Understanding, crafting, and asking questions is a critical skill for all teachers, maybe even more so for social studies content, an area where educators may lack broad, in depth knowledge of the content. Having the ability to ask high level, critical thinking questions of students takes time and practice and a skill not often mastered or present…

As a social studies program coordinator at a regional-sized institution, the author typically has between 20-25 preservice candidates enrolled in his annual undergraduate methods course. However, he usually has only one to two in-service candidates each year who require an advance methods course focused on such items as the historical influences,…

Teaching mixed methods research is difficult. This longitudinal explanatory study examined how two classes were designed, taught, and evaluated. Curriculum, Research, and Teaching (EDCS-606) and Mixed Methods Research (EDCS-780) used a research proposal generation process to highlight the importance of the purpose, research question and…

One part of the Merrill and Tennyson model for concept teaching consists of expository presentations of the concept arranged from easy to difficult. This study showed that the presentation order, i.e., the order of difficulty, does not significantly affect student achievement. (Author/RM)

This paper discusses an emerging unification theory of multiculturalism and global education called "transcultural universalism." The paper considers a "universal citizenship profile," of what it consists, and how it is formed. The paper asks four questions: (1) What key citizenship characteristics are essential for today's…

One of the primary ways in which young people acquire civic knowledge and skills is through social studies courses. The public school system traditionally has a purpose in the development of citizens However, the major responsibility for providing explicit civics instruction and experiences rests with the social studies curricula. How do social…

This case study presents a model of the University of Maine, Orono, pre-service program for preparing secondary social studies teachers. Focus is on the Foundations Component and the Methods Component, either of which can function independently of the other. Only brief mention is made of either the Exploratory Field Experience Component or the…

The article describes the authors' experiences team teaching two sections of the same undergraduate social studies/language arts methods course using a model in which both instructors are present at all class meetings. One section was composed of predominantly older, nontraditional students; the other section included more typical college…

This case study describes the development of elementary social studies methods courses appropriate for two new alternative Michigan State University teacher education programs entitled "Learning Community" and "Multiple Perspectives." The "Learning Community" program prepares teachers to teach school subjects effectively while focusing upon the…

Collaboration among faculty can enhance the learning experience for preservice teachers and reinforce the integral role of technology in teaching, learning, and professional development in social studies education. Organized around the Performance Profiles outlined by the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS[middle dot]T),…