Meghan McGlinn Manfra

Teachers' Instructional Choices with Student-Created Digital Documentaries: Case Studies

Abstract This article describes qualitative case studies of two teachers who integrated student-created digital documentaries into their social studies classrooms. Thornton’s (2001a) concept of the teacher as curricular gatekeeper and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framed the study. The teachers worked within the constraints of a very detailed mandatory curriculum, taught very similar content, and used the same online digital documentary tool. Despite these similarities, they planned and executed their projects in divergent ways. We found that the teachers’ pedagogical aims, rather than the technology or content, dominated both their planned and enacted curriculum.

Critical inquiry in the social studies classroom: Portraits of critical teacher research

This study demonstrates the potential for teacher research to lead to critical inquiry and change in social studies classrooms. It presents four portraits of experienced social studies teachers engaged in critical teacher research. These teachers posed critical questions about the means and purposes of schooling, while engaging their students in more democratic conversations. In the process they referred to critical theory to analyze classroom data and to articulate new understandings. The teacher research cycle seems to have empowered both the teachers and their students. The teachers reported that they were transformed by their teacher research as they developed greater awareness of issues of race and ethnicity and worked as advocates for their marginalized students. As a result of their teacher research, they reportedly pursued more culturally relevant instruction in their classrooms.

You Have to Know the Past to (Blog) the Present: Using an Educational Blog to Engage Students in U.S. History

In this study the authors investigate whether a whole-class educational blog could facilitate culturally relevant instruction and authentic intellectual work in U.S. history. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed that included student comments posted to an educational blog, classroom observations, and follow-up interviews. Based on the analysis, the authors determined four major findings: (a) Students were able to engage in historical analysis while working in the blog environment when it was focused on a single source and included a hard scaffold; (b) when students situated the activities in relevant cultural experiences, they were able to better use their prior knowledge;(c) a variety of affordances related to blogging encouraged and supported students as they completed their work; and (d) the blogging activities were constrained by the limits of students’ literacy and historical skills, and the limits of technology.

It's about the Kids: Transforming Teacher-Student Relationships through Action Research

Action research is often included in teacher education programs to improve teacher reflection and practice; however, there is little indication of its impact on students. In this article, the authors examine action research conducted by 114 experienced teachers enrolled in a masters of education program. The teachers came from a range of disciplines and grade levels. Based on their investigation, the authors determined that action research provided a vehicle for teachers to (a) establish more personal relationships with students, (b) develop a better understanding of students as learners, and (c) give students a voice in the classroom. The authors illustrate these themes with three portraits of exemplar teachers.

Action Research for Educational Communications and Technology

Action research refers to the formalized, self-reflective research of practitioners. According to Cochran-Smith and Lytle (Inside and outside: Teacher research and knowledge. NY: Teachers College Press, 1993) action research is “systematic and intentional inquiry” (p. 7). It is often conducted collaboratively in research groups that meet in person or at a distance via communication technologies. Action research transforms the traditional “outside-in” relationship between practitioners and the educational community. It can provide a powerful means for bridging the divide between theory and practice and encouraging practitioners to engage in innovative practices. Action research includes a cyclical process of posing questions, collecting data, reflecting on findings, and reporting results. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of action research and its history in the USA, Great Britain, and Australia. It also describes the epistemological and ontological differences between practical and critical action research. To inspire future action research in our field, we detail the action research method, including data collection and analysis techniques and provide example studies from the field of educational communications and technology. More specifically, we demonstrate the manner in which action research has already been used to better understand the impact of the integration of technology in classrooms and social settings. At the same time, we describe how action researchers have used educational communications and technology to conduct action research and to teach this research method through online or hybrid classes. Technology can be both the focus and part of the method of the action research.

No More Playing in the Dark: Twenty-First Century Citizenship, Critical Race Theory, and the Future of the Social Studies Methods Course

In this chapter we explain how, through drawing on concepts of critical race theory, the secondary methods course can be structured to promote critical understanding among teacher candidates about the role and place of race in contemporary social studies curricular content. We conclude with broad descriptions of learning activities that can facilitate teacher candidates’ critical understanding of foundation concepts in critical race theory.

The Wiley Handbook of Social Studies Research

• This is the first major reference work on social studies education and research in a decade • An in-depth look at the current state of social studies education and emerging trends • Three sections cover: foundations of social studies research, theoretical and methodological frameworks guiding social studies research, and current trends and research related to teaching and learning social studies • A state-of-the-art guide for both graduate students and established researchers • Guided by an advisory board of well-respected scholars in social studies education research