The public schoolhouse is one of the few remaining public spaces in which citizens may routinely gather to discuss controversial issues. Furthermore, it is social studies classrooms and teachers, in particular, that bear the moral imperative to ensure such civic discourse takes place. Nevertheless, many social studies teachers refrain from centering such discussions in their classrooms, often for fear of reprisal should these discussions go awry. It thus falls to social studies teacher educators to rethink how we prepare future teachers. This paper reports on a study that incorporated digital simulations of controversial issues into three preservice social studies teacher preparation methods courses to help develop high-leverage practices associated with leading whole-group discussions. Case study analysis suggests participants developed greater fluency with the teacher moves they practiced in the simulation. Accordingly, participants’ developed greater confidence with and perceived importance of facilitating discussions of controversial issues in their future classrooms. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

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The purpose of this study was to explore what students' perceptions were of their classroom experience with their social studies preservice teacher. Through descriptive statistical analysis, this study found that secondary social studies students experienced a student-centered classroom the most, while they experienced cultivation of a classroom community the least. Objectives or purposesTeaching with student-centered methods is one of the most recent trends in student learning today. The pendulum has swung from the teacher-centered classroom of the 1950s to one that focuses primarily on students' needs, learning styles and abilities (Bhola, 2009), and student engagement in the lessons (Grisham, Ferguson, & Brink, 2004;Peterson, Taylor, Burnham, & Schock, 2009;Sams & Bergmann, 2013). More and more studies have shown that implementation of student-centered methods used to create a student-centered learning environment have far reaching academic and social-emotional impacts on students.