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Social Studies Education (Power (How do you grapple with being a figure of…

- - - - How do you balance the indoctrination aspect of schooling and the multi-faceted identities of individuals in the classroom?
      - How do we teach civic education without teaching assimilation?
      - How do we use social media to foster skills? Do we use social media? If we use social media, are we delegitimizing other forms of democratic participation?
      - If we have simulations that our students have to participate in, are we taking away their ability to question the structures of democracy?
      - How has history been used over time to impart American values?
      - How have things changed in terms of underlying dynamics of power since this article [by Cherryholmes] was written (1983)?
      - Is the hidden curriculum of 2018 the same as the hidden curriculum of the 1970s?
    - - How do you not further contribute to the oppression of marginalized communities, but also act as an authority when it is necessary?
      - How do we help students develop the skills to be competent citizens while staying non-partisan?
      - How do I teach a class of students of many backgrounds how to function in a classroom-school-social environment that is not in alignment with their way of thinking?
    - - Given the time limits of education, which social studies topic/issues/etc. would we be willing to sacrifice?
      - With times constantly changing, how are we to teach history while maintaining the practices of the past and yet changing with the times? And how do we ensure that the ways we are teaching are properly giving students the right look into history?
      - How do you deal with vast economic inequalities in your classroom? How do we address these class divisions especially if they are very apparent? Do we address them discreetly or directly (e.g. explicitly discuss them)?
      - What can you live with?
- - - - Why can’t we incorporate ELA with social studies?
      - Is it my right to use the “Genderbread Man” as a diagram in my classroom?
      - How can we encourage the challenges we promote against the status quo within our own community (e.g. among our fellow teachers)?
      - How can teachers across disciplines collaborate to create a more consistent and interdisciplinary curriculum for students?
      - How do you collaborate with other social studies teachers who do not share the same fundamental values/vision that you do?
    - - How do we determine which histories we teach in our classrooms? If, say, we want our histories to be reflective of our students, how do we go about determining the history that is important to them? How can we gain access to the resources for those “alternative” histories given financial and time restraints?
      - How do students both hold onto a multicultural identity and grapple with the assimilationist politics of schooling?
      - How do you incorporate current events in your classroom without making it feel forced? Can relevancy ever be natural?
      - How can I teach about racism and have it be authentic for my students?
      - How can I learn from my students and their communities in order to unpack the “myths” that surround their communities and histories?
      - How do you work with students who may not be aware of race and their positionality to work to change systems of oppression?
      - If you have a student who has very strong beliefs about gender and sexuality (given their diverse backgrounds, family/community influence, beliefs, etc.), how do you introduce them to other ideas about them?
      - How do you get students to care about class struggle if they live in an economically homogeneous area?
      - Are we being fair to students who may be experiencing other issues outside of the school when we lower our expectations about how much they should participate in the classroom? Should we push them regardless to participate as fully as other students?
      - How do I tell my students that I am qualified? How do I get my students to buy into our methods and pedagogy?
    - - If we have so many students with so many histories, how do we teach them all? Is there “one” to teach? How do we teach nuance in social studies education while balancing the need for a “correct answer”?
      - How does a teacher bring in outside sources without getting too caught up in those sources and forgetting the broader goals of the class?
      - How does the silencing or altering of historical narratives change how educators teach history? Is it feasible to design 180 lessons where we “shift... students [from being] passive listeners to students engaging in deliberative criticism and inquiry?”
      - How do we undo the white-washing of history given the time crunch?
      - If gender inequality is down across the world, how do we talk about gender while also balancing the need to talk about required (tested) content and other issues?
      - How can we make assessments that are flexible and authentic for students whose attendance may not be ideal?
    - - Should teachers place more emphasis on certain approaches depending on the age? (e.g. less focus on the disciplinary approach in elementary school)?
      - How important is it for us as educators to teach the “hard” history accurately and in a way that it is both informative and appropriate to children?
      - How does our students’ age factor into how we are supposed to talk about race (e.g. the “Racial Contract”)?
      - When some say inclusion is not enough, how do I teach through a non-binary, Black, feminist, etc. lens? Is that even appropriate at the secondary level?
      - How do you have respectful conversations about gender and sexuality at a secondary level given their maturity levels?
- - - - How do we integrate controversial issues into our curriculum if the community is opposed?
      - If we want to change social studies so that students learn to think critically, how do we do that without harming relationships with the local community?
