The doors they choose: Solutions to “The Lady or the Tiger”

2021 ◽  
pp. 204717342110383
Author(s):  
Thomas A Lucey ◽  
Anthony W Lorsbach
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Short Story ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Elementary Preservice Teachers

We consider the extent that elementary preservice teachers enrolled in a social studies methods course expressed empathy for story characters when solving the story’s emotionally ladened problem. We believe that the manner by which these students resolved one character’s dilemma informs about the nature of their own emotions. Participants read Frank Stockton’s story, “The Lady and the Tiger” toward the beginning and at the conclusion of the semester. The data represented all student responses to the prompt, “Read the short story at the following link. To what door do you think the princess directed the accused? What is the reason for your choice?” Forty-two students completed both reflections of the reading. The analysis found that in their initial reflections, a solid majority of students selected the tiger. At the end of the course, this percentage decreased to a smaller majority. Analysis of the six students who changed their perspectives of the princess’s decision found that five referenced course experiences in their explaining the reason for change. This paper fills a gap in social studies research about emotions and decision-making. Additional research needs to interpret the specific nature of these emotions and the conditions that influence them.

scholarly journals Building community using experiential education with elementary preservice teachers in a social studies methodology course

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Stephanie Speicher
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Collegial Support ◽  
Teaching For Social Justice ◽  
Teaching Competence

There is urgency for teacher educators to instruct preservice teachers in the tenants of social justice education. This urgency is based upon the American demographic landscape and the responsibility of educators to teach for social justice. Preservice teachers report feeling inadequately prepared to educate for social justice when entering the classroom setting (citations from below). Feelings of incompetence in social justice teaching expressed among preservice teachers coupled with minimal examination in the literature of the effects of teacher education practices that aid in the readiness to teach for social justice provided the foundation for this study. This study examined experiential methodologies that can prepare preservice teachers to teach for social justice, particularly within a social studies context. The study focused on two research questions: (a) How do preservice elementary teachers in a social studies methods course conceptualize teaching for social justice within an experiential framework? (b) In what ways did preservice teachers operationalize teaching for social justice in the practicum classroom? Also examined was how the development of community in a social studies methodology course fostered the understanding of teaching for social justice. The findings highlight how preservice teachers were able to conceptualize building communities with experiential methods to teach for social justice and how doing so created an effective learning community. Although the preservice teachers valued the implementation of experiential methods to foster the teaching of social justice, difficulties were expressed in their incorporation of experiential methods in the practicum environment due to a lack of confidence, teaching competence, or collegial support.

Preservice Teachers' Development and Application of Critical Thinking Skills in a Social Studies Methods Course

2019 ◽  
pp. 341-358
Author(s):  
Dallas Ann Dallman ◽  
Jayne A. Downey
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Thinking Strategies

Critical thinking skills are essential in the success of effective citizens. However, it is unclear how well preservice teachers (PTs) are prepared to teach these skills to K-8 students. This chapter investigates the application of PTs' critical thinking skills in a social studies methods course. In addition, it examines how often PTs include critical thinking strategies in their lesson plans. Findings suggest that PTs consider themselves to be critical thinkers. Yet they may lack the tools, skills, and strategies to promote student engagement with critical thinking through rigorous, complex lessons. The authors present a research study and offer strategies to enhance the development of PTs' critical thinking skills. The chapter discusses how to promote the transfer of these skills to K-8 students.

Multimodality in the Preparation of Teachers of the Social Studies

2016 ◽  
pp. 1501-1536
Author(s):  
Margaret E. Bérci
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Process

The chapter outlines a project designed to address the challenges in developing and delivering the Social Studies methods course. The knowledge base represents a symbiotic integration of selected philosophical, theoretical, and methodological ideas. Specifically, it reports on two pilot courses that integrate online, traditional face-to-face, and Web-based formats. The project scaffolds the resulting weave with the Case Study process for Problem-Based Learning. This integration advances teacher education practice and facilitates the development of teacher candidates' democratic understanding of the issues surrounding the teaching and learning of Social Studies. It demonstrates the usefulness of multimodality in Education.

Improving Coherence in Teacher Education

2018 ◽  
pp. 166-191
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Weston
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Social Studies Methods ◽  
Elementary Literacy ◽  
Coherent Field ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter describes the author's work as a teacher educator to establish, sustain, and improve a methods course partnership with a local K-6 school using an integrated school-situated, practice-based model. The model was designed with an aim of improving the coherence of teacher candidates' experiences and learning to better prepare them for the complicated work of equitable teaching. Coherent field-based components in teacher education offer opportunities to mitigate divisions between 1) theory and practice and 2) coursework and fieldwork. The chapter begins with a definition of coherence, describes how this definition of coherence was used to design an elementary literacy/social studies methods course, shares data to evaluate the course from the perspective of the teacher candidates, and describes what candidates learned by participating in the course.

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