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1 – 10 of over 23000Alicia R. Crowe, Evan Mooney and Todd S. Hawley
The purpose of this paper is to share findings from research on preservice social studies teachers’ visions of themselves as they prepare to enter their student teaching…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to share findings from research on preservice social studies teachers’ visions of themselves as they prepare to enter their student teaching experience.
Design/methodology/approach
The guiding research question for this study asked, “How do preservice social studies teachers articulate their visions of themselves as powerful social studies teachers just before their student teaching experience?”
Findings
The authors found that their visions of themselves emphasized aspects of powerful teaching, yet lacked explicit and important connections to social studies teaching. In their discussion and conclusions, they share the implications of these findings for their social studies teacher education program and other social studies education programs generally.
Originality/value
The authors contend that while powerful teaching is important, without an emphasis on powerful social studies teaching, they may struggle to achieve social studies teaching goals and purposes, such as teaching for democratic living, the common good, or citizenship. The distinction between powerful teaching and powerful social studies teaching, the authors believe, should be of concern for social studies teacher educators interested in positioning student teachers to create classroom spaces focused on the common good, national and global societies, or the deepening of democracy.
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This paper presents case studies of three student teachers negotiating the demands of the National Council of the Social Studies' (NCSS) five characteristics of powerful teaching…
Abstract
This paper presents case studies of three student teachers negotiating the demands of the National Council of the Social Studies' (NCSS) five characteristics of powerful teaching and learning (meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active instruction) while engaged in the context-specific tasks of student teaching. For these three student teachers, the context of both their teaching and beliefs about teaching combined to help them focus on two of the five characteristics more deeply than the others. These case studies suggest that social studies pre-service teachers can constructively use their student teaching semester to focus on developing strengths in those characteristics most appropriate to their beliefs about teaching and their teaching contexts, and that social studies methods courses can aid in this process by helping student teachers to reflect on these factors prior to their student teaching semester.
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Alicia R. Crowe, Todd S. Hawley and Elizabeth W. Brooks
In this study we explored prospective social studies teachers’ memories of their middle and high school social studies teachers. Our goal was to determine what lessons, if any…
Abstract
In this study we explored prospective social studies teachers’ memories of their middle and high school social studies teachers. Our goal was to determine what lessons, if any, their apprenticeships of observation taught them about teaching. Analysis of interviews with these prospective teachers indicated they talked about five ways of being a social studies teacher: an information giver, a content knowledge expert, a “character”, a caring, committed teacher, and “powerful.” After discussing these five ways of being a social studies teacher we present implications for teacher educators interested in building upon prospective teachers' initial conceptions of powerful social studies teaching and learning.
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Jason K. Ritter, Dave Powell and Todd S. Hawley
This paper reports on the processes and outcomes of a collaborative self-study conducted by three beginning teacher educators who sought to examine the efficacy of their teaching…
Abstract
This paper reports on the processes and outcomes of a collaborative self-study conducted by three beginning teacher educators who sought to examine the efficacy of their teaching practices while working with student teachers in the field. By systematically embracing opportunities to explore mutually pressing issues and concerns manifest across the student teaching semester, the authors found that collaborative self-study provided a useful framework for considering their pedagogical reasoning and decision making as they encouraged student teachers to engage in rationale-based practice. The understandings gleaned from this study provided the authors with a basis upon which to reexamine their developing teacher educator pedagogies, as well as to critique the nature and structure of their teacher education program.
Frans Doppen, Thomas Misco and Nancy Patterson
This study describes the complex state of social studies instruction in Ohio. It explores teacher conceptualizations of the purpose of social studies and the impact of state…
Abstract
This study describes the complex state of social studies instruction in Ohio. It explores teacher conceptualizations of the purpose of social studies and the impact of state standards and high-stakes testing on the citizenship mission of social studies. Understanding the impact of state standards and high-stakes testing on the citizenship mission of social studies is essential for teachers as they attempt to respond to this mission while simultaneously ensuring student mastery of prescribed content. Unfortunately, the findings show that teachers may not recognize the congruence of this mission with state standards and high-stakes testing. Although some of the instructional strategies the teachers in this study reported using were aligned with Ohio’s goals, other pedagogical issues, such as infrequent attention to multiple perspectives, lack of document analysis, and infrequent attention to economic concepts require attention.
