Social Studies Students Attend OCSS Meeting

On Friday March 27, six ONU students and Professor Russ Crawford attended the Ohio Council for the Social Studies Annual Convention in Worthington. Along with Crawford, Matt Fox (SR Social Studies Cardington, OH), Brian Hoefel )SR Social Studies Akron, OH), and Aaron Stiger (SR Social Studies Wapakoneta, OH) presented a session on Using Sport to Teach the Social Studies to the secondary teachers gathered there. Also attending were Katherine Gualtiere (SR Social Studies Parma, OH), Rick Ingold (SR Social Studies Newark, OH), and Jennifer Sherman (Jr. Social Studies North Olmstead, OH).

After Crawford gave an overview of how sport could be used to teach the National Council on the Social Studies Ten Themes, Hoefel presented his lesson plan for using the 1980 U.S. Hockey team victory over the Soviets to understand the latter phase of the Cold War. Matt Fox then presented hi lesson plan International Sporting Events as Sites for Political Engagement to describe how the Olympics are often sites for political protest as well as athletic achievement. Aaron Stiger followed with a multiage lesson plan for teaching Civic Ideals and Practices using sport.

Among the audience was Tom Rutan, the Associate Director in the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at the Ohio Department of Education, who asked what we would say to a principal who wondered why we were wasting time talking about sport when we should be getting students ready for the Ohio Graduation Test. Stiger answered immediately that sport is an important way to reach many students who wouldn’t otherwise care about the social studies, and student interest increases their comprehension of the subject.

All of the student presenters did a fine job delivering their part of the talk, and all students had the chance to listen to professional educators tell about their fields of expertise. They also had the chance to network with other educators and to talk with sales representatives from various textbook and other educational companies, not to mention gathering bags full of complimentary materials.