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Disciplined Inquiry and Critical Literacy, Problem Solving, Understanding of Self and Others, Local and Global Mindedness

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i would like to learn more about the resources available for teaching the course more websites and books that teachers get their instruction material from.

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that the curriculum is rich, exciting, and made to help the students grow to become better people

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the answers to these questions are so complex

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real world current issues that effect all people

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I look forward to learning about the different topics we may cover during class and finding different resources to make the class engage for students.

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In exploring this document, I’ve learned that this course should almost be a mandatory for every student as it covers contemporary issues about ethics and community, something that everyone will experience at some point their life. It teaches students about the different ways people navigate around society.

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I think that the biggest challenge of teaching this course would be explaining the abstract sociological concepts about identity and body politics and it requires students to use their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking may not come easy for students who may not have been asked to challenge texts they’ve read before.

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What I find unique about this course is that it combines social theoretical concepts with scientific approaches such as observation and explaining its relationship to theoretical hypotheses. In order to make sense of the study they are required to find tangible/measurable evidence.

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Some of the commonalities that I recognize between anthropology, sociology and psychology is looking at theory through a critical lens. This means being able to apply various theories to current social issues. Another skill that is practiced between these three courses are researching skills. Students learn to consider theory and find measurable and concrete evidence to support or argue against it.

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Resources, resources, resources. I look forward to find confidence in teaching this course by familiarizing myself with the curriculum and the multiple ways to approach each topic while having enough resources to guide me through motivating and rich activities.

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As a first time exploring the document in depth, I had a chance to learn about the different courses under each strand.

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Teaching Social Sciences and Humanities would be difficult when and if the teacher is not familiar and confident with the topic. In order to lead students with an engaged learning, teachers have to be ready to answer lots of questions and find way to relate and understand the different personal views and opinions that students might bring back. That itself is challenging for the first few years of teaching a course.

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Although the courses have lots of similarities in the general teaching approach, each course bring a diverse topic to the table focusing on different world issues and relating to just about everyone.

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Research and inquiry are what stand out to me when I compare the courses. Students are encouraged to explore topics, reflect and communicate their learning using critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Most of the courses, in the overall expectations, include: exploring, investigating, processing information and communicating and reflecting.

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I dont know yet what I do not yet know...;)

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I dont know yet what I do not yet know...;)

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-More ideas of resources and more engaging assignments and ways to assess...

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-That there is some crossover so it is nice when students have taken a class with you the previous year as you can touch on some things and go deeper (ex.: mental health and well being)

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Its not that I think its "hard", its that I think we need to be very mindful and careful as some of the topics can trigger students. We do not always need to have them tell us about their own personal lives so one needs to be careful of that. It would not be ethical (Im thinking here of courses like HP3U, HHG4M, HPC3O and the likes...).  Students can use examples from litterature or shows they watch. -Catering to the many different interests and needs of our students

-Always reminding other teachers/admin that the Canadian and World studies program isn’t ours… 😊

-Encouraging students to share personal experiences and RESPECTING ETHICS (being mndful of students personal challenges and stories-we are not always informed).

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-The content of the program in social sciences and humanities is as diverse as we want our students to become.

-The fact that it (content) can changes depending on what is going on in the world.

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-The Inquiry, research and communication Process
-Critical thinking and relating to current events/life/future (asking students: How will this knowledge help me today?)

-The outlook on the world, community, and the self (global, national and local)

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I would like to learn more about how religious studies are taught and how the Israel /Palestine conflict is framed for teachers. Also I would like to learn more about gender and equity so I can speak with greater fluency on the subject in the classroom.

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The emphasis on emotional well being and mental health is a welcome development. The wide array of courses is also astonishing. I was grappling with the inclusion of fashion based subjects in the curriculum but after reading the syllabus I realized it fits well within the subject .

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I think teachers need to keep their own personal beliefs out of subjects , as they may shape the perceptions of students . For example, on the issues of social justice ,  the topic of Israel and Palestine may come up and infusing a discussion with elements of religion, human rights , social justice agendas and philosophy seems like a delicate task.

