¶ … articles as well as an analysis of the three articles that have been chosen. There will also be a reflection on the connections that these three articles have towards the best practices in the social studies context and field in general. The three articles to be reviewed and analyzed are; "Technology and classroom practices: An international study." By Robert B. Kozma

"Using poetry in social studies classes to teach about cultural diversity Social justice." By Ava L. McCall.

"How to teach thinking skills in social studies and history." By Barry K. Beyer.

Technology and classroom practices: An international study. By Robert B. Kozma

The main focus of the paper is how technology is used in classrooms all over the world and how it has changed the practice in class and general approach to learning by both students and teachers. According to the article the use of technological tools in classrooms is mainly by students for information search, product designing and publishing of results. On the other hand teachers use technology for creation of structure, giving advice and monitoring the progress of students. Apart from the practices that have been exhibited the article also shows specific patterns that are more likely to be associated with reports of specific student outcomes that are desirable. The writer also highlights the facts touching on the similarities and differences within the patterns of teachers, students and practices and the ultimate outcomes of technology. The main focus of the article is the pattern of the innovative classroom practices which are usually supported by technology for instance the impressive findings that saw the use of technology to be instrumental in increasing participation of students in class activities with a record high of 83% participation when technology was employed in the class activities among students. Posted here also is the significant increase in the teacher collaboration with others from 59% to 95% upon employment of technology in carrying out instructions to students on projects. The central research questions effectively addressed are; practices of teachers and students in technology supportive of classrooms, roles...

The article gives findings from 174 case studies dealing with practices of innovative pedagogy from technologies in 28 participating countries taking care of the international set criteria with local concerns.
The research was carried out to establish the relevance of technology in classroom setting to both the instructor and the students and how technology supported innovation in classrooms from both students and teachers perspective. The article hence effectively portrayed some of the common trends in classrooms when it comes to technology which are; teachers engaged in advice and guidance to the work by students as part of innovation, students collaborated with each other, students became more innovative, the students achieved much more through the use of technology such as productivity tools, web resources and emails. The article clearly demonstrates that technology supported innovative classroom practices in many countries in the world and they have most of the qualities in common. The implication of the findings is that teachers in many countries are now beginning to use ICT so as to change classroom setting. With this trend, teachers will continue to incorporate technology in their curriculum. The article is therefore a wake up call showing how technology use in classrooms can improve innovation and learning in classrooms.

Using poetry in social studies classes to teach about cultural diversity

The article is written from the perspective of a participant instructor in the elementary school level. It points out several applications of poetry in not only understanding the section of poetry in isolation, or literature, but also other related disciplines with emphasis on social studies in particular. From the article it is clear that poetry is a powerful resource when it comes to social studies in class. The article talks of how poets share their personal experiences of racism, cultural diversity, classism or sexism by the use of poetry.…