This qualitative interview study explores the perceptions five USC Shoah Foundation Master Teachers who integrate Holocaust survivor and witness testimony via IWitness, a web resource from the USC Shoah Foundation, on students' development of empathy. Findings of this study suggest that the personalized nature of engaging with testimony in…

This exploratory study examines the use of 3D technology by teachers and students in four middle school history/social studies classrooms. As part of a university-developed 3D Printing 4 Teaching & Learning project, teachers integrated 3D modeling and printing into curriculum topics in world geography, U.S. history, and government/civics.…

Common sense thinking on international professional development suggests that the rewards for teachers are automatic. One of the most frequently advertised gains teachers are expected to see from participation includes the likelihood that they will have a transformative experience, whereby aspects of their personal or professional attributes are…

The teaching force in the United States of America is still predominantly white and monolingual. Yet, the U.S. population is rapidly becoming culturally and ethnically diverse. As a result, white teachers have expressed doubt in their efficacy in teaching students whose cultures are different than theirs (Helfrich & Bean, 2011). The purpose of…

Communicative self-efficacy serves as an important link between discussing controversial issues and civic engagement because confidence in one's discourse skills is important to managing conflicting perspectives and developing solutions to community-based problems. Freely available to schools, "Word Generation" is a cross-content…

This study is the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's first review of the quality of state U.S. history standards since 2003. Key findings include: (1) A majority of states' standards are mediocre-to-awful. The average grade across "all" states is barely a D. In twenty-eight jurisdictions--a majority of states--the history standards earn Ds or…

Differentiated instruction, or designing instruction to meet the needs of a variety of learners, has received much attention in continuing and higher education for several years and the middle school philosophy has centered upon differentiation as fundamental to effective teaching. Vast amounts of human and capital resources have been committed to…

Teaching about controversial issues is a powerful tool in the repertoire of civic educators. Despite widespread agreement concerning the social, academic, and civic benefits to be gained from discussing controversial public issues within the classroom, empirical research reveals that doing so is a rare occurrence. While the literature explains…

"Teaching and Studying Social Issues: Major Programs and Approaches" focuses on many of the major innovations developed over the past 100 years by noted educators to assist students in the study and analysis of key social issues that impact their lives and society. This book complements earlier books that address other aspects of studying and…

Describes learning activities based on a balance of skills development with content in a high school social science department. The model for the program involves selecting the concept; choosing appropriate skills; identifying values and attitudes; and focusing on content that illustrates the concept, skills, and values. (Author/KC)

Describes the rationale and objectives which define the relationship between content and skills of the Civic Education Social Studies Curriculum. The curriculum is a project of the Carnegie-Mellon Education Center in cooperation with five Pittsburgh and two Bakersfield, California high schools. (KC)

Description of the development, trial, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary family life curriculum program consisting of four courses for high school students. The impact of the courses on student knowledge, inquiry skills, attitudes, and preferences was assessed. (Author/ND)

The design of a methods course offered at Georgia State University to prepare social studies teachers for dealing with controversial issues in the middle school or secondary social studies classroom is presented. The course focuses on identification, selection, an analysis of an issue as well as the requirement that the student develop some method…

Article provided information teachers should know before teaching ethnic studies courses: What is it? Why teach it? What is the content scope? Where does it fit into the curriculum? These four questions were answered and strategies for developing ethnic studies programs were suggested. (Author/RK)

The assessed social studies project is designed to teach high school students of average ability to clarify and justify their positions on public issues''; training students to examine and analyze controversial issues through discussion and argument. (Author/SM)