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The breadth of courses available is astonishing and certainly wasn't available when I was in High School. New subjects on gender and identity reflect the diversity of thought around new social issues which emerged in recent years.

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I find that the courses all share a similar foundation in developing skills in research and inquiry. Transferable skills such as exploring, identifying, and analyzing key questions and themes are pervasive through all the available courses.

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I am looking forward to gaining insights from my colleagues and reading about a wide range of experiences. I hope that by collaborating with other social science teachers I can improve my own teaching.

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I have explored this document quite extensively in the past, but one thing that always surprises me is the sheer number of family studies courses. I still don't really know why this is. To be sure, the topics being covered in these courses are both important and interesting, but I feel that so many other diverse and interesting courses could be created just by scratching a little past the surface of disciplines like psychology, sociology, and anthropology (not to mention that disciplines like linguistics are not even covered). Also, it's surprising that economics is not listed here since it is a social science. If economics has been "promoted" to a hard science then that has some troubling implications for our society...

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Mostly the lack of value placed on social science courses and the lack of required courses certainly makes it harder to teach the courses you want. It can also be difficult at times to try and explain dense theoretical concepts at the high school level.

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What's diverse about this field of study is the fact that each course focuses on one specific aspect of society - whether it be gender relations, religion, or the family. There are many ways of trying to figure out why humans do the things they do and the diversity in this field reflects that.

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All of the courses have to do with people and how we interact with each other and the world. More specifically, each course has research and inquiry as a foundation. While they each have different focuses, they are all interested in seeing how society works through and inquiry-based approach.

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I look forward to collaborating with others, and thinking about planning for the courses I will teach for next year. I very much enjoy the lesson and unit planning aspects. I look forward to exploring resources and ideas.

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I was not aware that nutrition was part of the social studies curriculum. My previous thought, was that it was part of health sciences and Phys. Ed.

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I think because the area is so diverse, there are many "specialties" that relate to eachother in a broad way, but require still a lot of study in order to be able to teach the courses with enough base knowledge. For instance, one would require a different knowledge base to teach Psychology, than he/she would to teach Nutrition. It is our challenge to find the common threads, study them, and link them together!

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I think the diversity lies in the fact that these subject areas can have multiple ways in which to approach them. Students can also vary with ways they can choose to study these subjects. There is a wide range of activities that lend well to this subject area. There is also a lot of opportunity for real-time, very relatable research topics, and inquiry.

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I see many commonalities- most notably, the ones that integrate the reflection of self vs the world in terms of structures, genetics and human tendancies. I see the critical thinking element as the most important elements throughout. Students use inquiry to delve into various topics, and gain many perspectives and information that links the various areas of knowledge together.

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I mostly look forward to gathering resources, sharing tools/tech sites, teaching strategies and basically any new ways of creating lessons that are meaningful and engaging. for different age groups and learners.

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One thing I learned while exploring the document that definitely caught my attention is the immense changes that have happened since I was in high school (about 8 years ago). There is a huge focus on self-awareness but more importantly students and teachers well-being and their mental health. These are aspects I definitely didn't see or talk about much when I was in high school.

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I think the most difficult thing about being a Social Sciences and Humanities teacher is navigating tough conversations. As a new teacher it's something I am constantly thinking about. I know it's important to be self aware and aware of what's going on in the world but then translating these events into a classroom can be difficult as there are many different opinions and you never want to be disrespectful of this as well as peoples own lived experiences, opinions, culture, religion etc. So navigating these types of conversations and making sure it is meaningful and productive are my biggest worries.

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I think what makes the Social Sciences and Humanities a diverse area of study is the fact that there a multitude of courses and I can see that so many of these courses would be beneficial in the direct development of students personally, their own awareness of themselves and those around them and society/their communities. I think these courses like gender studies, equity and social justice etc. are becoming more prominent topics in today's world and giving students the opportunity to fully explore these challenges within an academic setting would be beneficial to their own well being.

