Analyzes selected aspects of Piaget's theory of cognitive development and offers guidelines for primary social studies curricula based on the analysis. (CM)

Cognition research can be used to improve social studies textbook design. Salient findings from research dealing with information processing styles, developmental differences, retention of key materials, and instructional principles are reviewed. Illustrative implications of these findings for the design of social studies texts are presented.…

This paper examines research studies that have concluded that elementary school children can learn more difficult and abstract social studies concepts than are taught in the traditional social studies curriculum. Research studies that focus on constraints on cognition, the use of embedded concepts, and understanding knowledge restructuring and…

Proposals for teaching concepts have been dominated by traditional paradigms. A review of research on concept structure and formation reveals evidence for alternative paradigms, e.g., exemplar, probabilistic, and schematic models. The research also indicates problems regarding the traditional models. Implications for relating alternative models to…

Points out that children have difficulty learning time concepts. Presents instructional activities for concepts associated with clocks, calendars, and chronology. Outlines Jerome Bruner's three different stages of representation for each concept: enactive, iconic, and symbolic. (DB)

The papers in this report present selected findings from one phase of a five-year study on how to enhance higher order thinking skills in high school social studies classes. The study's purposes were to determine why it is difficult to emphasize these skills in social studies curriculums, what the barriers are, and how to overcome them. Five…

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT PROCESSES UNDER OPTIMUM TRAINING CONDITIONS WAS STUDIED. OPTIMUM WAS DEFINED TO INCLUDE (1) A CURRICULUM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT, (2) TEACHING STRATEGIES FOCUSED DIRECTLY ON MASTERY OF NECESSARY COGNITIVE SKILLS, AND (3) A SUFFICIENT TIME SPAN TO PERMIT A DEVELOPMENTAL TRAINING SEQUENCE. CHILDREN FROM 20…

Intended to introduce teachers to the concept approach in teaching social studies materials, the five chapters of this publication discuss (1) a definition of "concept" and the term's relationship to facts and generalizations, (2) the function of concepts in the social sciences, (3) how concepts develop, (4) how concepts are related to inquiry and…

This study was intended to obtain baseline data in the areas of verbal and cognitive behavior patterns of selected secondary social studies teachers. Hypotheses for study were that there will be no significant difference between: 1) observed verbal teaching behaviors of the highest and lowest ranked teachers; 2) the observed cognitive behavior of…

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEARNING OF LAW BY INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN IN A SOCIAL STUDIES SETTING AND THE THINKING THEY BROUGHT TO THE INSTRUCTIONAL SITUATION WAS EXPLORED. ASPECTS OF CIVIL LAW AND THE LITIGATION PROCESS WERE TAUGHT AND STUDIED FOR 20 HOURS IN TWO SIXTH-GRADE CLASSES. FIVE CHILDREN IN EACH CLASS HAD BEEN SELECTED IN ADVANCE FOR…

Social studies education would benefit greatly if curriculum development was more directly linked to developmental child psychology based on Piagetian models of concrete operations. A science education program based on this model of concrete experiences is cited and positive results for both students and teachers are noted. Two social studies…

Thinkback is a new instructional process that uses "thinking aloud" strategies developed by Arthur Whimbey and derives its name from the technology of instant video playback. Thinkback is a generalization of techniques described in the program "Problem Solving and Comprehension," which has been used for more than 20 years. The…

A study explored whether teaching the comprehension skills of inference, drawing conclusions, sequencing, and cause and effect would increase student achievement in reading and language while at the same time imparting social science content. Subjects, 197 eighth grade students in the experimental group and 192 eighth grade students in the control…

In order to directly relate research on children's thinking to curriculum development in the social studies, this study approximates the conditions and substances of daily classroom life and examines the levels of abstraction in children's thinking about complex social problems. The subjects include 210 boys and girls in equal numbers in grades…