Collaborations and Curricular Commitments: Expanding Understanding of Indigenous Enslavement for K–12 Social Studies

• In Event: Sharing Responsibility for Reshaping Social Studies Education for Indigenous Studies: Examinations of Researcher-Organization Partnerships

Abstract

Social studies educators have documented the shortcomings of present approaches to teaching histories of enslavement (e.g., Brown & Brown, 2010; King, 1992; King, 2014; King & Woodson, 2017). Even when United States history curricula do include the history of the slave trade, they rarely -- if ever -- address the scope and impact of Indigenous slavery.  This is part of a pattern in K-12 social studies regarding poor representation of Indigenous peoples, representations that too often reify inaccurate stereotypes while erasing the present realities of Indigenous nations and peoples (e.g., Chandler, 2012; Rains, 2003; Author, 2019; Author & Author, 2018; Author et al, 2015; Author, 2014). 

In 2018, Teaching Tolerance published Teaching Hard History: American Slavery. This effort included a framework for teaching about slavery in secondary schools. It centered on the enslavement of Africans. Conversations with educators and activists, combined with additional research, led Teaching Tolerance staff to a revision that prioritized including the history of Indigenous enslavement. This was in keeping with their mission: to prepare teachers and schools for meaningful participation in a pluralistic society. In early 2019, Teaching Tolerance contracted with social studies researchers, teacher educators, and historians to assist in the production and review of expanded and revised resources. Together, researchers and organizational leaders engaged in a dialogic process led by an independent consultant. This generated a curricular framework that addresses both African and Indigenous enslavement. All participants found opportunities and challenges as this interdisciplinary collaboration worked to bring the knowledge and experience of academics and activists into K-12 classrooms.

This paper examines this collaborative process to develop both K-5 and 6-12 social studies curricula regarding Indigenous enslavement. It presents Teaching Hard History as a case study in organizational commitments to include Indigenous peoples in classroom topics that have too often been taught without them, noting both the benefits of this mode of curricular production and the challenges in the process. In particular, it addresses issues of scope of content, ways to blend chronological and thematic approaches to social studies education, and crafting materials that are flexible enough to work at a variety of age levels and state contexts. As researcher-collaborators engaged in reflective practice, we draw from Kincheloe, McLaren, & Steinberg (2012): “Critical scholar teachers research their own professional practice. A vibrant professional culture depends on a group of practitioners who have the freedom to continuously reinvent themselves via their research on knowledge production” (p. 18). In these ways we critically reflect upon our individual and shared experiences working on the curriculum not only as a way to gauge the successes and struggles of the product (curriculum) but also our positions with(in) it and to each other. This paper stresses the importance of public-facing partnerships in raising the profile of stories too often overlooked and erased in K-12 social studies education. By presenting the benefits and challenges of our shared experience working on the curriculum, this paper provides lessons learned and direction for future collaborations based on our individual and collective curricular commitments. 

Authors

• Meredith McCoy, Carleton College

• Sarah B. Shear, University of Washington - Bothell

• Kate Shuster, Self-employed