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There are many commonalities throughout the different courses under Social Sciences. There is a strong tone of having an understanding of one self and others. Some of the major commonalities I spotted were the main ideas that are weaved into the different courses such as a focus on developing inquiry and critical thinking, literacy skills, problem solving skills and developing awareness. These can be seen in the specific expectations throughout each course.

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I am looking forward to learning how to teach courses such as challenge and change in society. I minored in global development in university, so I have so much passion and drive to share my knowledge - however, I don't have a lot of age appropriate resources, I am looking forward to learning more from this course.

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One thing that I learned from reading this document is that the curriculum has changed since I was in school. The way that many of these courses are explored (specifically world religions and philosophy) are from a much more inquiry-based perspective. Students seem to be given much more encouragement to research, explore, and compare their own lives to those around them. I believe this to be a great improvement and I am excited to see how it impacts the learners.

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I think one of the most challenging aspects of teaching social sciences and the humanities is the sheer number of courses that fall under this umbrella. It is daunting to think about being well versed enough to teach in each of these categories. Especially when you consider how much of these courses can deal with complex topics that need to be dealt with sensitivity and respect. Such as world issues, cultural differences, and religious values.

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This field of study is so diverse because there are so many different types of courses and areas of focus that can be taught. Equity studies, family studies, philosophy, world religions, and general social sciences all cover a vast quantity of topics, and yet all fall under the same branch of "the social sciences"

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Each of the courses encourage the process of inquiry based learning to understand the relationships between individuals in society. Furthermore, these courses teach that students do not live individualistic lives, but lives impacted by everything around them and vice versa.

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I look forward to implementing resources, teaching strategies, and differentiated instruction to support my students and give them an equal learning opportunity!

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I know there are many diverse courses offered through this field of study, however I was not aware of courses like; clothing, and housing and home design as part of the curriculum! I also was not aware of half credit courses being offered as well.

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The first thing that came to mind is the difficulty in keeping up with the times and providing the proper (most up-to-date) resources and materials to cover the issues that arise.

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The various courses that are offered and how they all relate to, and affect every person no matter what one's culture is, background, race or religion, exemplifies the diversity in this field of study.

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Both courses are interrelated, in that they both research human relationships and society.  Both share a curiosity in researching  why people do what they do, think the way they think, why they behave a certain way, in both social and cultural surroundings.

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After reading the curriculum, I realized there are some social science courses about fashion. I definitely will take these courses if I can go back to high school lol.

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In my school, more than 50% of students are ESL. Since social science course requires students to have good language skills. I think it is challenging to provide accommodations and modifications during the social science class for some students who are ESL.

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The social science curriculum covers diverse courses. For example, food and nutrition, fashion, family studies, children caring, psychology, and philosophy. I believe all the students can find the topic that can stimulate their interests.

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There are many concepts in the curriculum that are interconnected and overlapping. It would be a great opportunity for teachers to integrate few concepts in one course, and students are able to explore the interrelationships between these concepts.

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I was surprised to learn how diverse in range this curriculum is! It really is quite dense and varying in many topics!

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I think that this can be a difficult course to teach because it can be very personal and reflective for students. For example, talking about mental illness in psychology, or eating disorders in nutrition, or divorce in family studies could be extremely triggering and difficult to talk about with a group of adolescents.

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When looking at the Social sciences curriculum, you can see that there are many strands and topics covered! What I think makes it so diverse is that it is applicable to everyone, on areas of life and careers. For example, chemistry might not be applicable to every aspect of life, but nutrition and health and learning how to eat and live well is something that everyone needs!

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There are endless commonalities between the courses! For me, the biggest commonality between SS and Humanity courses is the metacognitive aspect, reflecting on oneself and own experiences and how that shapes our current behaviours and actions. From family studies, to sociology, and nutrition, what drives us? Because of all of these commonalities, this is why I think that we can never really untangle the Social sciences and why i think that it is super advantageous to teach cross curricularly.

