Vital Issues Sessions
Vital Issues Sessions
Friday Vital Issues
9:00-10:00AM GRB Convention Center Room 360A-F
“English Language Learners and the Social Studies”
Vital Issues Session
Barbara Cruz, Becky Hampton, Martha Martinez, Vivan Pratts
This session will provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities of teaching social studies to English language learners. Special focus will be placed on meeting the language needs of ELL students in social studies, how to make the content area accessible to ELLs, and successful curricular examples from the field.
3:45-4:45PM GRB Convention Center Room 360A-F
“Academic Freedom”
Vital Issues Session
Kathryn Hammond, Paula Frazier, Dr. Margaret T. Sacco, Nancy Patterson
A panel of experts and attendees will discuss how to proactively address issues of academic freedom & censorship including legal, marketing & political approaches that minimize legal exposure when teaching controversial issues.
5:00-6:00PM GRB Convention Center Room 360A-F
“The Partnership for 21st Century Skills”
Vital Issues Session
Matt Williams, Syd Golston, Beth Ratway
NCSS in conjunction with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the nation’s leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education, is committed to bringing this expanded future focus to social studies teachers. This panel will consist of a presentation by P21 board member Matt Williams on P21 to be followed by discussionwith several NCSS board members on the impact P21 can have on the social studies classroom.
Highlighted Session
Friday, 1:15-2:15PM GRB Convention Center Room 330AB
“What Can NCSS Do for Pre-Service and New Teachers?”
Membership and participation among pre-service and new teachers is vital to the long range future of NCSS. These educators bring additional perspectives and emerge as potential future leaders for the organization. This session will be open to pre-service teachers, new teachers, teacher educators, and others who wish to discuss and identify ways that NCSS could enhance membership and participation among beginning social studies teachers.
Saturday Vital Issues
9:00-10:00AM GRB Convention Center 360A-F
“Empowering Elementary Educators as Social Studies Advocates!!”
Dr. Margit McGuire, Dr. Laura Meyers, Sally Jo Michalko, Su Hickenbottom
Intellectually we know the importance of Social Studies instruction in the elementary grades to create effective citizens in our democratic society. How do we do this in an age where we are competing for time with reading, writing and math? This panel will share some insights in how to be an effective advocate for such an important curricular area.
11:30AM-1:15PM GRB Convention Center 360A-F
“Teaching About Current Immigration Issues: Information and Insights to Focus and Enrich Instruction”
Chair: Mabel McKinney-Browning, American Bar Association
Panelists will draw from their diverse experiences addressing various dimensions of immigration. An attorney will highlight current legal and political issues at the core of so much controversy. A researcher will use case studies drawn from her work with Mexican immigrant families to explore a values-added approach in civic education. A civic activist will discuss the individual and societal trauma inflicted by deportation policies that leave citizen-children of the undocumented stranded in the United States. A teacher will describe classroom strategies and curriculum content that works. Resources will be distributed. Sponsored by Social Science Education Consortium.
1:30-2:30PM GRB Convention Center 360A-F
“Quantum Matchmakers: Social Studies and Science for the 21st Century
Vital Issues Session
Joy Hakim, Geoff Scheurmann
A certainty for the next generation of Americans is that they will continue to face uncertain scientific change as part of their future. Author Joy Hakim, best known for her ten-volume series A History of US, has recently finished an elegant three-volume series on The Story of Science. On this panel, she will join a physicist and an educational psychologist to discuss social studies as a possible “mother” discipline that embraces scientific change in schools of the 21st century.
4:00-5:00PM GRB Convention Center 360A-F
“Democratic Education Research: From Findings to Practice”
Vital Issues Session
Diana Hess, Joel Westheimer, Joe Kahne, Michael Yell
In this “findings to practice” session, three democratic education researchers will present key findings from new studies, followed by a classroom teacher who will identify implications for teachers and other school leaders.
Highlighted Session
Saturday, 8:00-10:00AM GRB Convention Center 352B
“Welcome to the Digital Classroom for Elementary Social Studies”
The editorial board of Social Studies and the Young Learner and authors of the Welcome to the Digital Classroom issue will share exemplary elementary social studies applications of technology. Presenters include three teachers appearing through the sponsorship of PBS Video and PBS Teachers.
