If we listen carefully to social studies educators, we hear questions of vital importance for our world. These questions include what societies to study, what we can learn from them, and what kind of society we envision for the future.

Concepts like community, identity and multiple perspectives pepper the conversations. We hear talk of understanding social forces and recognizing humans as social beings who spend their lives trying to make sense of the world of human interactions, past and present.

We have been listening closely to educators throughout the state, and at this site, the Vermont Alliance for the Social Studies offers the products of our recent projects. In partnership with the Regional Educational Technology Network, we videotaped classroom activities and collected resources-- all of which we will present here as the site grows.

The Alliance also participated in The Flow of History, a federally funded Teaching American History grant focused on the Connecticut River Valley. Some of the curriculum materials from that project appear here.

We intend that this site becomes a clearinghouse of social studies resources that builds over time. If you or your colleagues have materials to offer, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,
John Peterson, President

VASS 16th Annual Conference
Making Sense of the World

Friday December 4th, December 2009 Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center Burlington, VT Conference Brochure: download PDF