Contends that citizenship and democracy are two of the most overused words in social studies classrooms. Maintains that schools must walk a tightrope between those fostering patriotic attitudes and those fostering critical-mindedness and protest. Includes four suggestions for critical thinking in social studies. (CFR)

Examines the pros and cons of various methods of judicial selection (appointment, election, merit selection, etc.) and outlines strategies for making the issues meaningful to students. Discusses the background and importance of judicial independence and describes the appropriate conduct of judges in the political arena. (GEA)

Advocates an activist, child-centered learning environment which will allow young children an opportunity to develop communication skills, rudimentary skills of critical analysis, and citizenship values such as responsibility and respect. Describes learning activities which will foster early citizenship development and provides two lesson plans…

Provides a brief history of Nigeria and describes the origin and development of present-day social studies instruction. Concludes that while Nigerian social studies instruction appears to be changing from the traditional passive approach to modern activity methods, instruction continues to be organized by traditional disciplines and motivated by…

Against a background of declining union significance and falling membership, this article reviews the recent development of trade union workplace learning in Britain. It is argued that the dominant framework within which this learning is currently undertaken is one of "employability". Instead of an employability framework, it is…

A round-table discussion among four educators focuses on the importance of elementary social studies. Also included in this article are selected findings from research on learning social studies concepts, a curriculum guide for elementary social studies, and social studies contributions to students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes. (IAH)

Presents a two-activity mini-unit for social issues/government courses that lays the groundwork for active student involvement in local environmental problems. Objectives include: (1) student expression of feelings about their environment, (2) identifying local environmental issues/problems, (3) indicating current solutions to the problems, and…

Seven authors contributed to a bulletin about using community studies to teach about the interrelationship of the local community with larger economic and social systems. "Young People and Community" (R. Beery and Mark C. Schug) addresses the need for the social studies curriculum to consider the local community, an area which is rarely covered…

The social sciences may be viewed as policy sciences and, as such, can make significant contributions to both public policy and the social studies curriculum. Political science has made contributions in legislative reform, centralized budgeting, regulation of lobbying, and improvement of election administration. Sociology has helped make…

Students must be actively involved in the process of learning for it to have personal meaning and importance in their lives. Teachers must also become critical thinkers, creative individuals, and decision makers in order to create more challenging learning environments. Teachers need to blend structure and spontaneity into meaningful learning…

Advocates teaching controversial issues to children, claiming that they already have some knowledge of these through their own experience and media exposure. Describes role-playing activities, including simulated small claims court and city council hearings. Provides an overview of a five-day instructional unit on violence. (MJP)

Maintains that the broad arenas of the social sciences bind multiple areas of study together, giving added breadth and depth to each. Identifies the basic tenets of multicultural, global, and civic education. Includes suggested learning activities on the theme of individual versus community rights and responsibilities in U.S. history. (CFR)

An Adult Basic Education curriculum utilizing community resources to help second language learners cope in real life situations is described. Curriculum topics lasting two to four weeks are studied through the use of speakers, films, real-life materials and field trips. Individual lessons cover: (1) community services, (2) consumer education, (3)…