Education Commons^™

Social Studies In Non-Western Contexts: The Development, Appraisal, And Implications Of Ghana's Social Studies Curricula, Razak Dwomoh

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Analyzing the position and rigor of Ghana's history in the social studies curricula is essential in ascertaining robustness in fostering historical thinking and yielding a possible restructuring of the curricula to meet students’ social, academic, and global needs. The social studies taught at the middle and high schools in Ghana incorporate a superficial historical account of Ghana, eroding Ghana’s history in the curricula without careful consideration. This paper examined the quantity and quality of Ghana’s historical contents in the middle and high schools’ social studies curricula. Primary data collection was in-depth semi-structured interviews. Document analyses of syllabus, textbooks, and trade …

Analyzing Students' Historical Thinking Skills At Different Grade Levels, Aaron Callaway

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research study is to compare and contrast the historical thinking abilities of students in distinct age-groups through their use of disciplinary literacy skills. This was accomplished by having eight total subjects from four distinct student age-groups participate in a guided inquiry activity about the beginning of the Korean War. As they engaged in the inquiry activity, the participants’ cognitive process and responses to the researcher’s questions were recorded and transcribed and later analyzed. These transcriptions were juxtaposed with one another in search of any major patterns that emerged during the inquiries. Several patterns were identified including …

A Time For Change: Transforming A New Generation Of Students Into Historical Thinkers, Lauren Seghi

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article describes the advantages of teaching students how to think historically in the classroom. I contend that teaching students how to think historically and "do" history as historians do will help them understand better both the past and the present world around them. It also provides insight into the work of Stanford University clinical psychologist Sam Wineburg and educators and authors Frederick D. Drake, Sarah Drake Brown and Lynn R. Nelson. Especially important is my analysis of Drake's 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-Order document approach. My hope is that this article gives history and social studies teachers a new perspective …

Social Studies/History Curricula In Ghana, Razak Dwomoh

2018 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity – Documents

Abstract

This research will examine how social studies developed within the curricula within Ghana. I will report this in USA and juxtapose with Ghana and other post-colonial African countries. The study assesses the quantity of the content of history as it is merged with social studies curricula, its implications on students, economy, and educational sectors in Ghana. It is noted that majority of students at tertiary levels in Ghana would find it difficult to give detail information about Ghana’s history and Ghana’s historical place in the world when probed. Six post-colonial African countries’ social studies/history curricula are examined on the …

The Curriculum Development Of Experienced Teachers Who Are Inexperienced With History-Based Pedagogy, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Contemporary American education initiatives mandate half of all English language arts content is non-fiction. History topics, therefore, will increase within all elementary and English language arts middle level classrooms. The education initiatives have rigorous expectations for students’ close readings of, and written argumentation about, numerous texts representing multiple perspectives about the same historical event, era, or figure. Practicing English language arts teachers must adjust pedagogy accordingly. They cannot utilize a single, whole-class novel with comprehension questions as an assessment. With teaching experience but not formal training in history-based pedagogy, they are adaptive experts. This qualitative study explores how English language …

Trade Books’ Historical Representation Of Anne Sullivan Macy, The Miracle Worker, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national initiatives provide teachers opportunities for interdisciplinary units with increased significance of non-fiction in English Language Arts and decreased reliance on the textbook in history and social studies. In these three disciplines, beginning in elementary school, students are expected to scrutinize multiple trade books of the same event, era, or person to construct understandings. Trade books are a logical curricular link between these three curricula. The initiatives, however, do not prescribe specific curricular materials; teachers rely on their own discretion when selecting available trade books. Historical misrepresentations have been found to emerge within trade books to varying degrees, …

Scrutinizing And Supplementing Children’S Trade Books About Child Labor, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national initiatives place an increased emphasis on both students’ exposure to diverse texts and teachers’ integration of English/language arts and history/social studies. The intent is for students to critically examine diverse accounts and perspectives of the same historical event or era. Critical examination can be accomplished through teachers’ purposeful juxtaposition of age-appropriate, engaging trade books and relevant informational texts, such as primary source materials. To guide interested elementary and middle level teachers, researchers can evaluate trade books for historical representation and suggest divergent or competing narratives that compel students to scrutinize diverse perspectives. Researchers can locate germane primary …

Historical Thinking, Reading, And Writing About The World’S Newest Nation, South Sudan, John H. Bickford Iii, Molly Sigler Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national education initiatives have significantly increased expectations of students’ non-fiction reading and writing. These initiatives provide the space for potential interdisciplinary units in English/language arts and social studies/history centered on content area reading and writing. To do so, teachers must locate age-appropriate, historically representative curricular materials and implement discipline-specific writing prompts. To guide elementary teachers’ instruction, we select a novel, underused topic: the birth of the Republic of South Sudan. Age-appropriate children’s trade books are coupled with diverse informational texts—oral histories, current event news articles, and artwork—to extend the trade books’ narratives into the realm of current events. …

Historical Thinking, Reading, And Writing About The World’S Newest Nation, South Sudan, John Bickford, Molly Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national education initiatives have significantly increased expectations of students’ non-fiction reading and writing. These initiatives provide the space for potential interdisciplinary units in English/language arts and social studies/history centered on content area reading and writing. To do so, teachers must locate age-appropriate, historically representative curricular materials and implement discipline-specific writing prompts. To guide elementary teachers’ instruction, we select a novel, underused topic: the birth of the Republic of South Sudan. Age-appropriate children’s trade books are coupled with diverse informational texts—oral histories, current event news articles, and artwork—to extend the trade books’ narratives into the realm of current events. …

Scrutinizing And Supplementing Children’S Trade Books About Child Labor, John Bickford, Cynthia Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

