Minn. R. agency 188, ch. 8710, TEACHER STANDARDS, pt. 8710.4800 - TEACHERS OF SOCIAL STUDIES

Subpart 1. Scope of practice.

A teacher of social studies is authorized to provide to students in grades 5 through 12 instruction that is designed to provide an understanding of the following social studies concepts:

A. culture and cultural diversity;

B. the ways human beings view themselves in and over time;

C. people, places, and environments;

D. individual development and identity;

E. interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions;

F. how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance;

G. how people organize for production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services;

H. relationships among science, technology, and society;

I. global connections and interdependence; and

J. ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

Subp. 2. Licensure requirements.

A candidate for licensure to teach social studies to students in grades 5 through 12 shall:

A. hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university that is regionally accredited by the association for the accreditation of colleges and secondary schools;

B. demonstrate the standards for effective practice for licensing of beginning teachers in part 8710.2000; and

C. show verification of completing a Board of Teaching preparation program approved under part 8700.7600 leading to the licensure of teachers of social studies in subpart 3.

Subp. 3. Subject matter standard.

A candidate for licensure as a teacher of social studies must complete a preparation program under subpart 2, item C, that must include the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to L.

A. A teacher of social studies understands how human beings create, learn, and adapt culture. The teacher must understand:

(1) ways in which groups, societies, and cultures address human needs and concerns;

(2) how data and experiences may be interpreted by people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference;

(3) culture as an integrated whole, including the functions and interactions of language, literature, the arts, traditions, beliefs and values, and behavior patterns;

(4) societal patterns for preserving and transmitting culture while adapting to environmental or social change;

(5) benefits of cultural diversity and cohesion, within and across groups;

(6) patterns of behavior reflecting values and attitudes that contribute or pose obstacles to cross-cultural understanding;

(7) the causes and effects of stereotyping on American Indians within their society and on society as a whole;

(8) specific cultural responses to persistent human issues; and

(9) ideas, theories, and modes of inquiry drawn from anthropology and sociology in the examination of persistent issues and social problems.

B. A teacher of social studies understands historical roots based on what things were like in the past and how things change and develop over time. The teacher must understand:

(1) that historical knowledge and the concept of time are socially influenced constructions that lead historians to be selective in the questions they seek to answer and in the evidence they use;

(2) key concepts, including time, chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity;

(3) historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures;

(4) the significance of American Indian oral tradition in the perpetuation of culture and history;

(5) processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and reinterpret the past;

(6) multiple historical and contemporary viewpoints with viewpoints within and across cultures; and

(7) ideas, theories, and modes of historical inquiry to analyze historical and contemporary developments, and to inform and evaluate actions concerning public policy issues.

C. A teacher of social studies understands the world within and beyond personal locations. The teacher must understand:

(1) the relative location, direction, size, and shape of locales, regions, and the world;

(2) how to create, interpret, use, and synthesize information from various representations of the earth;

(3) appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate and manipulate charts, graphs, and maps and to interpret information from resources including atlases, databases, and grid systems;

(4) how to determine distance, scale, area, density, and distinguish spatial distribution patterns;

(5) the relationships among various regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena;

(6) physical earth system changes to explain geographic phenomena;

(7) how people create places that reflect culture, human needs, government policy, and current values and ideals as they design and build specialized buildings, neighborhoods, shopping centers, urban centers, industrial parks, and the like;

(8) physical and cultural patterns and their interactions;

(9) how historical events have been influenced by, and have influenced, physical and human geographic factors in local, regional, national, and global settings;

(10) social and economic effects of environmental changes and crises resulting from phenomena; and

(11) policies for the use of land and other resources in communities and regions.

D. A teacher of social studies understands that personal identity is shaped by an individual's culture, by groups, and by institutional influences. The teacher must understand:

(1) personal connections to time, place, and social and cultural systems;

(2) influences of various historical and contemporary cultures on an individual's daily life;

(3) the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, and other group and cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self;

(4) the vital role the process of achieving harmony and balance and the American Indian value system play in American Indian philosophy and in the daily lives of American Indians;

(5) concepts, methods, and theories about the study of human growth and development;

(6) how ethnicity, nationality, and culture interact to influence specific situations or events;

(7) the role of perceptions, attitudes, values, and beliefs in the development of personal identity;

(8) the impact of stereotyping, conformity, acts of altruism, and other behaviors on individuals and groups;

(9) how to work independently and cooperatively within groups and institutions to accomplish goals; and

(10) factors that contribute to and damage mental health and issues that relate to mental health and behavioral disorders in contemporary society.

