Civic educators strive to develop the kinds of citizens who can identify and address the significant challenges of life in society. A case can be made that we have failed in this fundamental task. In spite of our efforts, contemporary societies seem ill-equipped to cope with the enormous social and environmental issues of our age. The problem is…

In Fall 2000, when "Theory and Research in Social Education" (TRSE) first dedicated an issue to technologies in social studies education, Neil Postman contributed a View Point piece to this issue. Postman, who died in 2003, was an interesting choice because he was an outspoken critic of educational technology who believed that, as he said at the…

There are at least two good reasons to pay serious attention to the latest skirmish in the social studies wars. First, it is one of the most prominent examples of "movement conservatism" to involve established social studies researchers; and secondly, it provides an opportunity for social educators to scrutinize the fundamental dilemma embedded in…

This article draws upon writings by social studies educators and historians to articulate a new approach to training history teachers. We argue that the divide between advocates of historical thinking and of historical content can be overcome through a better understanding of what it means to know history. By examining the nature of the historical…

In this article, I examine my teaching within a social foundations teacher educations course. Using the tenets of culturally relevant teaching and the concept of the teacher as transformative intellectual as both conceptual frame and instructional guide, this self-study delineates my attempt to match my beliefs about socially just forms of…

Because moral, value, and character education often seem marginalized in pre-service secondary social studies education courses, I sought to determine if and how moral education is addressed at the elementary level. In this article, I examine both elementary social studies methods instruction and literature through a moral education lens and argue…

In this article, I argue that the social studies methods course is an appropriate place to practice and reflect upon doing democracy. I review the literature on kinds of citizens the methods course might support. I consider pre-service teachers' prior and present experiences with doing democracy. I pose a framework for doing democracy centered on…

The secondary school history curriculum, with its emphasis on political history, tends to relegate women to the margins or to interpret their accomplishments according to a patriarchal framework. The author argues that by adapting theoretical developments in the field of women's history, women can be seen as political agents in history, thereby…

Over the past two decades, interest in Holocaust education has grown substantially as individual states, starting in the 1980s, began to mandate and/or recommend Holocaust studies as part of the social studies curriculum. As a result, these mandates and/or interest in the Holocaust have spawned any number of curriculum products, some of which seek…

Addresses ideas presented in the article "The Struggle for Democracy in South Africa: Race, History and Education" (David W. Hursh). Provides information from a South African perspective and highlights ideas Hursh omitted that are central to the race-related discourse in South Africa. (CMK)

Responds to the article "Race, History, and Education: South African Perspectives on the Struggle for Democracy" (Diane Brook Napier; Vincent T. Lebeta; Bheki P. Zungu.) Addresses the issues of disagreement and asserts that the authors were unfairly critical of the original essay. (CMK)

Focuses on the issue of technology within education. Addresses various issues related to e-learning and children, such as if computers really motivate children to learn quicker and better and if computers connect children to the world. Discusses the issue of distance education within the higher education environment. (CMK)

Asserts that new technologies have advantages and drawbacks for society. Believes that the way to improve education is not through the use of technology, but to adopt an inspiring narrative as a goal of education. (CMK)

Focuses on the book "Civic Illiteracy and Education: The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of American Youth" (John Marciano) and Marciano's stated views. Explains that the book offers a starting point for addressing the state of civic education beyond the information gleaned from test scores. (CMK)

Responds to the article "Social Studies Teacher Educators' Perceptions of Character Education" (Andrew J. Milson). Disagrees strongly with the ideas presented by Milson in his article, stating that the survey discussed is attempting to promote a certain agenda. (CMK)