This research reports on findings from a qualitative study investigating the goals and challenges of doctoral student instructors of elementary social studies methods courses. We find that goals and challenges are widely shared, and many of the challenges stem from the instructors' ambitious personal goals, particularly the objective of creating a…

In light of societal pluralism, diverse visions exist for social justice. In this sense, uncertainty is a marker of social justice education and research. This article shares insights into how we came to ask a question about teaching for social justice through cross-cultural collaborative self-study. Eight New Zealand pre-service teachers…

Contextualized in the critical pedagogies of universal design for learning (UDL) and social justice education, our study aimed to equip teacher candidates (TCs) to provide students with equitable access to learning social studies content knowledge, skills, and processes as a way to equally empower all students to be civically engaged, and thus to…

While there are obvious benefits of summer school for students and faculty alike, summer teaching/learning poses some unique challenges. Summer class meeting periods often have fewer contact hours but are longer and more frequent than sessions during the regular academic year. Thus, there are shorter periods between formative and summative…

As a social studies program coordinator at a regional-sized institution, the author typically has between 20-25 preservice candidates enrolled in his annual undergraduate methods course. However, he usually has only one to two in-service candidates each year who require an advance methods course focused on such items as the historical influences,…

Many have suggested that issues of democracy are fundamentally related to school curricula and contexts (Conant, 1948; Dewey, 1944; Dimitriadis and Carlson, 2003; West, 2004). Current social theorists have suggested that a globalized social, economic, and cultural structure has necessitated a rethinking of the relationships between individuals,…

The authors focus on the collaboration between a university methods professor and two classroom teachers in teaching social studies methods as a way of bridging the gap between university preparation for teaching social studies and putting that preparation into practice in elementary classrooms. The teachers offer recommendations from their own…

Teacher education and practice do not have to be at odds with each other, but they are. Teachers should not have to choose between fulfilling their curricular and classroom management responsibilities and purposeful, innovative teaching, but they do. Not only is there a perceived disconnect between teacher education and the realities of schooling,…

This paper describes efforts to develop a social studies methods course based on a foundation of critical theory in education. The literature concerning critical theory is discussed. Critical theory focuses on three areas of educational thought: (1) the relationship of school to society; (2) conceptions of knowledge and curriculum; and (3) the…

This article describes an effort to employ cooperative team learning (CTL), specifically the Jigsaw technique, as a vehicle for helping prospective middle school teachers enrolled in a social studies methods course translate theory into practice. Recommendations are made for broader implementation of CTL in middle school teacher education…

This study investigated the degree to which beliefs about democratic theory and practice taught in a social studies methods course would persist after the transition to in-service teaching. The 27 participants were pre-service teachers at initial data collection and first-year in-service teachers at final data collection. Data were collected…

Contends that research on teaching of social studies methods courses neglects significant topics such as whether or not attitude changes are reflected in teaching methods and the relationship between methods courses and the broader teacher education program. Recommends a broader conception of research. (CFR)

This article describes efforts to help prospective teachers take a reflective approach to the translation of theory into practice through a practicum experience in a social studies methods course. Also described are the knowledge base and procedures for the course. An assessment of the outcomes is related. (IAH)

A study was conducted to ascertain the extent to which instructors incorporated reading- and writing-to-learn skills and strategies into the methods courses of secondary social studies preparation programs. A questionnaire was mailed to the instructors of social studies methods courses at the colleges and universities in Region Four of the Teacher…

This study investigated whether or not students apply educational theory to practical situations when they are involved in a learning process that starts from their own educational experiences and "Gestalts," the holistic unity of knowledge, feelings, values, and meanings linked to concrete situations encountered before, and colored by…