As a profession, we must have a shift in both perspective and practice to transform teaching at all levels. Are pre-service education classrooms preparing students to be flexible, adapt to new situations, and rely on their own expertise and understanding while seeking support when needed? Lieberman and Miller (2004) identify the following shifts…

With the realities of standards-based accountability, it is imperative to model and demonstrate for students how subject areas and teaching methods transcend across traditional boundaries. In an effort to prepare future social studies educators to teach for global awareness and to meaningfully integrate critical literacy skills into their…

This article describes how two instructors used assessment data to improve an undergraduate course, Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary Classroom. This entailed revising the core assignment for the course--the creation of a thematic unit of instruction--and developing a scoring guide to assess teacher candidates' performance. Data collected…

The author describes a social studies methods course offered the semester prior to the practicum and the student teacher program at Brockport State College, New York. (Author/RM)

Offers an outline of the social studies methods course taught at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. (SR)

To promote diverse learning strategies, teacher education programs should use their local environments. For example, students in elementary education methods courses at the University of Maryland spend one week in the Mall area of Washington, DC. They must use all the sources in the Mall to research specific problems. (RM)

The article describes a practical social studies methods course cooperatively planned and implemented by a state college and a high school. The methods classes met in the high school twice a week for two semesters and spent additional time observing teaching and participation in discussions with teachers. (Author/RM)

One technique particularly worthy of possible inclusion in the secondary social studies methods class is an assignment in which students interview practicing social studies teachers. In addition to obtaining more insight into actual teaching practice, methods students learn about interviewing as a social studies teaching method. A course is…

Described is a preservice, social studies methods course. Two fundamental premises provide the foundation for the course: (1) students need to learn how to investigate and discuss societal issues, develop personal positions, and make decisions through democratic processes; (2) secondary education should relate to the nature of today's teenagers.…

This publication describes a joint program in which K-12 social studies methods students enrolled at Indiana University utilize the facilities of the Northern Indiana Historical Society Museum (NIHSM). The museum has developed two kits--the Indian Kit and the Pioneer Kit--which contain items most representatve of the pioneer and Indian eras of…

Elementary teachers can gain valuable insights into the teaching of social studies by taking part in primary social science research projects. Describes a primary research project conducted in a social studies methods class that involved future teachers in investigating the water problems of Shreveport, Louisiana. (RM)

As a social studies teacher educator, the author wants her students, as the nation's future teachers, to aspire to engage their students in K-12 classrooms in meaningful civic activity. Toward this end, she has developed several programs for preservice teachers to gain knowledge and the direct experience of civic participation. The Social Issue…

In response to numerous criticisms of technocratic models of social studies curricula this paper describes a critical approach to curriculum design. Major areas of criticism related to knowledge, learning and evaluation, and teaching are explored as they relate to issues of curriculum planning and implementation and a critical approach to…

Discusses interdisciplinary instruction at the high school level, examines the imperatives of statewide reform in Kentucky, and outlines how and when interdisciplinary instruction improves learning. Describes an interdisciplinary learning project taught in secondary methods classes at Eastern Kentucky University in which students experience…