Beyond the Invisible Barriers of the Classroom: Youth Engage and Civic Praxis

• In Event: 77.058 - MTCC Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: 77.058-8 - Beyond Traditional Methods: New Development in Citizenship Education and Civic Engagement

Abstract

Students need to engage in civic experiences beyond the classroom. However, teachers are often unwilling or unable to move beyond the formal classroom. Given this perspective, we examined teacher ideologies to determine what keeps teachers tied to traditional civic instruction and experiences. We were interested in supporting teachers move past the invisible barriers of the classroom to support their engagement is civic praxis. Our longitudinal case study first examined the work of participant teachers at a summer civics institute that had an explicit focusing on action civics and a social justice perspective. Participant teacher and their students developed and implemented community research projects. We then examine the pedagogical shifts that occurred as teachers returned to their in-service teaching.

Authors

• Kevin Russel Magill, Baylor University

• Brooke Blevins, Baylor University

• Karon Nicol LeCompte, Baylor University

• Tori Davis, Baylor University