Reform Of Social Science Curriculum In Elementary Schools

The world is experiencing a rapid change, which science and technology develop in a unbelievable speed and the components of culture become more and more complicate. These changes are calling for a new education that can promote critical thinking as well as multicultural communication attitude and skill which is an important quality of a modern citizen.Among all the subjects, social studies play a very crucial part in citizen education. At present, almost all the countries are engaging in social studies reform including China to enhance the capabilities of its citizens. Although efforts have already been made to improve the curriculum in our country, there is still experience that we can learn from others, for social studies in China is still a new area.Therefore, this article is going to give suggestions to the social studies curriculum reform in our country by means of studying a famous case study named Man:A Course of Study.This article includes eight parts. The first part is introduction in which background, literature review, research questions, implications and methods are described. The second part reviewed the background of MACOS from both macroscopic and microscopic view. The third part analyzed the design of the curriculum through the general idea, aim and content. The fourth part focused on the materials which MACOS had developed. The fifth part argued the techniques and methods that were applied to classroom teaching. The sixth part tried to understand the real effects of MACOS through an evaluation. The seventh part argued the controversy MACOS had caused as well as the reasons for its demise. The last part tried to give suggestions on basis of all the information that this article had delivered.