Innovative Models in Teacher Education for Social Studies Discussions

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Teacher educators and researchers have long called for the inclusion of discussions in social studies classrooms. Yet, despite clear evidence that teachers need sustained efforts to support their growth as discussion facilitators, the field is missing a robust theory of teacher learning for discussion in social studies. The papers in this symposium reflect a range of innovative models of teacher preparation and professional development focused on discussions in social studies, each designed to meet the various impediments to teachers’ successful discussion facilitation. The models draw from research on teacher identity and motivation, design-based research, practice-based teacher education, and mixed-reality simulations. This symposium will be of interest to teacher educators and researchers whose work focuses on historical and contemporary discussions.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Social Studies Research

Chair

• Timothy Patterson, Temple University

Papers

• Teacher Factors That Support Student Discourse and Thinking in the Context of Learning Labs Professional Development - Chauncey Monte-Sano, University of Michigan; Amanda B. Jennings, University of Michigan; Mary J. Schleppegrell, University of Michigan

• Centering Teacher Identity Exploration in Professional Development for Facilitating Discussions in Social Studies - Andrew del Calvo, University of Pennsylvania; Timothy Patterson, Temple University; Andrew J. Schiera, University of Colorado - Boulder; Avi Kaplan, Temple University

• Learning Pedagogical Reasoning Through Collaborative Sensemaking: Teaching Abortion in a Mixed-Reality Teaching Simulation - Rebecca Cooper Geller, University of Georgia; Jamie D. Gravell, California State University - Stanislaus

• Designing for Others: Inviting Teachers to Create Discussion Scaffolds for an Online Portal - Abby Reisman, University of Pennsylvania; Angela Marie Hardy, Digital Promise; Shelton Daal, Digital Promise; Emi Iwatani, Digital Promise

Discussant

• Jane C. Lo, Michigan State University