ERIC Number: EJ1393482
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2331-186X
Investigating Social Studies Teachers' Implementation of an Immersive History Curricular Unit as a Cybernetic Zone of Proximal Development
Shantanu Tilak; Michael Glassman; Monica Lu; Ziye Wen; Logan Pelfrey; Irina Kuznetcova; Tzu-Jung Lin; Eric M. Anderman; Adriana Martinez Calvit; Kimiko Ching; Manisha Nagpal
Cogent Education, v10 n1 Article 2171183 2023
This qualitative study presents 27 students' insights about four teachers' implementation of an immersive Native American history curricular unit designed to equip students with digital skills to critically navigate complex, polarizing social issues. The Digital Civic Learning (DCL) curriculum used Google Suite and Google Classroom or Schoology to provide collaborative slides supporting immersive 2D-graphics, children's books/resources, immersive activities/artefact-creation, and multimodal tools (e.g., discussion posts, Flipgrid video-essays). Teachers regulated student thinking/behavior towards cohesive outcomes, and encouraged open-ended exploration, operationalizing the design framework as a zone of proximal development (ZPD). The history unit incorporates four cybernetic design features (DF) that enable teachers to steer student-centered collaboration within the curricular unit. The teacher serves four diverse roles (guide, facilitator, modeler, participant observer) mapping onto the DF. Results of focus group interviews with students, which were analyzed based on a theory-informed coding scheme and narrative inquiry, suggest ways for social studies teachers to operationalize the DCL immersive history unit as a cybernetic ZPD by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools by adapting its basic structure to technologies accessible in their schools. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED627933.]
Descriptors: Social Studies, Curriculum Implementation, Technology Uses in Education, Units of Study, History Instruction, American Indian History, Student Attitudes, Electronic Learning, Teaching Methods, Multimedia Instruction, Cooperative Learning, Elementary School Students, Critical Thinking
Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Related Records: ED627933
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A200364