E. A teacher of social studies understands how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how institutions control and influence individuals and culture, and how institutions can be maintained or changed. The teacher must understand:

(1) how concepts, including role, status, and social class, impact the connections and interactions of individuals, groups, and institutions in society;

(2) group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture in both historical and contemporary settings;

(3) the various forms institutions take and how they develop and change over time;

(4) how Minnesota-based Anishinabe reservations and Dakota communities are influenced by history, geography, and contemporary issues;

(5) that expressions of individuality and efforts to promote social conformity by groups or institutions can result in tensions;

(6) belief systems in contemporary and historical movement;

(7) how institutions can further both continuity and change;

(8) how groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote the common good in contemporary and historical settings; and

(9) the application of ideas and modes of inquiry drawn from behavioral science and social theory in the examination of persistent issues and social problems.

F. A teacher of social studies understands the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary United States society and other parts of the world. The teacher must understand:

(1) persistent issues involving the rights, roles, and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare;

(2) the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified;

(3) ideas and mechanisms to meet needs and wants of citizens, regulate territory, manage conflict, establish order and security, and balance competing conceptions of a just society;

(4) ways nations and organizations respond to conflicts between forces of unity and forces of diversity;

(5) American Indian treaties and how they function, the meaning of tribal sovereignty, and the concept of sovereignty as related to tribal government;

(6) the impact of ever changing United States policies on American Indians;

(7) existing differing political systems and the role representative political leaders from selected historical and contemporary settings have had in shaping these systems;

(8) conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among nations;

(9) the role of technology in communications, transportation, information processing, development, or other areas as it contributes to or helps resolve conflicts;

(10) how to apply ideas, theories, and modes of inquiry drawn from political science to the examination of persistent issues and social problems;

(11) the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad; and

(12) how public policy is formed and expressed.

G. A teacher of social studies understands how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The teacher must understand:

(1) how the scarcity of productive human, capital, technological, and natural resources requires the development of economic systems to make decisions about how goods and services are to be produced and distributed;

(2) the role that supply and demand, prices, incentives, and profits play in determining what is produced and distributed in a competitive market system;

(3) the costs and benefits to society of allocating goods and services through private and public sectors;

(4) relationships among the various economic institutions that comprise economic systems;

(5) the role of specialization and exchange in economic processes;

(6) how values and beliefs influence economic decisions in different societies;

(7) basic economic systems according to how rules and procedures deal with demand, supply, prices, the role of government, banks, labor and labor unions, savings and investments, and capital;

(8) how to apply economic concepts and reasoning in evaluating historical and contemporary social developments and issues;

(9) differences between the domestic and global economic systems and how the two interact; and

(10) the relationship of production, distribution, and consumption in establishing socially desirable outcomes for resolving public issues.

H. A teacher of social studies understands the relationships among science, technology, and society. The teacher must understand:

(1) both current and historical examples of the interaction and interdependence of science, technology, and society in a variety of cultural settings;

(2) how science and technology have transformed the physical world and human society to include its impact on time, space, place, and the interactions between humans and their environment;

(3) how science and technology influence the core values, beliefs, and attitudes of society, and how core values, beliefs, and attitudes of society shape scientific and technological change;

(4) how to evaluate various policies that have been proposed as ways of dealing with social changes resulting from new technologies, for example, genetically engineered plants and animals;

(5) varied perspectives about human societies and the physical world using scientific knowledge, ethical standards, and technologies from diverse world cultures; and

(6) strategies and policies for influencing public discussions associated with technology-society issues, such as the greenhouse effect.

I. A teacher of social studies understands the relationship of global connections among world societies to global interdependence. The teacher must understand:

(1) how language, art, music, belief systems, and other cultural elements can facilitate global understanding or cause misunderstanding;

(2) conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies, and nations;

(3) the effects of changing technologies on the global community;

(4) causes, consequences, and possible solutions to persistent, contemporary, and emerging global issues;

(5) relationships and tensions between national sovereignty and global interests;

(6) the role of international and multinational organizations in the global arena;

(7) how individual behaviors and decisions connect with global systems; and

(8) concerns, issues, and conflicts related to universal human rights.

J. A teacher of social studies understands that civic ideals and practices of citizenship is critical to full participation in society and is the central purpose of the social studies. The teacher must understand:

(1) the origins and the continuing influence of key ideals of the democratic republican form of government;

(2) sources and examples of citizens' rights and responsibilities;

(3) how to locate, access, analyze, organize, synthesize, evaluate, and apply information about selected public issues that are representative of multiple points of view;

(4) forms of civic discussion and participation that are consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic;

(5) the influence of various forms of citizen action on public policy;

(6) how to analyze a variety of public policies and issues from the perspective of formal and informal political actors;

(7) how to evaluate the effectiveness of public opinion in influencing and shaping public policy development and decision-making;

(8) the degree to which public policies and citizen behaviors reflect or foster the stated ideals of a democratic republican form of government; and

(9) ways for strengthening the common good through citizen empowerment and action.

