From the Editor

From thr Edito

Promoting Equity Through Inquiry-based Instruction

In this brief advocacy article the author discusses common characteristics of strong, equitable systems of schooling from around the world. Citing contemporary research from the European Journal of Teacher Education, the Official Journal of the European Union, and the European Commission’s report on Equity in School Education in Europe, he will explore findings from Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia, which despite very different historical and social contexts, tend to demonstrate common characteristics for equitable schooling. While each characteristic deserves its own presentation, this article will center around a characteristic arguably within the most direct influence of teachers and teacher educators: developing and supporting well-prepared teachers. The author advocates for preparing teachers to design and implement inquiry-based instruction; the pedagogical approach that research suggests develops the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind needed for an empowering educational experience. The article encourages teachers in each subject area to consider designing and implementing problem-based curriculum materials and classroom events to help all students develop their capacity to think critically and subsequently help students take control of their learning and their futures. The article concludes with a discussion of ways to meet challenges that teachers face when designing and implementing inquiry-based instruction

Preservice Teachers’ Challenges in Teacher-Becoming and Teaching Social Education: A Sociocultural Perspective

This study explores the challenges preservice teachers encounter (a) in their teacher-becoming trajectory, and (b) with the implementation of social education contents in Nigeria. Understanding these is important for effective social education reforms. Narrative and observation methods were used for the study. The study drew on (a) the stories of 37 social education preservice (SEP) teachers about their teacher-becoming trajectory and teaching practice exercise, and (b) a three-year observation of 110 SEP teachers’ teaching practicum fieldworks in 12 schools to realize its objectives. Findings show professional harassment and a lack of standard learning materials as challenges social education preservice teachers encounter in their teacher-becoming. On teaching practicum, SEP teachers noted some benefits (e.g., exposure to different worldviews and nurturing of the younger generation) derived from teaching practicum; they emphasized stress, anxiety, and students’ misbehaviors as challenges. SEP teachers had challenges with teaching contemporary social contents: They were oblivious of how their classroom discussions impact global issues, disregarded the sociocultural relevance of their instruction, and reproduced social issues, including political and gender problems, through their classroom practices. Guided by a sociocultural theory perspective, the study concludes with a discussion of social educators’ knowledge and competency skill needs in a changing world

Lessons We Can Learn Today From World War II: Roosje Glaser’s War Story

Upholding democratic citizenship is an urgent priority for education systems around the world. There is an urgent need to equip young people with the skills to think, reflect, and act as responsible citizens in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. This article uses a specific context drawn from The Netherlands during World War II. It addresses the dilemmas faced and the choices made by a young woman named Roosje Glaser. Roosje’s story engenders important questions that serve as the foundation for a series of lessons. The lessons challenge students to think critically about choices and dilemmas they may face in their own lives by addressing important issues related to freedom, human dignity, and democratic values. They provide a model for addressing existential dilemmas in a democratic society. The lessons engage students in a vivid interactive storytelling experience through compelling learning opportunities

What is Politically-Economic Modern? World Sub-orders in a Social Science Educator’s Take on History Pedagogy

At the dawn of the 21st century—when your author, who is now an educator, was in college—the United States was the sole global superpower. But the world changed with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as other events that remade the world in which current students now study. As an educator, I can explain that the structure of the world, termed “world orders,” can subsist of underlying world “sub-orders,” and “sub-order traits” which even underlie them historically, and how students can outline them. In this way, while political-economic history looks to be constantly repeating itself, with the alignment of “traits” changing, what is considered “modern” and how we go about teaching it in history, political, and economic courses is the research aim of this article. Unlike the historian, whose job it is to identify such “traits,” the social scientist should attempt to measure their importance; as educators, we need to point this difference out to students. These new ideas come from an educator with a background in both history and the social sciences. The article summarizes the current world order and concludes with a discussion of what “future” world orders might be, based on sub-orders, while offering ideas for educators to use for students, many of whom will be future scholars, on how to measure which world orders and “sub-orders” are generationally and empirically “modern.

Collaborative, Online, and International Learning to Promote Civic Competence in Japan and the US

This paper describes a mixed-methods investigation into whether an asynchronous, virtual collaboration with Japanese peers helped pre-service social studies teachers in the US demonstrate civic competence as it relates to international and global education.  After the collaboration, most students described themselves as better-prepared world citizens; however, analysis of pre- and post-intervention surveys revealed only one statistically significant U-test result concerning participants’ pedagogical thinking.  This investigation suggests education programs can better prepare novice teachers to think and act globally by providing international telecollaborative experiences and explicitly emphasizing classroom instruction (practice) informed by civic competence as it relates to international and global education (theory).

Leaving Time for Modern History to Facilitate a Vibrant Peace Education in the U.S. Classroom

Modern history, particularly the time frame from the 1960s to the present, is often either completed skipped or given a cursory overview in many K-12 classrooms. Often, this is not done intentionally but is rather due to time constraints in the school schedule and inadequate planning for the disruptions of the typical school year. This contention of this article is that this is not only problematic from the aspects of historical knowledge and proper pedagogy, but particularly in the U.S. classroom this tends to reinforce ideas of militarism and the justifications of war by only focusing on more celebrated wars such as the War of Independence or World War II. By focusing on modern conflicts, teachers have an opportunity to integrate core ideas of peace education. Examples are given on how this critical and peace education approach can be used regarding four primary areas in recent U.S. history: The War in Vietnam, CIA interventions during the Cold War, the War in Afghanistan, and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

Students’ Perspectives on Social Studies Teachers’ Views on Immigration and Nationalism

This mixed-methods study examines students’ perspectives on their high school social studies teachers’ views and pedagogy surrounding the issues of immigration, nationalism, and patriotism within the classroom. The article is based within the framework of critical pedagogy, particularly critical nationalism. The sample (N=58) comes from students enrolled in an introductory education course at a university in the American Southeast. The quantitative data revealed students believed their teachers tended towards more inclusive views towards immigration overall, but they were more exclusive towards undocumented immigration. They also tended to have high levels of patriotism and more moderate levels of nationalism. The qualitative data revealed a lack of discussion on immigration, which related to a larger fear of discussing contemporary issues of controversy within the classroom. This study has strong relevance for both educators and teachers educators in critically and thoroughly examining issues such as nationalism and immigration particularly in more conservative settings like the American Southeast where these topics are often given little more than a cursory overview.

Marrying Turkey to Global Citizenship: Tendencies in Citizenship Education in Modern Turkey

This paper reviews the literature on citizenship education and examines the factors that have influenced trends in citizenship education in the Republic of Turkey since its foundation in 1923. The aim of this paper is to discuss the general tendencies and practices in citizenship education that have shaped how Turkish youth perceived citizenship throughout the Republic’s history. By addressing three important aspects of these tendencies and traditions (history, geography, and geopolitics), the author will discuss whether Turkey is prepared to produce globally minded citizens in today’s interconnected world. The history of civic education in modern Turkey can be divided into four time periods, as organized by İnce (2012): The Single Party period (1923-1946), the Democratic Party period (1946-1960), the first military intervention period (1960-1980), and the second military intervention period (1980 onward)

Media Literacy in Social Studies: Whose Monument is This, Anyway?

As a social sciences methods professor, I face a growing concern over preparing Teacher Candidates (TC) for an ever-divided political system.  The purpose of this study was to create and use media literacy techniques regarding modern controversial issues.  As educators, it is clear that the divide from political allegiance is hard to separate from our personal identity or political affiliations.  It is clear from this study that this is a difficult but necessary process for future teachers to explore