State and national initiatives place an increased emphasis on both students’ exposure to diverse texts and teachers’ integration of English/language arts and history/social studies. The intent is for students to critically examine diverse accounts and perspectives of the same historical event or era. Critical examination can be accomplished through teachers’ purposeful juxtaposition of age-appropriate, engaging trade books and relevant informational texts, such as primary source materials. To guide interested elementary and middle level teachers, researchers can evaluate trade books for historical representation and suggest divergent or competing narratives that compel students to scrutinize diverse perspectives. Researchers can locate germane primary …

Historical Thinking, Reading, And Writing About The World’S Newest Nation, South Sudan, John H. Bickford Iii, Molly Sigler Bickford

John Bickford

State and national education initiatives have significantly increased expectations of students’ non-fiction reading and writing. These initiatives provide the space for potential interdisciplinary units in English/language arts and social studies/history centered on content area reading and writing. To do so, teachers must locate age-appropriate, historically representative curricular materials and implement discipline-specific writing prompts. To guide elementary teachers’ instruction, we select a novel, underused topic: the birth of the Republic of South Sudan. Age-appropriate children’s trade books are coupled with diverse informational texts—oral histories, current event news articles, and artwork—to extend the trade books’ narratives into the realm of current events. …

Scrutinizing And Supplementing Children’S Trade Books About Child Labor, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich

John Bickford

State and national initiatives place an increased emphasis on both students’ exposure to diverse texts and teachers’ integration of English/language arts and history/social studies. The intent is for students to critically examine diverse accounts and perspectives of the same historical event or era. Critical examination can be accomplished through teachers’ purposeful juxtaposition of age-appropriate, engaging trade books and relevant informational texts, such as primary source materials. To guide interested elementary and middle level teachers, researchers can evaluate trade books for historical representation and suggest divergent or competing narratives that compel students to scrutinize diverse perspectives. Researchers can locate germane primary …

Examining The Representation Of Slavery Within Children’S Literature, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Middle level teachers, at times, link historical content with relevant English literature in interdisciplinary units. Elementary teachers periodically employ history-themed literature during reading time. Interconnections between language arts and history are formed with developmentally appropriate literature for students. Historical misrepresentations, however, proliferate in children’s literature and are concealed behind engaging narratives. Since literacy and historical thinking are essential skills, children’s literature should be balanced within, not banished from, the classroom. Using America’s peculiar institution of slavery as a reference point, this article examines children’s literature, identifies almost a dozen areas of historical misrepresentation, and proffers rich primary source material to …

Examining The Representation Of Slavery Within Children’S Literature, John Bickford, Cynthia Rich

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Middle level teachers, at times, link historical content with relevant English literature in interdisciplinary units. Elementary teachers periodically employ history-themed literature during reading time. Interconnections between language arts and history are formed with developmentally appropriate literature for students. Historical misrepresentations, however, proliferate in children’s literature and are concealed behind engaging narratives. Since literacy and historical thinking are essential skills, children’s literature should be balanced within, not banished from, the classroom. Using America’s peculiar institution of slavery as a reference point, this article examines children’s literature, identifies almost a dozen areas of historical misrepresentation, and proffers rich primary source material to …

Examining The Representation Of Slavery Within Children’S Literature, John H. Bickford Iii, Cynthia W. Rich

John Bickford

Middle level teachers, at times, link historical content with relevant English literature in interdisciplinary units. Elementary teachers periodically employ history-themed literature during reading time. Interconnections between language arts and history are formed with developmentally appropriate literature for students. Historical misrepresentations, however, proliferate in children’s literature and are concealed behind engaging narratives. Since literacy and historical thinking are essential skills, children’s literature should be balanced within, not banished from, the classroom. Using America’s peculiar institution of slavery as a reference point, this article examines children’s literature, identifies almost a dozen areas of historical misrepresentation, and proffers rich primary source material to …

Initiating Historical Thinking In Elementary Schools, John H. Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

With an ever-expanding focus on reading and mathematics, many elementary schools have chosen to reduce time previously reserved for social studies. Elementary teachers who understand both the relevance of social studies content and the effectiveness of interdisciplinary teaching regularly incorporate applicable history-based children’s tradebooks in their curricula. Locating developmentally appropriate books is simple. Teaching history using children’s literature can be effective. It can be counterproductive, however, if the selected book is replete with historical misrepresentations. Teaching historical thinking in elementary school is problematic no matter what the teaching tool, and there are few methodological roadmaps for elementary teachers. Here, I …

Initiating Historical Thinking In Elementary Schools, John Bickford

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

With an ever-expanding focus on reading and mathematics, many elementary schools have chosen to reduce time previously reserved for social studies. Elementary teachers who understand both the relevance of social studies content and the effectiveness of interdisciplinary teaching regularly incorporate applicable history-based children’s tradebooks in their curricula. Locating developmentally appropriate books is simple. Teaching history using children’s literature can be effective. It can be counterproductive, however, if the selected book is replete with historical misrepresentations. Teaching historical thinking in elementary school is problematic no matter what the teaching tool, and there are few methodological roadmaps for elementary teachers. Here, I …

Initiating Historical Thinking In Elementary Schools, John H. Bickford

John Bickford

With an ever-expanding focus on reading and mathematics, many elementary schools have chosen to reduce time previously reserved for social studies. Elementary teachers who understand both the relevance of social studies content and the effectiveness of interdisciplinary teaching regularly incorporate applicable history-based children’s tradebooks in their curricula. Locating developmentally appropriate books is simple. Teaching history using children’s literature can be effective. It can be counterproductive, however, if the selected book is replete with historical misrepresentations. Teaching historical thinking in elementary school is problematic no matter what the teaching tool, and there are few methodological roadmaps for elementary teachers. Here, I …