The author discusses how social studies teaching can be enhanced by combining cooperative and mastery learning methods. According to the author, if teachers combine cooperative and mastery learning methods, they can take advantage of each method's strengths while overcoming the weaknesses of each individual method. Moreover, the combined learning method has the capacity for boosting the conceptual and language development of young children. A lesson is provided of which shows how cooperative and mastery methods can be combined and used in conjunction with vicarious and real-life learning experiences to teach social studies ideas like the economic concepts of resource and product.
