Eleven Propositions for Innovative Research in Social Studies [microform] : An Anthropological Approach to Learning and Teaching / Thomas L. Dynneson

Social studies educators are encouraged to apply anthropological research to their understanding of classroom dynamics and the learning process. In 11 propositions, the contributions of anthropology to more effective teaching are explored. For each of these propositions, there are a number of relevant research questions to guide classroom evaluation. The propositions examined are: (1) learning and teaching are part of cultural transmission, (2) human and animal learning are different, (3) social studies learning is a process of sending and receiving, (4) social studies learning is both active and passive, (5) a child learns about his culture through natural discovery, (6) information must be perceived as useful before it is learned, (7) social studies helps students understand their social system, (8) subculture knowledge is useful in understanding student motivation, (9) social relations influence instruction, (10) learning is an evolutionary process necessary to human life, and (11) traumatic experience increases information retention. (LP)