ABSTRACT
Chapter 11 opens with some that highlight the importance of psychology and social psychology as academic disciplines that help explain children’s behavior. The chapter also considers the role that sociology plays within the social studies. It makes the point that absence of the insights and conceptual tools of these disciplines would reduce practice as professional educators to conventional wisdom and cultural rituals.
The chapter then presents the disciplines of psychology, social psychology. It offers a unified content outline of these disciplines. It then turns to a brief consideration of sociology as a discipline, offering a conceptual outline of its content. Discussion then turns to consideration of methods for teaching the content of these disciplines.
Next, the chapter considers the topic of religion as a sociology consideration before presenting the arts as instructional tools that may motivate students’ contemplation of thick social studies concepts. Finally, it offers several lesson plans and teaching resources.
