From the Editor

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Use of Current Events in Teacher Education

The aim of the research is to investigate preservice teachers’ views about the inclusion of current events into teaching plans in the social studies teaching course included in an undergraduate elementary education program. The participants of the study were 53 preservice teachers in the social studies teaching course in the third year of the elementary education program. As a data collection tool, the opinion form about current events with nine open-ended questions was used. The study demonstrated that some preservice teachers who had not used current events before, thought the use of current events was beneficial in many areas from skill development to awareness development, and that appropriate topics included political, social, and economic topics, historical and military developments. The results showed that the most appropriate level for the use of current events is third and fourth grade, and the participants considered addressing current events at the beginning of lessons. The study also demonstrated the importance of the use of current events in teacher education for raising active democratic citizens

Global Project Based Learning as an Approach to Teaching the 4Cs in Schools

Although developing of the 21st Century skills of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity or the 4Cs has been seen as an important foundation of 21st century teaching and learning, there have been difficulties identified in 4Cs implementation in schools. Primarily, issues associated with an overcrowded and disjointed curriculum (Lamb, Maire, & Doecke, 2017); a continued focus on teacher centred teaching (Adarlo & Jackson, 2015); and lack of encouragement of independent student inquiry (Poon et al., 2017) have been identified. However, initial studies have identified Project Based Learning (PBL) in extracurricular activities as a promising approach to incorporating the 4Cs in an authentic and sustainable manner.This investigation of a Global PBL approach in Indonesia and an African country as part of the 2013 Indonesian curriculum, clarifies some key teaching focuses within the 4Cs teaching strategies to enhance teacher planning. Additionally, it identifies teacher and student perspectives on key functions of Global PBL in augmenting the 4Cs. Although working closely together in pursuing a successful Global PBL project, teachers and students had different views of their level of attainment of the skills of the 4Cs. However, it was evident that learner-centred, constructivist and reflective approaches to teaching and learning (Chi-Syan, Jung-Tsan, Kuo, & Chien-Tzu, 2015)  did promote all the 4Cs in one project. An understanding of the challenges and opportunities based on the findings of this research can serve as a guide for educators who wish to transfer Global PBL activities to classroom activities

Global Citizenship Perceptions and Practices Within the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme

This multi-case study investigated how teaching in an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Individuals and Societies (I & S) classroom influenced teachers’ global citizenship (GC) perceptions and pedagogy. Results demonstrate teachers were informed by their personal experiences and district expectations, utilizing a cosmopolitan global citizenship education (GCE) that aligned with the IB MYP philosophy.  A disconnect sometimes existed as teachers’ rationales for global citizenship recognized the need for multiple perspectives and a critical view, but a passive or proactive approach influenced instruction.  This research effort furthers the discussion on the role an international education framework can have on a teacher’s pedagogy, where global citizenship education is situated in the curriculum, and what influences a teacher’s thinking and pedagogy. This can be helpful to us in understanding the role curriculum context can have in shaping a teacher’s ideas about global citizenship and how they enact those ideas

Aligning the Goals of the University with Opportunities in Education Abroad

This quantitative study was conducted at a large four year, high undergraduate, public university (for this article, called Midwest University) to compare and assess the perceived benefit of traditional study abroad and short-term, faculty-led study abroad on participants’ employability skills, cultural competency and global citizenship. Participants reported their education abroad experience enhanced their understanding of course content as well as their views about global citizenship. The survey collected data about participants’ perceptions about social responsibility, global competency, and global civic engagement. In addition, the survey collected data about career competency skills such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, networking ability, leadership, problem solving and foreign language skills. The study defined education abroad at Midwest University and determined how well the program delivered on the Midwest University promise of social and economic mobility. Given that the resources devoted to a short-term, faculty-led experience are significantly lower than in a traditional study abroad program, the authors argue that this type of experience is more accessible to the students and participants at Midwest University.

Illuminating Equity Through Global Learning: Jan L. Tucker Memorial Lecture

This Jan L. Tucker Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. Hilary Landorf at the NCSS Inernational Assembly annual meeting on November 19, 2021.

Cultivating Ordinary Voices of Dissent: the Challenge for the Social Studies

Two broad ideas emerge from reflections on my career in global and international education: first, that my ‘lived experience’ offers both intelligence and ignorance in terms or how I view the world; and second, that the essence of my humanity is enhanced through my identification with, and sense of responsibility for, fellow humans. The latter idea is encapsulated in the African philosophy of ubuntu. These two ideas prompt my contention that the global education movement has failed to adequately convey through its literature and practice the complexity and interrelatedness of global systems, including the inextricable connections between humans and their environments. The nature of contemporary global challenges, such as climate change, demands that we understand how global systems are intertwined and adjust our actions accordingly. The social studies need to be at the forefront of nurturing systems level thinking and innovation, particularly to counter the tendency arising from advances in information technology to develop cultures of conformity. Young people around the world have the potential to bring about system-wide change through their ordinary voices of dissent, a collective commitment to decision-making based on recognizing the needs of all humanity, rather than just assessing the benefits to individuals or nations

‘Hard’ facts or ‘soft’ opinion? History teachers’ reasoning about historical objectivity

This paper explores secondary history teachers’ reasoning regarding historical objectivity and if their reasoning resonates with their classroom practices. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and lesson observations with 24 history teachers from 15 public senior high schools the Central Region of Ghana. Data was thematically analysed, with three themes forming the main lines of argument in this paper. Findings show that participants hold constructionist perspectives of historical objectivity. They recognise evidence as playing an important role in accessing an existing past reality and regard the interpretive intervention of historians as constructive in the study of the past. Classroom practices reveal minimal attention to the problematisation of historical knowledge as most participants taught history as grand narratives. A postmodernist re-orientation of the History curriculum as well as continuous professional development of teachers could help improve classroom practice

From the Editor

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Supporting an Inquiry Mindset: Resisting the Lack of Curiosity by Design Model

As we work with students within teacher education and secondary contexts, we face an ever-growing disconnect over what should be taught or valued in the learning environment: Is it the memorization of content or the acquisition of skills related to being better citizens? As professors of social studies and literacy education and a teacher of secondary science, we introduce our students to our respective fields and task them with applying content within real-world contexts. This is not an easy task for teachers in any content area, political and social forces complicate this task. They must strike a balance between competing approaches to content implementation. In social studies these approaches can be as varied as teaching a hero narrative versus a more complex inquiry-based approach to understanding people in historical settings. With this context in mind, the purpose of this article is to advocate for an inquiry approach to teaching social studies and other disciplines in all grades through research and personal experiences