Issues-Centered Instruction with Low Achieving High School Students: The Dilemmas of Two Teachers

Scaffolding Problem-Based Teaching in a Traditional Social Studies Classroom

“…Mary's consistent emphasis on structure and order suggested a low dispositional tolerance for uncertainty. In-depth inquiry exacerbates management dilemmas (Rossi & Pace, 1998). Complex classroom interchanges are unpredictable and ambiguous.…”

“…The teacher models thoughtful approaches to reasoning and problem solving. Finally, the teacher expects rigorous inquiry and defense of claims, and supports disciplined inquiry with timely scaffolding (Brown;1992, Newmann, 1991aRossi & Pace, 1998, Saye & Brush, 1999.…”

“…Without such practical demonstrations of workability and effectiveness, teachers are unlikely to entertain new practices (Doyle & Ponder, 1978-79, Hertzburg, 1981Lortie, 1975;Shaver, 1996). Even teachers motivated to use PBI may face dilemmas in balancing contradictory beliefs about what is desirable, necessary, and possible in their classrooms (Rossi, 1995, Rossi & Pace, 1998. Teacher beliefs about the nature and needs of adolescent learners, as well as pragmatic concerns such as large class sizes, preparation time, isolation from peers, and accountability for highstakes tests, have all been found to influence teacher choices (Cornett, 1990;Heilman, 2001;Konopak, Wilson, & Readence, 1994;Grant et al, 2002;Onosko, 1991;Saye, 1998b;Schlechty, 1993).…”

“…Disciplinary requirements include the assumption that historical accounts are purposeful speech acts; the ability to source, contextualize, and corroborate in order to weigh accounts and situate them within their social world; and the ability to reason dialectically about alternative perspectives in order to grasp the complexity of a problem solution (Newmann and Oliver, 1970;Sexias, 1998;Spoehr & Spoehr, 1994;Wineburg, 1991). Guided discovery to help students develop the knowledge necessary for effective model building and problem-solving places immense demands on teachers (Rossi & Pace, 1998). These demands dissuade teachers from persisting in PBI teaching, especially those who do not already believe deeply in the value of such practices (Shaver, 1996).…”

Using Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments to Support Problem-based Historical Inquiry in Secondary School Classrooms

“…Examinations of social studies classrooms engaged in inquiry reveal the complexity and difficulty of this practice (e.g., Rossi & Pace, 1998).…”