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There is a lot of overlapping topic within the Social Science subject. This will make it easier for teachers to spiral the topics and make it more fun for the students taking these courses. For example, gender studies came be spiralled in with gender norms within a family.

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I am looking forward to learning about different ways to present each topic in a fun and engaging way for students!

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I learned that there is a mathematical component to Social Science. I always took these courses in high school thinking that there was no math at all.

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This field of study is diverse as there are so many different topic within it. When there are different topic to learn about in one subject you get to see the different perspectives as well.

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I think the most difficult thing about being a Social Science teacher is be careful of cultural appropriation. There is a fine line between cultural appropriation and appreciation. I wouldn't want to offend anyone so I am trying to think of that when planning anything to do with a culture that is not my own. I also think it can be tricky to keep your students engaged in this subject as well.

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I look forward to learning about how I can teach Finances in social science. - Valerie Sellers

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I look forward to learning about how I can teach Finances in social science. - Valerie Sellers

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Valerie Sellers - I didn't realize that Finances and Financial literacy was a social science. 

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Valerie Sellers - I didn't realize that Finances and Financial literacy was a social science. 

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Something that is difficult about being a social science/humanities teacher is ensuring that we are not overstepping the boundaries of another group and not misrepresenting a perspective. - Valerie Sellers

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This field of study is quite diverse as it includes many different subjects and topics as well as perspectives. Some subjects rely heavier on math, while others are based on qualitative data. It's quite interesting. - Valerie Sellers

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One commonality that I see between the courses is the role of social justice, analysis and critical thinking skills. These themes are related to pedagogy and how we can ensure that students are getting the most out of their education and feel safe and welcomed. The courses all prepare and remind us to be well rounded educators. - Valerie Sellers

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I look forward to learning about ways to cover course content in an appropriate and sensitive manner.  There will be discussions that might make students uncomfortable so to me it is important to learn ways to create a safe and supportive classroom environment.  Being exposed to different resources in order to provide relevant materials to students that are reflective of society now.

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One thing I learned was how important the research and inquiry aspect of the social sciences is to the courses.  This was stressed a lot in my B.Ed. program as I was preparing to teach social studies in B.C. and how to develop critical thinking skills in history and geography.  I think that having a focus on developing critical thinking is essential in these areas and to a well-rounded education.

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The range of courses.  I have only really been exposed to the introduction to Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology and Challenge and Change in Society.  My first impression of being a teacher of social sciences fell into idea of teaching courses like these.  After looking through the curriculum document and seeing courses under family studies, which I did not know fell into social sciences and humanities, I think it will be important to develop a toolkit for each subject area in the social sciences and humanities in order to be an effective teacher so that you can teach a wide range of courses.

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At face value, the 5 subject areas gender studies, general social sciences, family studies, philosophy and world religions seem to be very diverse subjects.  I didn’t realize that these courses all fell into social sciences.  Though each subject seems very different, a closer look at the curriculum document shows that they each cover a different aspect of the human experience.  It gives students a different lens to look at this experience and what it means to different people, cultures and societies.  Each subject is different and diverse but is guided by the same thread which I find interesting.

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Even though I didn't know that Family Studies was included in the Social Studies area, there are some courses in that area that I am looking forward to doing some looking into. Specifically, the food and nutrition course. Having spent almost half my life working in a kitchen food and nutrition has a special place in my heart.

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One commonality that I noticed is that each course is based on research and inquiry and not simply just being able to understand a bunch of facts.  Even though the 5 branches are different, they still focus on developing an understanding on families, cultures, and societies.    All courses are encouraged to develop skills in the following 4 areas: disciplined inquiry and critical literacy, problem solving, understanding self and others, and local and global mindedness.  This gets students developing their critical thinking skills that can be applied outside of the social science realm and in other aspects of their life such as being an active citizen in their community.

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I had no idea about the range of topics that were included in the social sciences. For example, I did not know that the family studies courses were considered a Social Science.

