Supporting English learners in secondary social studies classrooms through collaboration

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-260
Author(s):  
Anthony Pellegrino ◽  
Clara Lee Brown
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
General Education ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Informational Texts ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Teachers ◽  
Secondary Social Studies

PurposeThe number of English learners (ELs) has increased dramatically in the public schools across the nation. In 2000, 3.8 m students, or approximately 8% of the US public school student population, were identified as ELs. In 2016, the number reached 4.9 m or 9.6% of the general student population. In some states, the rise in the EL population has been even more pronounced. Their increased presence in content classes poses opportunities as well as great challenges for teachers. As these learners are learning fundamental language skills, they are also responsible for learning content and skills associated with various disciplines. In social studies, it includes developing a foundational understanding of US history, geography and government, while also developing the ability to comprehend, analyze and evaluate complex informational texts, which include contextualized language, low-incidence concepts and discrete facts.Design/methodology/approachOne way schools are adapting practice for ELs is through collaboration between general education and EL resource teachers. This article reports findings from interviews with a high school social studies teacher and an English as a second language (ESL) colleague.FindingsThe collaboration between these two teachers illustrated how specific strategies thoughtfully designed, yet sensibly implemented, can help teachers feel effective and empowered in their social studies classes. Their story also highlighted ways they have worked together in spite of the system confines.Originality/valueTogether, the authors hope their experiences inform teachers, teacher educators and school leaders about the importance of adapting practices for ELs in social studies and the power of collaboration to make those efforts successful.

E-Coaching to Support University-Public School Partnerships

2019 ◽  
pp. 333-353
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bellows ◽  
Aftynne E. Cheek ◽  
Morgan Blanton
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
School Partnerships ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Secondary Social Studies ◽  
Rural Teacher ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Three teacher educators partnered with a local high school to pilot an e-coaching model with secondary social studies pre-service teachers. Findings reveals an e-coaching supervisory model that can nurture relationships between university and public schools to support pre-service teacher (PST) development, can increase a PST's independence and confidence, and can support creation of a third space where power dynamics between university and public schools are disrupted and potentially leveled. Implications for e-coaching as a means of supervising field experiences in rural teacher education are discussed.

Selecting and designing visual curriculum materials for inquiry-based instruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-334
Author(s):  
Cory Callahan ◽  
James B. Howell ◽  
Lamont E. Maddox
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Curriculum Materials ◽  
Multimodal Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Digital Collection ◽  
Based Instruction

Purpose Visual documents (e.g. maps, editorial cartoons, historical photographs, portraits, documentary films, historically-based movies, etc.) are common curriculum resources within social studies classrooms; however, only recently scholars have begun to systematically research ways to more authentically and powerfully center instruction around visual documents. Here, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize relevant lines of inquiry into research-based, wise-practices for selecting and designing visual curriculum materials to help social studies students and teachers think about social phenomenon deeply and in more disciplinary-specific ways. Design/methodology/approach The authors share recent scholarship that has posited explanations for why visual data tend to afford learners especially powerful opportunities to think critically about the world around them. Throughout the discussion, the authors integrate applicable research-based principles that can guide the selection and design of visual curriculum materials. Findings Scholars have suggested that visual documents are rarely introduced in educational settings as a means to develop the thinking skills of decoding, interpreting and evaluating pictorial information. The authors argue that these skills are vital civic competencies because the creation and critique of non-written information often mediates modern public issues and social identities. Research limitations/implications Informed by strong, consistent research into multimodal learning, visual literacy and the cognitive sciences, the wise-practice scaffolding suggestions the authors provide may help professionals with an interest in social studies education to synthesize theory-based suggestions with practice-based implementations as it concerns visual documents. The authors hope the guidance shared here helps teachers, teacher educators and curriculum designers produce high-quality resources that will engage contemporary students and help them develop civic competence. Originality/value First, the authors posit a research-based template, or planning checklist, of wise-practice suggestions to help social studies teachers, teacher educators and curriculum designers select visual documents. The authors then share several digital collection archives that teachers can visit to locate powerful visuals and describe research-based suggestions for designing them for dynamic implementation. Finally, the authors argue for more deliberative space in the social studies curriculum and classroom time for teachers to explore the educative power of centering inquiry-based instruction around visual information.

