Discusses the use of the inquiry cycle during a professional development program for social studies teachers. Focuses on controversial issues, specifically the problems in Kosovo. Describes the inquiry cycle in detail and the three-phase cycle that helped teachers understand the importance of social studies. (CMK)

Discusses the importance of creative thinking in the geography classroom. Suggests that such thinking can be achieved through the integration of content and creative problem solving. Describes a seventh grade world geography class activity which illustrates this integration. Steps for applying the activity are given and student efforts are…

Outlines two reasons that issue-centered discourse will be legitimized in the schools. Contends that the impact of societal problems will force schools to deal with social issues, and that the recognition of the hidden curriculum's influence will impel schools to capitalize on the learning taking place within their walls. (SLM)

Describes the development and implementation of interdisciplinary four world studies courses at Queens College (City University of New York). Discusses the planning process in which teaching teams from the social sciences and humanities developed course content and objectives. States that the courses were designed to be part of the undergraduate…

One of the most important and difficult challenges facing social studies educators, particularly world history teachers, concerns the role of Islam--one of the world's fastest growing and most dynamic religions--in historical and contemporary domestic and international affairs. What teachers choose to teach about Islam and how they present it are…

Notes the current attempt to replace social studies with U.S. history and geography. Delineates the two strands of thought in the social studies reform movement and argues that there is a strong tradition of the social studies as a unified, issue-centered field of study. (SLM)

Reviews the history of social studies as an integrated, issue-centered field of study from its inception within the progressive movement to the present. Summarizes major curricular development projects within the issues-centered orientation and speculates on the decline of the problems approach in social studies education. (SLM)

Asserts that the status of civics, a formal course of instruction in middle/junior high schools, is alarming. Maintains that civic or citizenship education is the central purpose of social studies. Provides a context and suggested content for a civics course. (CFR)

Considers the taboo topics that social studies teachers avoid or de-emphasize, such as topics that tend to provoke strong emotional reactions. Addresses the reasons for the stifling of taboo topics and finds that the closer a topic is to students' lives the more likely the topic is labeled as taboo. (CMK)

Efforts to strengthen instruction in U.S. history and government resulted in the development of "Lessons on the Constitution," a book containing 62 lessons for use with high school students. The curriculum development process used in writing the book is described, and the objectives, format, and content of the lessons are discussed. (RM)

Recalls the development of a 1970s high school economics textbook and curriculum titled, "Economics in Society," and how it developed into an adult education curriculum. The curriculum emphasizes a thematic approach to economics focusing on concepts and institutions, industry organization, the national economy, and developing countries' economies.…

Examines the role of the hero in U.S. culture and how the social studies have treated heroes. Urges teachers to explore the ethical dimensions of superheroes. Indicates how Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, need to be understood in their own cultural context and in the fullness of their humanity. (CH)

Asserts that immigration into the United States from the Caribbean region receives much less attention in the social studies curriculum than immigration from Asia and Latin America. Reviews the coverage of recent Caribbean immigration in elementary and secondary textbooks. Recommends several elementary and secondary instructional units of study.…

Reviews the history, characteristics, and impact of the New Social Studies movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Describes the educational goals, teaching methods, and instructional materials commonly used in the New Zealand social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Asserts that most textbooks and curriculum guides continue to ignore what most social studies acknowledge: U.S. history cannot be taught properly without frequent discussion of religious topics and issues. Discusses topics and recommends resources for including the teaching about religion in U.S. history. (CFR)