Curriculum: Social Studies
Statement of Goals and Objectives
The goal of the Social Studies Department is to develop an atmosphere of inquiry and analysis in which the student can acquire an awareness of and an appreciation for on-going human experiences.
Objectives
- To develop necessary skills of comprehension, critical analysis and expression wich will enable the student to explore relevant social, political and economic issues.
- To provide a broad historical background of human progress: social, political and economic, which will lend perspective to contemporary issues.
- To promote a value system which includes a reverance for life and a sense of thoughtful responsibility and personal accountability for enhancing the quality of life for all people.
Requirements
For the classes of 2008 and 2009, students are required to earn three credits in Social Studies with 2 1/2 credits predetermined in the freshman, sophomore and junior years. The remaining 1/2 credit and additional credits are elective with some requiring departmental approval.
Beginning with the class of 2010, students will be required to earn three credits in Social Studies which include World History, American History and American Government. Additional credits may be earned through various electives.
Psychology Class (SS639) Demonstrates Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
"Let the little children come" … to Mrs. Garvin’s Psychology class!
Mrs. Garvin’s psychology students invited four-year old boys and girls to join their class for a day. The children were friends, relatives, or babysitting charges of the girls. Science teacher Mrs. Bisch brought her pride and joy to join the fun (ok, the study) as well.
The class is studying Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. The purpose of inviting four-year-olds is to demonstrate psychologist Jean Piaget's theory that our cognitive abilities develop in stages. Young children in the preoperational stage are frequently very verbal, but they lack the ability to think logically.
They demonstrated Piaget's theory of conservation (an object remains quantitatively the same even if it changes in appearance) by measuring eight ounces of orange juice in a measuring cup and then pouring it first into a tall thin glass and then eight more ounces into a short round glass. Children at this stage of development often conclude that there is more juice in the tall thin glass.
Students watched intently (with smiles on their faces) as the experiments were conducted.
They did several other activities to demonstrate the egocentrism of a preoperational child, and, by having the children draw on the blackboard, they also observed how their drawings of people are only partially anatomically correct.
This ‘hands-on’ approach definitely added to the learning experience and certainly made for a great deal of fun! Even students who were not in the class watched with interest through the window of the adjoining Social Studies resource room!