Involving students with autism in social studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
Linda Mauricio Reeves ◽  
Susan Santoli
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
General Education ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
General Education Teachers ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
General Education Classrooms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to inform teachers of evidence-based practices designed to enhance the academic performance of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the context of general education social studies classes. Originality/value Despite the growing numbers of students with ASD which are included in general education classrooms, general education teachers consistently report concerns about their abilities to effectively instruct students with ASD. Social studies classes can be particularly challenging for students with ASD because of the reading, verbal communication, and inference skills which are part of the curriculum – all areas with which these students may struggle. While each student with ASD is different, there are some research-based strategies which have been found to work successfully for many of these students.

Why don’t we teach social studies? Preservice teachers’ social studies self-efficacy

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-257
Author(s):  
Heather Rogers Haverback
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Social Studies Education ◽  
Efficacy Beliefs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sense Of Efficacy ◽  
Mastery Experiences

Purpose The majority of states and school systems within the USA have implemented the Common Core State Standards, but with this implementation and focus on language arts and mathematics, many believe that social studies education has lagged. The purpose of this paper is to investigate preservice teachers’ social studies self-efficacy, experiences, and beliefs. Participants were preservice teachers in a required education course. During this course, preservice teachers were required to complete a 20-hour practicum within a school. Participants completed a teacher social studies self-efficacy scale, as well as a reflection questionnaire and course discussions. Results showed that preservice teachers reported that they did not have social studies experiences within the practicum. Implications of this study support preservice teachers having additional social studies education and C3 Framework mastery experiences. Design/methodology/approach With regard to the teacher’s sense of efficacy scale, descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) were calculated. Following qualitative tradition (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Miles and Huberman, 1994), the author used a constant comparative method to code the reflection questionnaire and group discussions. This included calculating answers and coding themes across the sources. These data gleaned insight into the participants’ experiences within the course and practicum regarding the domain of social studies education. Findings To answer research question 1, means and standard deviations were calculated. Using the social studies teacher’s sense of efficacy scale, participants reported M=6.4, SD=1.25. Research question 2 concerned whether or not participants were given a mastery experience (practicum/tutoring) in social studies. Moreover, if they were not given such an experience, in what domain did they work? Results indicated that a few participants (19 percent) stated that they had an opportunity to tutor in social studies. Most reported that the majority of their tutoring is in reading (58 percent) or mathematics (24 percent). Research limitations/implications The findings from this study inform social studies research as it focuses on teacher social studies self-efficacy and mastery experiences within a practicum. First, preservice teachers in this study had relatively low self-efficacy beliefs in the domain of social studies. Second, the participants had very few mastery experiences in social studies. Finally, preservice teachers seem to feel that they will enjoy teaching social studies, and they did learn social studies within their schools. Practical implications Teacher educators are constrained in the time that they have to impart knowledge, pedagogy, and efficacy beliefs on preservice teachers. While evolving legislative mandates are at the forefront of many aspects of teaching, a teacher’s belief in his or her ability to teach may be what leads to perseverance in the classroom. Experiences within social studies classrooms and a use of the C3 Framework will help to highlight teachers’ and students’ growth within the domain of social studies. This study highlights the need for more mastery experiences in social studies as a way of strengthening new teachers’ content knowledge. Social implications The future of social studies education within the classroom seems to be a dire situation. The consequence of the marginalization of social studies within the classroom is twofold. First, students to do have direct social studies instruction. Second, preservice teachers do not have an opportunity to observe or teach within this domain. As stated earlier, legislation is guiding classroom instruction. However, if teachers and schools are informed, social studies education does not have to disappear from student’s classroom time. School systems and teachers who have not yet done so should begin to consider using the C3 Framework. Originality/value The need to understand preservice teachers’ social studies self-efficacy beliefs is of importance given the constraints that they will most likely be facing once they enter the classroom. In other words, if preservice teachers are expected to teach children social studies, teacher educators should understand their learning of and beliefs about teaching in this domain. This study focused on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and social studies beliefs. This study highlights the need for more mastery experiences in social studies as a way of strengthening new teachers’ content knowledge. Today, there are limitations wherein preservice teachers do not have many experiences with social studies. Future approaches should focus on offering more mastery experiences to preservice teachers.

