Teachers' Perspectives About Ideal Text Use to Support Student Learning in Social Studies

• In Event: 81.033 - MTCC Roundtable Session 38
  In Roundtable Session: 81.033-7 - Breaking Barriers in Social Studies Instruction

Abstract

Students need to critically read a variety of texts to be college and career ready. In social studies, importance is placed on critically consuming texts beyond textbooks. Nevertheless, little is known about social studies teachers’ perspectives of ideal teaching with texts. This study examined twelve 5th-11th grade teachers' perspectives by asking participants to rank vignettes of hypothetical teaching with social studies texts and to think aloud regarding their reasoning. Constant comparative analysis was used to derive themes from transcripts about teachers’ rankings, reasoning, and perspectives about their own teaching. Teachers valued paradigms that encouraged high-level thinking. Though middle and high school teachers’ views of their own practice vis-à-vis the paradigms differed, they all thought critically about their practice.

Authors

• Jacquelynn S. Popp, Lake Forest College

• Paula DiDomenico, Leyden High School District #212

• Joanna Makhlouf, Lake Forest College