Examining preservice teachers’ thinking about teaching first grade economics through inquiry

Abstract

Purpose In recent years, the field of social studies education has seen renewed interest in using inquiry to teach intradisciplinary concepts and skills. However, prospective primary grade teachers may have few (if any) opportunities to observe classroom teachers modeling inquiry during field placements. Methods courses provide fitting contexts in which to introduce preservice teachers (PSTs) to inquiry as a basis for intellectually challenging, meaningful social studies instruction. The purpose of this paper is to utilize a published inquiry curriculum developed for the New York Social Studies Toolkit (NYSST) Project as a tool to explore PSTs’ thinking about teaching first grade economics. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study utilized focus groups with two groups of early childhood PSTs enrolled in a social studies methods course (n=28). Secondary data sources included PSTs’ handwritten comments on hard copies of the inquiry curriculum and the researcher’s analytic memos. Findings In the process of critiquing curriculum during focus group interviews, PSTs concentrated on the proposed tasks, evaluated those tasks for their potential to affect children’s understanding, and suggested new activities that would promote more active student engagement. Participants recognized the significance of children’s prior knowledge and were sensitive to students’ family values, although they underestimated young children’s capacity for robust discussion and intellectually challenging content. Originality/value This study is unique in its use of a published NYSST Project inquiry to explore how PSTs make sense of new curriculum. Its attention to PST education for primary grades contributes to elementary social studies literature. Additionally, this study addresses a general concern in teacher education about the need for PSTs to develop skills in interpreting and adapting curriculum materials. Findings suggest that engaging PSTs in discussions about social studies curriculum can help teacher educators identify latent learning goals for their courses that may be overlooked or assumed unnecessary.

Preparing the Expert Novice: Preservice Teacher Thinking and Efficacy in Inquiry Design

“…Beyond the content knowledge gained, all students gained pedagogical experiences with process writing, inquiry, and more specifically, the four dimensions of the C3 Inquiry Arc. Bauml (2019) utilized a published inquiry curriculum developed for the New York Social Studies Toolkit (NYSST) Project as a tool to explore PST thinking about teaching first-grade economics, finding PSTs were able to develop skills in interpreting and adapting these curriculum materials.…”

“…I think that's just the mindset I went, I went into this with. At times, PST suggested modifications that preserved the tenets of inquiry and would support scaffold students (Bauml, 2019). However, they also made suggestions for modifications that prioritized content and task completion but essentially modified the experience to not be inquiry.…”

Straight to the Sources: Analyzing Elementary Preservice Teacher Planning for Inquiry

“…Further, in a 2019 study of elementary PSTs analyzing an existing economics inquiry, PSTs expressed hesitation about engaging in sensitive topics of spending and saving and judged the inquiry as too challenging for first grade students (Bauml, 2019). These studies highlight the necessity to consider multiple factors for PSTs inclusion or exclusion of particular sources in plans for elementary classrooms.…”