Pedagogical conditions that promote historical empathy with “The Elizabeth Jennings Project”

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Perrotta
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
National Council ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Historical Empathy ◽  
Secondary Social Studies ◽  
Historical Figure ◽  
Historical Figures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instructional unit about an underrepresented historical figure, specifically Elizabeth Jennings, titled “The Elizabeth Jennings Project” (EJP) creates conditions conducive for middle and secondary social studies students to demonstrate historical empathy. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students. Findings Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP” provides insights about how historical empathy pedagogies can connect to national standards and initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for middle and secondary social studies. Originality/value Historical empathy refers to deep inquiry in which intellectual and affective responses to content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives and beliefs of people in the past. Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.

Teaching and learning with morning meeting in elementary social studies methods courses

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Cornett ◽  
Alexa M. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
National Council ◽  
Methods Courses ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elementary Social Studies ◽  
Morning Meeting

PurposeUsing morning meeting, an evidence-based practice that is part of the responsive classroom (RC) approach, the authors (two teacher educators [TEs]) created opportunities for teacher candidates (TCs) to experience representations, decompositions and approximations of practice in multiple iterations of an elementary social studies methods course.Design/methodology/approachThe authors detail how TEs can expose TCs to social studies content (e.g. the National Council for the Social Studies themes) that can be incorporated into structured, daily classroom routines, such as morning meeting.FindingsThe authors include TE-created morning meeting facilitation guides with components such as a morning message, greeting, share, group activity and theme justification. Furthermore, the authors outline TCs' reflections on planning and implementing a morning meeting with a partner in addition to their own reflections on the TCs' feedback.Originality/valueThis work has implications related to TEs and TCs in elementary social studies methods courses as well as current and future students in elementary classrooms.

Meeting the demands of the C3 framework in elementary social studies methods

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Alan Neel ◽  
Amy Palmeri
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Social Studies Education ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Elementary Social Studies ◽  
Social Studies Teacher ◽  
Social Studies Teacher Education

Purpose In both elementary schools and elementary teacher education programs, social studies is marginalized while standards require increasingly more ambitious reasoning, reading, and writing in social studies than has historically been documented in American elementary schools. The purpose of this paper is to explain the challenges that elementary social studies teacher educators face in preparing elementary school teachers to facilitate the kind of ambitious social studies envisioned in the NCSS’s C3 Framework and advocate an approach to successfully address these challenges. Design/methodology/approach This paper articulates a targeted and ambitious approach to elementary social studies teacher education. The authors describe five recommendations from the teacher education literature for supporting preservice teachers in learning disciplinary-oriented social studies teaching, recommendations that guided the redesign of the social studies methods course. The authors then highlight key aspects of the redesigned methods course and demonstrate how the authors engaged the challenges inherent in the work of elementary social studies teacher education. Findings Although this paper is not arranged in such a way as to substantiate empirical findings, the purpose of the paper is to demonstrate an approach to elementary social studies education aligned with extant literature on preparing teachers to engage in reform teaching practices, specifically those disciplinary oriented practices suggested in NCSS’s C3 Framework. As such, the paper should be read as a perspective on practice. Research limitations/implications The type of disciplinary-oriented approach described here is increasingly under investigation in secondary teacher education research and similar approaches are under investigation in elementary math and science education research. To the authors’ knowledge, the approach is novel in elementary social studies education. Furthermore, the authors believe it offers a direction for researchers interested in gaps in the literature related to practice based teacher education and disciplinary-oriented social studies teacher education. Practical implications The approach described here offers specific guidance and resources for teacher educators who are struggling with the challenges of the contemporary social studies education landscape and/or who wish to focus methods courses in disciplinary ways. Social implications Research in social studied education has demonstrated that when students are exposed to disciplinary practices in social studies, their literacy skills improve and they learn analytical skills that support their development as citizens (consumption of media, participation in public discourse, ability to discern arguments). Originality/value As noted above, the approach described here is novel in elementary social studies education. Combining a disciplinary approach with a practice-based frame in elementary social studies represents an opportunity for empirical research and offers new approaches to the practice of teacher education and early career professional development.

The Impact of Cognitive Organizers and Technology-Based Practices on Student Success in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. Boon ◽  
Mack D. Burke ◽  
Cecil Fore ◽  
Vicky G. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
General Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Instruction Condition ◽  
Secondary Social Studies ◽  
Tenth Grade ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Instruction Format

This study investigated the impact of cognitive organizers, with the integration of technology, Inspiration 6 software, compared to a traditional textbook instruction format on content-area learning in high school inclusive social studies classes. Twenty-nine tenth-grade students in general education and 20 students with mild disabilities were randomly assigned to receive instruction using a cognitive organizer or traditional textbook instruction format. A pretest/posttest treatment control group design was used to examine the effectiveness of cognitive organizers. Dependent measures included a 35-item open-ended production pre/posttest of declarative social studies knowledge to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Students in the cognitive organizer condition significantly outperformed students in the traditional textbook instruction condition. Limitations of the study, implications for practice for both general and special education teachers, and future research are discussed.