K. A teacher of social studies must demonstrate an understanding of the teaching of social studies that integrates understanding of the social studies disciplines with the understanding of pedagogy, students, learning, classroom management, and professional development. The teacher of social studies to preadolescent and adolescent students shall:

(1) understand and apply educational principles relevant to the physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development of preadolescents and adolescents;

(2) understand and apply the research base for and the best practices of middle and high school education;

(3) develop curriculum goals and purposes based on the central concepts of each social studies discipline and know how to apply instructional strategies and materials for achieving student understanding of these disciplines;

(4) understand the role and alignment of district, school, and department mission and goals in program planning;

(5) understand the need for and how to connect students' schooling experiences with everyday life, the workplace, and further educational opportunities;

(6) know how to involve representatives of business, industry, and community organizations as active partners in creating educational opportunities; and

(7) understand the role and purpose of cocurricular and extracurricular activities in the teaching and learning process.

L. A teacher of social studies must understand the content and methods for teaching reading including:

(1) knowledge of reading processes and instruction including:

(a) orthographic knowledge and morphological relationships within words;

(b) the relationship between word recognition and vocabulary knowledge, fluency, and comprehension in understanding text and content materials;

(c) the importance of direct and indirect vocabulary instruction that leads to enhanced general and domain-specific word knowledge;

(d) the relationships between and among comprehension processes related to print processing abilities, motivation, reader's interest, background knowledge, cognitive abilities, knowledge of academic discourse, and print and digital text; and

(e) the development of academic language and its impact on learning and school success; and

(2) the ability to use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials to support reading instruction including:

(a) the appropriate applications of a variety of instructional frameworks that are effective in meeting the needs of readers of varying proficiency levels and linguistic backgrounds in secondary settings;

(b) the ability to scaffold instruction for students who experience comprehension difficulties;

(c) selection and implementation of a wide variety of before, during, and after reading comprehension strategies that develop reading and metacognitive abilities;

(d) the ability to develop and implement effective vocabulary strategies that help students understand words including domain-specific content words;

(e) the ability to develop critical literacy skills by encouraging students to question texts and analyze texts from multiple viewpoints or perspectives;

(f) the ability to identify instructional practices, approaches, and methods and match materials, print and digital, to the cognitive levels of all readers, guided by an evidence-based rationale, which support the developmental, cultural, and linguistic differences of readers;

(g) the appropriate applications of a wide variety of instructional frameworks that are effective in meeting the needs of readers in secondary school settings across developmental levels, proficiency, and linguistic backgrounds; and

(h) the ability to plan instruction and select strategies that help students read and understand social studies texts and spur student interest in more complex reading materials, including the ability to help students:

i. recognize fact and opinion and the words that signal opinions and judgments;

ii. distinguish between primary and secondary sources, for example, historical record versus textbook;

iii. thinking critically, for example, drawing inferences or conclusions from facts, analyzing author's purpose and point of view, discerning cause and effect relationships, detecting bias, and evaluating evidence;

iv. using and interpreting maps, globes, and other nonlinguistic or graphic tools such as timelines, photographs, charts, statistical tables, digital tools, and political cartoons; and

v. using other text features such as glossaries, indexes, detailed databases about countries, and appendices of documents or maps.

Subp. 3a. Student teaching and field experiences.

A candidate for licensure to teach social studies must have a broad range of targeted field-based experiences, of a minimum of 100 hours prior to student teaching, that provide opportunities to apply and demonstrate competency of professional dispositions and the required skills and knowledge under this part and part 8710.2000.

Across the combination of student teaching and other field-based placements, candidates must have experiences teaching the content at both the middle level, grades 5 through 8, and high school level, grades 9 through 12.

For initial teacher licensure, the student teaching period must be a minimum of 12 continuous weeks, full time, face-to-face, in which the candidate is supervised by a cooperating teacher, and evaluated at least twice by qualified faculty supervisors in collaboration with the cooperating teachers.

Subp. 4. Continuing license.

A continuing license shall be issued and renewed according to the rules of the Board of Teaching governing continuing licensure.

Subp. 5. Effective date.

The requirements in this part for licensure as a teacher of social studies are effective on September 1, 2015, and thereafter.

Notes

Minn. R. agency 188, ch. 8710, TEACHER STANDARDS, pt. 8710.4800

23 SR 1928; 34 SR 595; 39 SR 822

Statutory Authority: MS s 122A.09; 122A.18