials of Social Studies, Grade K-8
Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost
Naidoo, K and Kirch, S.A. (2016). Candidates Use a New Teacher Development Process,
Transformative Reflection, to Identify and Address Teaching and Learning Problems in
Their Work With Children. Journal of Teacher Education 67(5) 375-391 Retrieved from
OmniFile
Save, J.W., Kohlmeier, J., Howell, J.B., McCormick, T.M., Jones, R.C., Brush, T.A. (2017).
Scaffolded Lesson Study: Promoting professional teaching knowledge for problem-based
historical inquiry. Social Studies Research and Practice, 12(1) 95-112 Retrieved from
ProQuest
White, C., Marsh, S., and McCormack, S. (2011). Our Journies: Social Studies to Social
Education. Social Studies Review, 50(1) 34-37 Retrieved from OmniFile

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Orsborn Masters Portfolio 1

the world of understanding.

have it "done to them" (White, Marsh, & McCormack 2011).

Naidoo and Susan Kirch (2016) explain transformative reflection as:

mistakes. This unit provided all of that for my students.

This is how learning should be, fun, interactive, and enjoyable.

Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost

Transformative Reflection, to Identify and Address Teaching and Learning Problems in

Scaffolded Lesson Study: Promoting professional teaching knowledge for problem-based

Education. Social Studies Review, 50(1) 34-37 Retrieved from OmniFile

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