The purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe preservice teachers' views on the use of banned or censored texts and taboo topics in the classroom. The study sought to discern how elementary and secondary teacher candidates enrolled in methods courses at a Midwestern university thought about issues of censorship, citizenship, and…

Utilizing a critical whiteness studies framework, the authors analyzed the experiences of a cohort of predominantly White pre-service social studies teachers discussing race and Whiteness in relation to education. The pre-service teachers resisted identifying White privilege as a form of structural racism, instead preferring individualized…

The purpose of this study is to provide descriptive portraits of how two elementary teacher candidates incorporated historical photographs when teaching history. In an effort to construct new knowledge in the field of elementary social studies teacher education, an examination into their planning, implementation, and reflection was investigated.…

The study is to examine if preservice teachers improve their social studies teaching and learning when they follow a structured and guided methods course based on the four-step social studies teaching cycle. The four steps are 1) preinstructional exploration, 2) assessment development, 3) instructional development, and 4) reflective extension. The…

Reporting on the results of an action research study, this manuscript provides examples of strategies used to integrate technology into a content methods course. The study used reflective teaching of a social studies methods course at a major Southwestern university in 10 course sections over a four-semester period. In alignment with the research…

This descriptive study uses narrative analysis to examine the nature and quality of pre-service teachers' initial attempts at reflection via the genre of memoir writing in a social studies methods course. The paper begins by reviewing other uses of narrative reflection and autobiographical writing in teacher education. This is followed by an…

The purpose of this paper is two fold: first, to tease out the meaning inherent in the correlativity of the question and answer process and second, to suggest a philosophical answer to the question "What does it mean to question?" in the context of teacher education. To that end, we want to claim that R.G. Collingwood's "Logic of Question and…

An action research project was conducted to promote critically reflective teaching in a semester-long secondary social studies methods course. To encourage critical reflection, the instructor drew explicit attention to issues of rationale building in social studies, critical thinking, democratic education, and social transformation. Evidence of…

The preservice teachers who participated in this study were first semester seniors in a Social Studies Methods class. The study took place in the second year of a university/public school partnership program between the elementary education faculty at Indiana University South Bend and teachers at six schools within the South Bend Community School…

Reports on an investigation of the extent, nature, and development of critical reflection among three preservice teachers in a semester-long secondary social studies methods course that used an action research case study methodology. Suggests that in different ways and measures, teacher educators can influence preservice teachers to become more…

Through the analysis of qualitative data from journals, interviews, class reflection, and classroom dialogue, two language arts methods instructors traced the effects of their college methods courses on student teachers and first year teachers. They investigated the students' willingness to use strategies they had tried and seen demonstrated in…