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Like any area Social Sciences presents its own difficulties. For me the biggest difficulty would the the range of material that is considered Social Sciences. I would love to teach a Philosophy class because that is something that I know and enjoy, But in the same area of study I would have no clue where to start with Family Studies or Fashion and Housing.

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The whole area of study is extremely diverse. Most of the courses have underlying commonalities (that we just looked at) but at the same time they are very diverse. I think that they have to be as well because social science is such a broad topic I dont see any way to not have diversity in the area.

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The big commonality that stuck out to me in all the areas is the focus of developing critical thinking skills about families, individuals and diverse groups of people. As well as using these critical thinking skills to enhance their problem solving skills wen it comes to some very political and moral dilemmas.

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exploring all the different courses I will be qualified to teach at the completion of the course

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exploring all the different courses I will be qualified to teach at the completion of the course

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I was unaware of the World Religions courses

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I was unaware of the World Religions courses

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sometimes topics can be philosophical. Maybe you will not get the buy in from students 

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sometimes topics can be philosophical. Maybe you will not get the buy in from students 

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five very different subject areas ranging from equity studies, family studies, general social sciences,philosophy, and world religions.

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five very different subject areas ranging from equity studies, family studies, general social sciences,philosophy, and world religions.

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They all explore the ways in which individuals influence and are influenced by families, communities, cultures, institutions, and societies, and by ideas, norms, and values.

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They all explore the ways in which individuals influence and are influenced by families, communities, cultures, institutions, and societies, and by ideas, norms, and values.

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I look forward to learning about is the equity studies and how I can teach these subjects to my students. Teaching students about inequalities can often be uncomfortable because people are scared to say things they think is wrong or offended others in the class. However, it is something that can’t be ignored and we do need to discuss different diversities that include gender, race, ethnicity, religion and social economic backgrounds. Learning about diversity allows us to be compassionate and understanding human beings. Lastly, I am looking forward to having relevant discussions about equities in Canada, that are currently occurring.

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One thing I have learned while exploring the document was the incorporation of financial literacy in Social Sciences and Humanities. I do see the importance in being able to teach students about saving, spending, borrowing and investing. It was not till I taught Grade 6 Financial Literacy did I realize how unrealistic students believed houses in the city of Toronto were on the market for. Therefore it is important to introduce relevant and essential math students will need as they grow older. While looking at the curriculum document I understood how we can connect math and social sciences. These connections include, managing their finances, becoming critical consumers, and understanding how economic factors can enhance or limit families and their needs.

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One thing I believe would be difficult about being a teacher of Social Sciences and Humanities is how many different areas of studies are considered in the Social Sciences and Humanities curriculum. I was unaware philosophy and world religion actually considered Social Sciences and Humanities. Therefore, a teacher who is qualified to teach Social Science and Humanities actually has to have a high level of knowledge on many different topics and area of studies.

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One thing that was diverse about this field of study was most courses was either considered opened or university/college. This was different from many courses in high school because other classes are often either for academic or applied. However, having both streams in one class allows students of all different learning styles to be in one class together, which would mean each class will have various learning needs and learning styles.  As a teacher we have to learn how to plan for all the different students to ensure they are successful in their learning.

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One commonalities I notice between the courses was that courses were focused on developing research and inquiry skills. The students should be exploring, investigating, processing information and communicating and reflecting on the results of their research. This was a curriculum expectation for many of the courses found under Social Sciences and Humanities. This allows students to become critical thinkers and be able to develop high order thinking by using their question to guide their own research. I believe this was important because these are the skills students will need as they continue in their education journey.

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One commonalities I notice between the courses was that courses were focused on developing research and inquiry skills. The students should be exploring, investigating, processing information and communicating and reflecting on the results of their research. This was a curriculum expectation for many of the courses found under Social Sciences and Humanities. This allows students to become critical thinkers and be able to develop high order thinking by using their question to guide their own research. I believe this was important because these are the skills students will need as they continue in their education journey.