The field of social studies is unique and complex. It is challenged by the differing perspectives related to the definition, goals, content, and purpose of social studies. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader discusses the contemporary issues surrounding social studies education today. Contemporary Social Studies: An Essential Reader encourages and inspires readers to think. The chapters included in this volume are written by prominent scholars in the field of social studies. The collection inspires and provokes readers to reconsider and reexamine social studies and its contemporary state. Readers will explore the various critical topics that encompass contemporary social studies. This collection provides readers with rich chapters which are sure to be cited as key works. Compelling and accessible, this collection brings to light the critical topics relevant to contemporary social studies and is sure to serve as a cornerstone and seminal text for the future.

Plan and deliver a curriculum to help your students connect with the humanity of others! In the wake of 2020, we need today’s young learners to be prepared to develop solutions to a host of entrenched and complex issues, including systemic racism, massive environmental problems, deep political divisions, and future pandemics that will severely test the effectiveness and equity of our health policies. What better place to start that preparation than with a social studies curriculum that enables elementary students to envision and build a better world? In this engaging guide two experienced social studies educators unpack the oppressions that so often characterize the elementary curriculum—normalization, idealization, heroification, and dramatization—and show how common pitfalls can be replaced with creative solutions. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, methods student, or curriculum coordinator, this is a book that can transform your understanding of the social studies disciplines and their power to disrupt the narratives that maintain current inequities.

Just as society has changed dramatically over the last century, so have the social sciences. This valuable reference chronicles the historical development of social studies as a discipline in elementary and secondary schools. It also assesses the current state of teaching and research in the social sciences and history at the pre-college level, and it charts new directions for the future of social studies in secondary and elementary schools. By tracing the historical development of social studies, the reference indicates how social studies has constantly been redefined to meet the changing needs and expectations of society. At the same time, the historical context provided by the authors sheds new light on the current state of social studies in the curriculum and the development of social studies in the future. The book begins with introductory chapters that overview themes and issues common to all areas of history and the social sciences. The chapters that follow summarize and assess the developments and trends of particular fields commonly thought to constitute social studies. The volume concludes with chapters on broad topics, including the place of religion in the social studies curriculum, the role of writing in history and the social sciences, and the professional training of social studies teachers. Each chapter begins with a section of reflections on the development of the discipline, followed by a section on current issues and trends, followed by a final section of projections for the future of the discipline. The result is a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of social studies in elementary and secondary schools and an indispensable reference for educators, historians, and social scientists.

This fully revised and updated edition includes twelve new chapters on contemporary topics such as ecological democracy, Native studies, inquiry teaching, and Islamophobia. The Social Studies Curriculum, Fourth Edition updates the definitive overview of the issues teachers face when creating learning experiences for students in social studies. The book connects the diverse elements of the social studies curriculum—civic, global, social issues—offering a unique and critical perspective that separates it from other texts. Completely updated, this book includes twelve new chapters on the history of the social studies; democratic social studies; citizenship education; anarchist inspired transformative social studies; patriotism; ecological democracy; Native studies; inquiry teaching; Islamophobia; capitalism and class struggle; gender, sex, sexuality, and youth experiences in school; and critical media literacy. All the chapters from the previous edition have been thoroughly revised and updated, including those on teaching social studies in the age of curriculum standardization and high-stakes testing, critical multicultural social studies, prejudice and racism, assessment, and teaching democracy. Readers are encouraged to reconsider their assumptions and understanding about the origins, purposes, nature, and possibilities of the social studies curriculum.

How are widely popular social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram transforming how teachers teach, how kids learn, and the very foundations of education? What controversies surround the integration of social media in students' lives? The past decade has brought increased access to new media, and with this, new opportunities and challenges for education. In this book, leading scholars from education, law, communications, sociology, and cultural studies explore the digital transformation now taking place in a variety of educational contexts. The contributors examine such topics as social media usage in schools, online youth communities, and distance learning in developing countries; the disruption of existing educational models of how knowledge is created and shared; privacy; accreditation; and the tension between the new ease of sharing and copyright laws. Case studies examine teaching media in K-12 schools and at universities; tuition-free, open education powered by social media, as practiced by University of the People; new financial models for higher education; the benefits and challenges of MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses); social media and teacher education; and the civic and individual advantages of teens' participatory play.

In this volume teacher educators explicitly and implicitly share their visions for the purposes, experiences, and commitments necessary for social studies teacher preparation in the twenty-first century. It is divided into six sections where authors reconsider: 1) purposes, 2) course curricula, 3) collaboration with on-campus partners, 4) field experiences, 5) community connections, and 6) research and the political nature of social studies teacher education. The chapters within each section provide critical insights for social studies researchers, teacher educators, and teacher education programs. Whether readers begin to question what are we teaching social studies teachers for, who should we collaborate with to advance teacher learning, or how should we engage in the politics of teacher education, this volume leads us to consider what ideas, structures, and connections are most worthwhile for social studies teacher education in the twenty-first century to pursue.

Social Studies in the New Education Policy Era is a series of compelling open-ended education policy dialogues among various social studies scholars and stakeholders. By facilitating conversations about the relationships among policy, practice, and research in social studies education, this collection illuminates various positions—some similar, some divergent—on contested issues in the field, from the effects of standardized curriculum and assessment mandates on K–12 teaching to the appropriate roles of social studies educators as public policy advocates. Chapter authors bring diverse professional experiences to the questions at hand, offering readers multiple perspectives from which to delve into well-informed discussions about social studies education in past, present, and future policy contexts. Collectively, their commentaries aim to inspire, challenge, and ultimately strengthen readers’ beliefs about the place of social studies in present and future education policy environments.