Marilynne Boyle-Baise, Ming-Chu Hsu, Shaun Johnson, Stephanie C. Serriere and Dorshell Stewart
In 2007, the authors conducted a case study of 13 teachers across seven elementary schools. We learned that, due to pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) and…
Abstract
In 2007, the authors conducted a case study of 13 teachers across seven elementary schools. We learned that, due to pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) and state mandated testing, these schools were akin to reading academies—focused chiefly on the teaching of reading skills. They promised to share their results with local administrators and teachers, initiating the reconsideration of elementary social studies. To this end, they revisited school sites, revealed their findings, and offered to “fit into” ongoing discussions of curricular change. They attempted to engage teachers in courageous conversations, or honest, frank appraisal of current conditions. Eventually, they talked with approximately 100 K-6 teachers, principals, and district administrators. Framing their inquiry in Giddens (1984) theory of structuration, they present their efforts to build collaborative relationships in three cases of narrative inquiry. They follow it with dilemmas and insights for the field organized into five considerations: courageous conversation, curricular control, integration, social studies advocacy, and courting schools.
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James Shiveley and Thomas Misco
This article argues that the teaching of generalizations in today’s social studies classrooms is seldom done well, if at all, and that it is time to reestablish this strategy as…
Abstract
This article argues that the teaching of generalizations in today’s social studies classrooms is seldom done well, if at all, and that it is time to reestablish this strategy as part of the everyday practice of social studies teachers. The authors review the history and value of generalizations in the classroom and provide some practical applications and examples of their use. The case is made that such practice will not only enhance the vibrancy of social studies classes and increase student interest, but will also enhance understanding of the content and improve the development of citizenship skills.
The learning outcomes sought by social studies educators emphasize critical thinking, deep content knowledge, and an understanding of how knowledge in the disciplines of social…
Abstract
The learning outcomes sought by social studies educators emphasize critical thinking, deep content knowledge, and an understanding of how knowledge in the disciplines of social studies is created and changes. Achieving these outcomes, calls for a more active, collaborative, and student-centered pedagogy. The reported study seeks to better understand the nature of student engagement in this kind of pedagogy by closely examining student discourse during instruction. The study reveals while academic tasks were well thought out and, on the surface, constructivist in nature; student discourse was almost entirely oriented toward producing good products with little thinking aimed at exploring the meanings and relationships among content. The study also demonstrates that redesigning the nature of classroom tasks, by presenting students with problems that necessitate thinking about how content is inter-related, results in readily discernable deepening of student discourse.
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Christopher D. Moore, Cheryl Anne Beshke and Chara Haeussler Bohan
In this study, the authors evaluate the use of an election simulation game in the middle and high school social studies classroom. They consider how the game implementation…
Abstract
In this study, the authors evaluate the use of an election simulation game in the middle and high school social studies classroom. They consider how the game implementation reflected the practical use of constructivist and constructionist pedagogical principles. A brief explanation of the literature on the use of technology in social studies classrooms is provided and a practical explanation of how teachers implemented the game is offered. The ability to connect practice to theory afforded teachers important grounding and support for the use of technology in the social studies classroom. Students benefitted from the process of engagement in a form of media that is natural to digital natives. Challenges, with respect to the practical use of gaming in the social studies classroom, also are explored.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate Turkish pre-service teachers’ beliefs about social studies in order to expand upon a debate that has been ongoing for the last few…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate Turkish pre-service teachers’ beliefs about social studies in order to expand upon a debate that has been ongoing for the last few decades. While there always have been various definition since the inception of the field, to date, no single, official definition has been agreed upon among social studies educators. The study indicated that there are a wide variety of beliefs regarding social studies exist among Turkish pre-service teachers. The vast majority of the participants characterized social studies is an integrated field of study, although what they included as tenets of this field varied widely. The majority of the participants cited either “preparing informed citizens” or “improving communication skills” as the sole purpose of social studies.
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