Teachers’ curricular choices when teaching histories of oppressed people: Capturing the U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Swalwell, Katy; Pellegrino, Anthony; View, Jenice L.

doi:10.1016/j.jssr.2014.11.003

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…This research has significance for teachers. Educators, when selecting curricular resources, have many elements to consider and distinct, contextually contingent thoughts as they do (Swalwell and Pellegrino, 2015). Early grade teachers might value the poetic, musical prose within Jim Aylesworth's (2009) Our Abe Lincoln: An Old Tune with New Lyrics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It would be difficult to condense the latest historical research of Lincoln into a single high school trade book and impossible for one intended for the early grades. Teachers, though, should be aware of what is included, how it is included, and what is omitted in their selected texts (Swalwell and Pellegrino, 2015). As noted previously, half of the Lincoln-based trade books targeting upper elementary students disregarded how he died (Bickford, Dilley and Metz, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Abraham Lincoln’s historical representation in children’s literature and young adult trade books

Bickford

2018

SSRP

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Purpose History-based trade books have an important and expanding role in various curricula. Contemporary education initiatives urge English and language arts educators to spend half their time on non-fiction and history and social studies teachers to include diverse sources starting in the early grades. Diverse professional organizations annually make financial commitments to promote new trade books. Research indicates misrepresentations abound in history-based trade books, yet few empirical studies have been completed. The purpose of this paper is to research examine the historical representation of Abraham Lincoln, arguably the most consequential nineteenth-century American. Design/methodology/approach Data samples included trade books intended for early grades and middle grades students. These grade ranges were selected because these students have the least prior knowledge and are perhaps most dependent on the text. Qualitative content analysis research methods were employed. Findings Misrepresentations emerged regarding Lincoln’s poverty, actions, motivations for actions, and implications of his actions as seemingly necessary historical content was minimized, vaguely included, or omitted. Findings are juxtaposed across and between selected grade ranges. Practical implications Discussion focused on the significance of findings for teachers and researchers. Teachers are guided to supplement trade books with primary sources to position students to distinguish historical misrepresentations. Originality/value This research builds on previous scholarship on Lincoln-based trade books by expanding grade range, data samples and research questions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abraham Lincoln’s historical representation in children’s literature and young adult trade books

Bickford

2018

SSRP

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“…Second, the use of screaming and chairshaking adds much needed nuance and affect to perspective-taking and empathy exercises. In a study of preservice and inservice teachers' choices to use particular photographs of the civil rights movement, Swalwell et al (2015) found that one of the most popular images was of a White person pouring a milkshake on the head of one of the Greensboro protestors, the iconic photograph that also serves as the background for the lunch counter exhibit. The authors found that preservice teachers explained that they chose photos depicting "dangers facing African Americans, daily life during segregation" and that provided historical background.…”

Section: Counter Narrativementioning

confidence: 99%

“…We hope this can counter preservice teachers' notions that they have no control over curriculum or and that they are limited to methodolgoical choices. As Swalwell et al (2015) write "without that agentic sense of the value and importance of curricular decision-making, teachers leave these critical and personal choices to those outside their classrooms" (p. 91).…”

Section: Contribution To Scholarshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking with theory in a civil rights center

Adams

2020

SSRP

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PurposeThe purpose of this theoretical paper is to propose that museums can be useful sites in intervening the theory–practice divide in teacher education. The authors draw from their visit to the Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR or Center hereafter) to explore the potential of a local museum as a powerful intervention in the preservice teacher education theory/practice divide.Design/methodology/approachThe authors’ theoretical framework draws off of “thinking with theory,” a method of using concepts to make sense of data by “plugging” a concept “into” data (Jackson and Mazzei, 2011). The authors believe that everyone, even their preservice teachers think with theories in an attempt to make sense of information and events. In their social studies methods courses, the authors offer readings, texts, videos and experiences that present ideas and concepts that are new to their preservice teachers in order to expose underlying theories that frame worldviews.FindingsThe authors provide four “snapshots” or findings. These include: heroification and villainification, White–Black binary and messianic meta-narratives, empathy and simulation and critical Black patriotism. Each of these snapshots is grounded in theories from scholars in the field of social studies, demonstrating one way to put theory to work.Originality/valueAs the aforementioned snapshots show, the authors found a place like CCHR that can serve as important space to think with theory and deconstruct presented narratives. The authors “plugged” concepts from social studies scholarship “into” the narratives presented at the CCHR. Specifically, the authors used villainification (van Kessel and Crowley, 2017), AsianCrit (Chang, 1993), Black Patriotism (Busey and Walker, 2017) and messianic narratives and martyrdom (Alridge, 2006).

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“…Knowing what teachers choose to include in their curriculum, how they arrive at these decisions and what they believe they are attempting to do through teaching particular content will fill an important gap in our understanding of teachers' decision making. This concern with decision making is reflected in a growing number of small-scale studies of history teachers from around the world, exploring how disciplinary concepts are used in Spain (Cercadillo, 2015), and the content choices teachers make in New Zealand (Ormond (2016) and in the US (Swalwell, Pellegrino and View, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring teachers’ curriculum decision making: insights from history education

Harris

Reynolds

2017

Oxford Review of Education

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This paper explores teachers' decision making by examining the topics that 11 history teachers from ten schools in England chose to teach and how they approached teaching these topics. Data were gathered from curriculum documents and semi-structured interviews in which teachers' topic choices and approaches to history were explored. Most teachers adopted a disciplinary approach to history teaching but one focused on analytical structures rather than processes. Additionally the findings suggest a large degree of uniformity in the topics chosen despite the freedom provided within the policy documents for history teaching in England. Few teachers had given much consideration to approaches that demonstrate the 'usability' of history for young people. This suggests a need to engage teachers more fully in robust curriculum debates given their central role in enacting curricula.

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Teachers’ curricular choices when teaching histories of oppressed people: Capturing the U.S. Civil Rights Movement

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Abraham Lincoln’s historical representation in children’s literature and young adult trade books

Abraham Lincoln’s historical representation in children’s literature and young adult trade books

Thinking with theory in a civil rights center

Exploring teachers’ curriculum decision making: insights from history education

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