Digging Into History: Elementary Preservice Teachers Developing Racial Pedagogical Content Knowledge Through Archaeology

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Social Studies in Elementary and Early Childhood Education (Table 16)

Abstract

In order to disrupt white supremacy in social studies education, we must create disruptive experiences in teacher preparation programs. This paper examines pre-service teachers’ (PST) experiences during and after a critical-place-based elementary social studies course that centered around a week-long archaeological field program at a racially fraught historic site. Grounded in activity theory (Wertsch, 1998), this paper explores how an archaeological learning experience informed (mostly White) PSTs’ understandings of historical narratives and counterstories. Our analysis of PSTs reflections, coursework, and post-course interviews indicate that an emphasis on artifacts throughout this archaeology experience enhanced historical understanding, pedagogical content knowledge, and race consciousness. Findings indicate that archaeology holds potential for supporting P-16 students’ historical thinking and, in this case, racial awareness.

Authors

• Aaron T. Bodle, James Madison University
  Presenting Author

• Emma Sowards Thacker, James Madison University
  Presenting Author