Making Citizens: Transforming Civic Learning for Diverse Social Studies Classrooms

by Rubin; Beth C.

• ISBN13: 9780415874625
• ISBN10: 0415874629
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2011-06-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Can social studies classrooms be effective "makers" of citizens if much of what occurs in these classrooms does little to prepare young people to participate in the civic and political life of our democracy? Making Citizensillustrates how social studies can recapture its civic purpose through an approach that incorporates meaningful civic learning into middle and high school classrooms. The book explains why social studies teachers, particularly those working in diverse and urban areas, should infuse civic education into their teaching, and outlines how this can be done effectively. Directed at both pre-service and in-service social studies teachers and designed for easy integration into social studies methods courses, this book examines the experiences of students and teachers in social studies classrooms as they experience a new approach to the traditional, history-oriented social studies curriculum, using themes, essential questions, discussion, writing, current events and action research to explore enduring civic questions. Following the experiences of three teachers working at three diverse high schools, Beth C. Rubin considers how social studies classrooms might become places where young people study, ponder, discuss and write about relevant civic questions while they learn history. She draws upon the latest sociocultural theories on youth civic identity development to describe a field-tested approach to civic education that takes into consideration the classroom and curricular constraints faced by new teachers.

Author Biography

Beth C. Rubin is Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Administration at Rutgers/University where she is co-coordinator of the social studies education program.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction: Transforming Social Studies Education Through Meaningful Civic Learning	p. 1
Essentially Different: Using Essential Questions and Themes for Civic Learning	p. 21
Talking Civics: Open Discussion in the Social Studies Classroom	p. 41
Civic Communications: Writing and Expression for Civic Learning	p. 67
Beyond ôCurrent Events Fridaysö: Connecting Past to Present All Year Long	p. 97
What's the Problem? Civic Action Research in the Social Studies Classroom	p. 117
References	p. 141
About the Author	p. 141
Index	p. 149
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