The accelerated ownership and usage of smartphones and social media presents multiple issues for educators. There is a relationship between smartphones and (a) academic achievement, (b) engagement, and (c) mental health. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the impact of smartphones and social media on students and how…

Reviews various definitions of citizenship education and offers a state of the art review of citizenship education programs in the United States. Information is presented on goals and implications, citizenship assessment, and basic skills which are essential to citizenship education. Describes an activity in which students learn to become…

Describes a project to reconceptualize the base for citizenship education and to determine implications of experiential learning for curriculum and instruction. (Author/DB)

In response to the perceived uneasiness about the state of citizenship education in public schools, the article focuses on various studies and reports on political illiteracy, examines the isolation of most social studies programs from the community, views the role of students in the community, and recommends that students be more actively…

Stresses the importance of recognizing bias in written language (often referred to as critical thinking/reading) and suggests activities to help elementary school social studies teachers improve their bias recognition skills. A multiple choice quiz is presented in which teachers are directed to analyze bias in quotations from newspapers and social…

Explains the relevance of a global approach for social studies, identifies ways in which teachers can cooperate to bring a global perspective to social studies, and lists major global concepts, including interdependence, interrelatedness, use of resources, international monetary systems, environmental deterioration, technological change, and…

The article examines due process of law and shows its relationship to the process of freedom. Explains how teachers can integrate these concepts into the social studies curriculum. (Author/DB)

Provides an annotated bibliography of materials for use in teaching about the Bill of Rights. Includes items selected for their breadth of instructional techniques, variety of sources, and uniqueness. States prices and directions for obtaining the materials. (SG)

Reports on the K-6 civic education curriculum being implemented in the public schools of Brighton, Colorado. The curriculum enhances logical thinking and decision making skills through application of psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg's theories of the stages of moral reasoning. (DB)

Analyzes chapters on epistemology and methodology in the "Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning." Laments the imprecise definition concerning the epistemological nature of the social studies. Concludes the handbook does not clarify this definition and that social studies research reflects this missing broader…

Discusses the impact on social studies education of events following World War II, including the Cold War and McCarthyism. Examines the professional literature to determine how the emphasis in social studies education changed from stressing broad societal and international goals to rote learning of civic duties. Concludes that after the 1950s,…

Contends that the best way to learn about citizenship is by discussing real societal issues that are connected to student interests. Maintains that a democratic classroom environment also provides an opportunity for practicing civic values. Provides four guidelines for establishing community service projects in the schools. (CFR)

Summarizes reviews of research in the "Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning," concerning international perspectives. Analyzes social studies research in England, Eastern Europe, and Africa, seeing modern citizenship as a unifying theme. Stresses the value to U.S. educators of comparative cross-national studies.…

Asserts that U.S. global awareness has been heightened significantly during the past decade. Contends that increasing economic interdependence has been a primary reason for this trend. States that the objectives of the world studies program at City University of New York Queens College help student understanding of global interdependence and…

Discusses recent pedagogical recommendations for cross-cultural lessons that are available in professional journals. Concludes that a large variety of learning activities recommending methodological approaches to cross-cultural education are available to teachers. Suggests that more intensive research in promising learning activities for an…