Encountering Difficult Histories: (Re/de)flecting Among Elementary and Secondary Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eleven
  In Roundtable Session: Encountering Historical Inquiry Through Race and Culture (Table 14)

Abstract

Teaching difficult history is a necessary component to the pursuit of truth in public education. Through an instrumental case study, the authors explored how elementary and secondary pre-service teachers encountered difficult histories at a local former plantation home on their university’s campus. The findings suggested most PSTs deflected from wrestling with emotional responses within the encounters yet in differing ways. The elementary PSTs avoided learning the difficult history content knowledge while the secondary PSTs focused on disciplinary pedagogy at the site. In effect, the PSTs avoided challenging their white epistemological knowledge and the internal work necessary to teach difficult histories to K-12 students.

Authors

• Jesus Tirado
  Presenting Author

• Sara B. Demoiny, Auburn University
  Presenting Author

• Terrance Joshua Lewis, Auburn University
  Presenting Author

• Kristen Duncan, Clemson University
  Presenting Author