Case History of a Methods Course: Teaching and Learning History in a "Rubber Room"

Are Prospective Elementary School Teachers’ Social Studies Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Related to Their Learning Approaches in a Social Studies Teaching Methods Course?

“…Therefore, to increase elementary school teacher candidates' self-efficacy beliefs in social studies teaching, instructors should provoke deep learning by requiring pre-service teachers to practise creating opportunities for discussion, and role modelling/practising social studies teaching strategies that they aim pre-service elementary school teachers to gain in the social studies teaching methods course (Burstein, 2009;Leaman & Kistler, 2009). A study by Slekar (2005) found that the use of role playing, primary and secondary documents, empathy, historical imagination, and document interpretation in the elementary social studies methods course helped elementary teacher candidates inquire and develop their own social studies teaching. Burstein (2009) took the social studies methods course to the real classrooms using a "professor-in-residence" method, which afforded pre-service teachers the opportunity to experience how primary sources and questioning strategies were used in real social studies classrooms.…”

“…Moreover, instructors in social studies teaching methods courses should be aware that because teacher-centered methods such as lecturing and question-answer sessions are mostly used in elementary social studies classrooms (Akgül, 2006;Bailey et al, 2006;Bolinger & Warren, 2007;Burstein et al, 2006;Lintner, 2006;Taşkaya & Bal, 2009), teacher candidates frequently arrive at the social studies teaching methods course with negative experiences that hinder the effectiveness of the social studies teaching methods course (Burstein, 2009;McCall, Janssen, & Riederer, 2008;Owens, 1997;Slekar, 2005Slekar, , 2006. Instructors thus have the opportunity to eliminate pre-service elementary teachers' beliefs formed by negative experiences they have had (Angell, 1998;McCall et al, 2008;Owens, 1997).…”

Socializing Future Social Studies Teachers and K-12 Students: Whether, When, and Why

“…This tension probably reflects larger, central tensions in U.S. society and democracy: freedom versus conformity and the individual versus society (Saxe 1992). These ongoing tensions-in the social studies and U.S. society-are reflected today in differing programs of citizenship education (Westheimer and Kahne 2004), differing goals held by social studies teacher educators (Evans 2008;Slekar 2006), and the differing purposes held by social studies teachers (Anderson et al 1997 …”

Looking Back at Their Futures: Preservice Middle Level Teachers’ Examination of Past Educational Experiences

“…Researchers have interpreted how the introduction of diverse methodologies encourages preservice teachers to reconceptualize their educational philosophies (Angell, 1998;Pankratius & Young, 1995;Slekar, 2005). The current investigation seeks to add to the body of knowledge by focusing on how preservice teachers use current class activities as tools to reevaluate their past educational experiences.…”