Parallel Session Proceedings »
4.7.11 Perceiving the Forest, Not the Trees: Problem-Solving for Global Issues and Social Studies Content
Gifted students are able to master more complex and interrelated issues at earlier ages. How can we engage and empower gifted students to think critically about historical events, real-world issues, and future problems? How can we guide gifted students to understand how the past influences our present realities and how our present realities will create the future? In this session, presenters will share a field-tested model for thinking as an expert in the sub-disciplines in Social Studies. This model can be used to add depth, complexity, and problem-solving related to Social Studies instruction and current global issues.
In line with talent development and the development of expertise and creative productivity (Subtonik, Olszewski-Kubilius, & Worrell, 2011), teachers should foster skills for analyzing cause-effect relationships among multiple factors of influence (Winkler, Andermann, Moore, & Backer, 2016). Experts are able to see the entire forest, not just the details of the trees. Experts have developed a schema for understanding the context of a problem whereby they can ascertain the missing pieces of a larger whole (Adams, Wieman, & Schwartz, 2008). In Social Studies instruction, this might mean guiding students to understand how natural resources and agriculture within a geographical region can directly influence the economics of that region or global competitiveness. The rules established by a government are influenced by cultural and social values of its people. In order to explain why things are the way they are, as historians and those in related fields do, multiple points of view and explanations for causality must be explored. Such explanations involve understanding the relationships between people, ideas, and events within the broader context of geography, government, social structures, and History.
The Social Studies model can also be used to prepare students for participation in globally focused programs such as Model United Nations. In order to truly understand global issues and problems, students must understand the context of a nation’s economy, government, social structure, and culture. The Social Studies model allows for differentiation and complexity of thinking about real world problems.
By thinking about the multiple influences and implications of a problem, students can understand the broader context of the issue within an interactive system of factors, which allows for a more thorough understanding and insightful solutions. Applications of the model for debates, problem-based-learning, and authentic assignments will be presented.