“They have their Hands on the Pulse of the City”: Teachers’ Constructions of Students’ Civic Knowledge in an Urban Middle School Classroom

Abstract

Purpose – This study focuses on seventh grade teachers’ constructions of students’ civic awareness as they planned for and enacted a civic engagement project with urban youth of color.Approach – Drawing on critical and interpretive paradigms, I analyze the teachers’ dialogues during colloquia on youth civic engagement and their pedagogy as observed in the classroom.Findings – At the start of the project, the teachers hoped to involve students in critical thought and action on a local social problem. Yet, they doubted the depth of students’ knowledge about injustices in their neighborhood. As the students shared their thoughts about budget cuts affecting a local park, the teachers expanded their constructs of the students’ civic knowledge.Value – The paper argues that teachers’ views of student knowledge are malleable and in the context of a learner-centered curriculum, they can position students as aware activists.

Citation

Eve Epstein, S. (2013), "“They have their Hands on the Pulse of the City”: Teachers’ Constructions of Students’ Civic Knowledge in an Urban Middle School Classroom", Kawecka Nenga, S. and Taft, J.K. (Ed.) Youth Engagement: The Civic-Political Lives of Children and Youth (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 125-149. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-4661(2013)0000016010