This multiple-case study sought to understand what ambitious history teachers focus their reflections on throughout a unit of study. Through video-stimulated recall methodology, reflective interviews were conducted with participants in four different schools within the same high-poverty public school district. The study built upon findings from research on ambitious teachers and found that teachers fixated on a range of problems while reflecting, among them: students” historical thinking, cultural relevant pedagogy, and their framing of history through essential questions. That the teachers (...) focused on these issues could be linked to their values and broader educational aims. (shrink)

This interpretative case study examined the beliefs and practices of eight preservice elementary teachers as they learned to teach race in social studies. Using critical race theory as the lens, the researcher analyzed interview, observation, classroom artifact, and teacher preparation course data. The results showed that there was a division between those teachers who saw their role as working against racial prejudice (tolerance-oriented) and those who were working against racial inequity (equity-oriented). In practice, the teachers used three approaches to race-related (...) topics in their classroom: avoiding, diminishing, and embracing. Furthermore, the teachers expressed the importance of courses on urban education, social studies methods, and student teaching in preparing them to teach about race. This study highlights the need for increased attention to teaching about race in teacher preparation programs. (shrink)

Social studies’ explanations of race can marginalize educators of color, due to a lack of focus in the curriculum or conversations in the classroom. This article addresses the problem through composite counter-narratives, created from collaborations between the author and current social studies teachers of color. Two teachers, Charlie Smith and Rosita Hernandez, describe their experiences learning and teaching social studies through the lens of community. Current research positions counter-narratives as a pedagogical tool for pre-service teachers resisting majoritarian narratives or as (...) a curricular tool for elementary social studies teachers challenging mainstream historical texts. However, a gap exists on in-service social studies teachers using community to create counter-narratives. Composite counter-narratives serve as a starting point in addressing this gap. This article aims to provide scholarship space for the voices of teachers of color while situating the community as a significant influence in teaching social studies. (shrink)