Addressing Ahistorical Contextual Understanding: Using TPACK 3.0 and Inquiry-Base Learning to Facilitate Engagement

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Socializing the Social Studies Classroom: Redefining Engagement With Collaborative Practices (Table 1)

Abstract

Research suggests that disappointing standardized test scores and gaps in student knowledge about social studies (NAEP U.S. History 2018 highlights, 2020) may be attributable to a phenomenon called “Ahistorical Contextual Understanding” (ACU) (Huijgen et al., 2018; Kelly, 2019; Voelker, 2008). The findings from this study suggest that using a proposed variation of the TPACK Model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), TPACK 3.0, and student-centered pedagogies (i.e., inquiry-based learning) could obviate ACU by promoting deeper engagement in learning activities that help students contextualize historical information (Huijgen et al., 2019). Restrictive curricula inhibit the utilization of innovative pedagogical strategies and removing such restrictions could help educators seek an equitable renewal of social studies education as defined by the theme of the conference.

Authors

• Robert S. McElroy, Ivy Tech Community College

• Sheron A. Fraser-Burgess, Ball State University