Teaching and talking about religion: strategies for teacher educators

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-179
Author(s):  
Kimberly R. Logan ◽  
James M.M. Hartwick
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Religious Literacy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Studies Teacher ◽  
Social Studies Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching About Religion

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline arguments for addressing religion in social studies teacher education, including strategies teacher educators might use on how and why pre-service teachers should incorporate teaching about religion in their classes. Topics addressed are: issues surrounding pre-service teachers’ religious identities; teaching pre-service teachers about legal issues associated with religion in public school classrooms (e.g. teaching about religion vs teaching for religion, First Amendment rights and constraints); teacher education’s role in developing religious knowledge and the influence of religion in the disciplines that comprise the social studies; and an overview of strategies and resources that teacher educators can use with their pre-service teachers. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a literature review and arguments for addressing religion in social studies teacher education. A lesson plan and resources for teacher educators are also provided. Findings Teaching and talking about religion can no longer be marginalized or ignored within social studies teacher education. Whether it be the importance of pre-service teachers’ religious identities, legal issues related to public schooling or the influence of religion across the social studies disciplines – religion matters to social studies teacher education. As the current social, political and cultural realities attest, the influence of religion appears to be more and more significant in our interconnected and interdependent world. Originality/value Religious literacy is a key part of civic competence and if social studies is viewed as a way to help prepare a more informed citizenry – and a way to teach and promote dialogue across difference – then social studies teacher educators must find a way to include religion in their courses. By doing so, teacher educators encourage pre-service teachers to examine how religious identity may influence their teaching, and also help develop religious literacy and an understanding of how religion is integral to the various social studies disciplines. Ultimately, this important and often ignored work in teacher education may foster cultural understandings that will lead to a more informed and respectful society.

An overview of multicultural education in the USA: grandest social experiment

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-357
Author(s):  
James D. Kirylo
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Educational Equity ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Social Experiment ◽  
Melting Pot ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Diverse Student Population

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the historical and theoretical foundation of multicultural education in the USA. The discussion begins with a review of how diverse populations (e.g. ethnic, race, language, religious, cultural, class, and other differences) immigrated to the USA resulting in the need for multicultural sensitivities and responsiveness in the educational system. The paper describes how multicultural education has unfolded and discusses a culturally relevant pedagogy framework. The historical and theoretical contexts of multicultural education provide the foundation for determining if educational approaches are used and decisions are made that meet the needs of the diverse student population in the US public schools. Design/methodology/approach Emerging from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the notion of multicultural education unfolded (Sleeter, 2000) leading to the present day where a plethora of literature exists, well informing teacher education and school districts all over the country (see the reference section for some of the represented literature). In response to a largely Eurocentric point of view and the notion of a “melting pot” mindset, multicultural education is one that unfolds out of a pluralistic perspective. While the intent of the “melting pot” concept was to recognize ethnic and cultural differences in a dynamic that would harmoniously “melt” into a unique blend of what America is, what happened was “[…] the brew turned out to be Anglo-Saxon again […] reinforce[ing] the ethnocentrism of the majority and convince ethnic minorities that their ethnicity and cultural heritage were illegitimate and hence needed to be abandoned” (Pai and Adler, 2001, p. 63). Findings In the final analysis, awareness of historical and theoretical contexts in light of curricular objectives, instructional approaches, and ways students are assessed is critical in order to better make educational decisions that are just and best serve a diverse student population (Duarte and Smith, 2000). Indeed, a principal goal of multicultural education is the fostering of educational equity (Banks, 2006). Originality/value The issue for the classroom teacher, therefore, is not whether there will be multiple complex challenges in encountering differences; rather, the question for the teacher is an understanding of one’s level of awareness of those differences and the contexts that frames those differences. Hence, in the end, the more aware a teacher is about concepts related to multicultural education, the more likely the movement toward educational equity will be cultivated, and the more likely the grandest social experiment in the world will fruitfully advance.

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