Week 11- November 11, 2010

Entry 11: Due: November 11, 2010

Guiding Prompt: Respond to this quote by Litner (2005) "A fundamental objective of social studies instruction is to link students’ lives and experiences to the lives and experiences of others." Agree? Disagree? Why?

I agree with Litner’s quote that “A fundamental objective of social studies instruction is to link students’ lives and experiences to the lives and experiences of others.” Many students find social studies boring. The history of information tends to be detailed and lengthy. Often times, social studies/history consists of dates, names, and facts. Because of this, students find the material hard to relate to, thus, making it hard to understand and retain. If teachers were able to find a way to allow students to link the lives and experiences of others to their own lives and experiences, I believe individuals would digest and retain the information much better. Students become more engaged in class material when they are able to relate it to their personal lives; they are able to see how it applies to their own lives. Although many teachers don’t make this link evident in their teaching lessons and plans, I believe it is imperative that educators strive to make the link between students’ lives and experiences to the lives and experiences of others.