Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader is a trivia game show that asks an adult questions with difficulty levels based on different primary school grade levels. If stumped, they can receive the assistance of children actually in those grades. Granted, the contestants are usually not America’s best and brightest, there is something to be said for the basic knowledge that is lost as we age. My ultimate goal is to determine the complete perception that average the American has about the EU, and this show actually offers some valuable insight.
If a contestant on the show was asked a question about the EU would he/she know it? Would the primary school student know? Neither most likely will. Recalling my primary and secondary education, where history and social studies quickly became my favorite subjects, I remember learning almost nothing about post-war Europe. Europe before World War II is still vivid in my mind, from the British Empire, back to the Renaissance, to Medieval Europe, all the way back to the Roman Empire. My history/social studies education ended with briefly covering the Cold War and Vietnam. European history up to WWII is so intertwined with America’s that it is impossible to teach American history without an understanding of Europe. But then something happens. After WWII the Europeans choose to forge their own path and the continent all but disappears from American memory.
Coming out of high school, I could’ve told you that I had heard of the European Union, but that’s it. This led me to look up the New Jersey Department of Education’s core curriculum for social studies. Located at here there is an impressive list of material that needs to be covered from grades 4-12. I was surprised to see the depth that the standards go into. They list some very specific topics, such as “explain the role of specialization in the production and exchange of goods and services” to be achieved by the end of grade 4. This standard shocked me. I did not learn about comparative advantage and economies of scale until taking Principles of Macroeconomics in college.
Is there any mention of the EU in this very detailed list that ultimately shapes the lives of New Jersey’s youth? I was surprised that there was one mention:”Assess the impact of the European Union on member nations and other nations.” This appears in the category of 1945-Present. I was surprised at the depth of the standards in the post-war era, as this does not reflect my own educational experience. Strictly based on my personal experiences, I find most Americans to be experts on World War II, while their knowledge of contemporary issues lacks the depth of earlier historical events.
The lack of standards regarding EU material is merely an observation. I am not qualified, and definitely biased, to say that there should be more material taught on the EU. However, from my experience, I took all history courses rather than social studies; there was never a focus on contemporary issues. Why is this? Do more social studies and history teachers major in history rather than political science in college, and stick with their specialty? I understand the magnitude of material that must be taught to students is huge, covering all of human history.
Is this the correct focus however? To understand the present you have to understand the past. But should the focus be on the past at the opportunity cost (another standard to be taught by the end of grade 4) of examining the present? Can both be adequately covered? Does it matter since it appears we lose this knowledge rather quickly? Evident from the game show. I must stress that these observations come from my personal experiences. I encourage everyone to comment if they had a similar or different educational background. New Jersey’s core curriculum shows the lack of focus on contemporary Europe. Already handicapped by a lack of coverage of EU affairs by the American media, Americans suffer another handicap in understanding the continent through secondary education. What can and should be done?
No comments:
Post a Comment