Article Review by Yeoh Jiming Kenn

8/7/2019 Article Review by Yeoh Jiming Kenn

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Article Review by Yeoh Jiming, Kenn

Ashton, L. A. (2002). Teaching the importance of government to third grade

students. Social studies and the young learner 15 (1): 21-23

Summary

How does one teach an abstract concept like government to primary school pupils?

Furthermore, how can one make such a lesson interesting for a young audience, while

remaining relevant to the teaching goals of the topic? These are some questions that

Ashton addresses in her article, which provides a comprehensive look at the various

instructional strategies she employed to teach third graders the topic of government.

Ashton discusses six different instructional activities, each geared towards achieving

a specific learning goal. They bear several similarities, however; first, they have a

common aim of helping pupils relate the concept of government to their own lives. Next,

the activities are all highly interactive and engaging. Thirdly, the activities are designed

to impart a real-world skill through ³hands-on experience´. Finally, most of the activities

draw on some form of prior knowledge that pupils are expected to have. Ashton

describes these activities in detail, listing the procedures of instruction, stating their aims,

and explaining their appropriateness for the learning task. She concludes with a brief

discussion of the successful outcome of her lesson, qualifying it with positive student

reactions (increased enthusiasm) and competent deliverables (high quality work).

Analysis

Ashton¶s article appears to be rather content-specific on first glance ± its title

certainly gives one that impression, with its emphasis on the topic ³government´. Upon

greater scrutiny, however, one would realize that there are underlying instructional



concepts that can be gleaned and applied to a multitude of instructional settings ± very

much like the Enduring Understandings of any content unit of the Social Studies

syllabus. The question then is a matter of degree ± exactly how applicable are these

strategies to the typical Singapore classroom?

A point to note prior to an analysis of instructional strategies is that the topic of

government is not addressed in the same manner in the Singapore syllabus ± it is

briefly introduced under the concept of ³Land Use´ in primary 2, elaborated upon in the

topic ³Meeting Our Needs´ in primary 3, and once again in Primary 5, under the concept

of ³Self-governance´. This is congruent with the ³Spiral Approach´ that the Ministry of

Education (MOE) explicitly adopts for all primary-level subjects, one which emphasizes

gradual exposure to increasingly complex material. A quick look at the list of unit goals

that Ashton provides for the American syllabus reveals that the topic receives a more

specialized treatment, with emphasis on multiple functions of government as an

institution. This might provide the American educator greater scope and flexibility in

devising instructional strategies to teach the topic, as she has a wider range of related

concepts to address, along with a greater number of periods devoted to the topic. In

contrast, Singapore¶s ³staggered approach´ might limit the extent to which an educator

can build-upon and elaborate on related concepts, since she is to reserve discussion of

more advanced concepts for later years. I will now discuss two of Ashton¶s individual

strategies in detail.

Ashton¶s first activity is a ³Free for All´ board game activity wherein the rules are

deliberately withheld. Pupils devise means to play the game in groups of four, and their

difficulties in reaching a consensus serves as the topic of discussion after the activity.



The aim of this activity is for pupils to arrive at the conclusion that rules are important,

and in many cases, even necessarily to facilitate orderly conduct. Its distinctive feature

is that it is an ³experiential problem´ ± one where pupils literally ³learn by doing´. In

participating in the activity, pupils are encouraged to ³stumble upon´ the desired

learning goal (the importance of rules) on their own, rather than being told explicitly

what it is, as in the case of a more didactic approach.

The advantages of such an approach are numerous; for instance, higher pupil

engagement is likely to result from greater task novelty (compared to textbook teaching).

The achievement of deeper Relational Understanding, as opposed to the more

superficial Instrumental Understanding, is also another likely result. This occurs when

students are able to see beyond surface features of an activity/problem, and perceive

underlying, generalizable concepts (Enduring Understanding). For instance, a pupil

would have demonstrated Relational Understanding if he is able to extend the concept

of the ³importance of rules for playing a board game´ to the ³importance of rules for

running a country´. This is type of activity facilitates Relational Understanding as pupils

are invited to compare features of the activity to aspects of their own lives (during the

teacher-facilitated post-activity discussion); by drawing attention to the similarities of the

two, pupils are guided to see how the same concept can be generalized across different

situations.

Such an activity is highly applicable in the local classroom ± it combines the dual

strategies of a simulation and counter-factual exercise to serve as a potent tool that

encourages self-reflection and critical-thinking. It achieves this by activating a schema

that most pupils in Singapore are familiar with ± playing board games. This is an





Ashton¶s ³Fractured Fairy Tales´ activity also bears mentioning; this is essentially an

exercise on perspective-taking, wherein pupils hear both traditional and alternative

versions of a familiar fairy tale from two different characters, and subsequently craft

their own versions of other fairy tales. The aim here is for pupils to consider multiple

perspectives of an issue, and emerge as more objective thinkers in the process. Once

again, this is highly relevant for the Singapore classroom; first, it draws on prior

knowledge of a familiar text type, which for most pupils, is introduced in the lower-

primary English syllabus. The benefits of this for effective learning are similar to those

discussed for Ashton¶s first activity. Next, it is aligned with a key ³Skill´ objective of the

social studies syllabus ± acquiring and evaluating multiple sources of information.

Equally important, also, is its potential for inculcating empathy in young pupils. One key

³Attitudes and Values´ objective is developing respect and appreciation for diversity ±

be it diversity in culture, opinion, or ideology. This entails empathizing with others ± a

value that is critical for building social cohesion.

Despite their fundamental applicability in the local classroom, educators should

nonetheless be cognizant of a potential limitation both activities face ± the role of the

teacher as a guide and facilitator of pupil learning, rather than a ³dictator´ of instruction.

Though ironic, this concern bears merit, especially at level of education where teachers

are socialized to instruct and command, rather than to nudge and guide. However, the

nature of both activities is such that a more nuanced approach is required ± how are

pupils to achieve self-discovery of learning goals if they are never given the chance to

explore and seek on their own? This necessarily requires teachers to relinquish

traditional notions of didactic instruction, and engage pupils on a more equal footing,



with the belief that these nine year-olds are capable of achieving more than what most

may think (with the right scaffolding in place).

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Article Review by Yeoh Jiming Kenn