      - What do you do when parents disapprove of what you teach?
    - - How do we teach racism while also acknowledging “White Guilt” in the classroom?
      - How do you handle students who disagree (vehemently? violently?) with what you teach?
- - - - How can we, as teachers, remain strong in our pedagogical beliefs and stay true to our philosophies-specifically when working in a school system that emphasizes one type of learning/teaching over another?
    - - Should schools have a quota for hiring teachers of color or other marginalized/minority groups?
    - - How sensitive am I supposed to be to gender and sexuality when my students may not fully understand what they are experiencing?
      - Should I talk about class if I know my students will never leave their privileged bubble?
    - - Should teachers be concerned with desegregation still today? Are there any solutions other than busing that would have more of an impact on desegregation?
      - What are ways educators could work to increase social mobility?
      - Why is it my responsibility to educate people about their ignorance?
- - - - Am I allowed to have my own definition of social studies, even if it is different from those of the experts?
      - What agency do teachers have over curriculum? How do we integrate the other disciplines of social studies while keeping in mind what we do not have control over?
      - As a nonprofessional historian and an individual teacher, am I allowed to decide what history means to me? If a set definition of history does not exist, to whom or where do I look for guidance when defining it for myself?
      - How can teachers take ownership of the content they use?
      - How much of an expert do I have to be in order to teach something? (Broadly speaking, not only in terms of race and racism, but social science, etc.)
    - - How do we as teachers not fall into the trap of not following or implementing the status quo... without getting in trouble?
      - How do we balance our own agendas with institutional pressures? (And administrative, local, school culture)?
      - How can we structure curriculum so that no students are left out while also meeting community and parent standards?
      - If we want to change social studies so that students learn to think critically, how do we do that without harming relationships with the local community?
      - How do we challenge democracy in our civics classes when we do not have the support of administrators?
      - What do you do when parents disapprove of what you teach?
    - - How do you teach things you are not interested in so that your students are not affected by it? What are the broader implications of teacher disengagement (on students)?
      - When you teach from a political lens and students ask about your political views, do you answer them honestly? Should you?
      - How do I integrate elements of all disciplines and not focus in on the ones that I know best?
      - What are our boundaries as teachers regarding politics?
      - Should teachers only work in districts that align with their political views?
      - Can I express my discontent or contentment with our current political system without indoctrinating my students?
      - How do you address race and racism in the classroom without imposing your own views on your students?
      - Is it a political choice to be “out” in the classroom (as teachers or as students)? Does it have to be a political one?
      - How do you convince students that the work they do matters when you have doubts about how it will result in social mobility?
      - How do I support students to think critically about the issues raised in the class without imposing my views on them?
      - What is the ideal ratio between my personal ideas and textbook content in the classroom?
- - - - How does society shift our academic standards?
      - How do we find educational success in urban education? How can we redefine educational success to rely on the strengths of urban education?
      - If teachers and curriculum are supposed to be “inextricably linked,” how can we guarantee a baseline for quality instruction? How do standards factor into this?
      - If the goal of school is to pursue excellence, should we standardize what “excellence” means?
      - How do we balance standards with incorporating current issues?
      - Is making an educational environment competitive helpful for student learning?
    - - Social Efficiency
        
        Do we still use schools to fit students into an existing social order? How do we effectively track while also meeting student wants and needs?
        
        How do I present vocational opportunities to students who are interested in them while also acknowledging its deeply racist past?
      - Democratic Equality
        
        If democratic equality is implemented as a goal (in terms of equal opportunity and equal treatment), what metric can we use to measure people in society?
      - Social Mobility
        
        How do I grapple with the reality of a dominant school system centered around social mobility and preparing my students for the expectations of them while still providing them with the resources they need to live happy, full lives?
        
        How do you encourage students to work towards social mobility while also acknowledging the structures that are keeping them from moving up in society?
    - - What role should schools have in promoting self-esteem and self-values in students? What are the “needs” of our students, and what do we mean by that?
    - - If the purpose of education is to mitigate differences and to encourage a sense of unity, how do we explain inequality?
      - This week’s readings centered around aiding students in learning and understanding their histories. As significant and critical as these histories are, how do we grapple with the fact that it’s just as important to understand other people’s histories in order to have a more empathetic society?
      - How do we foster a civic community that is inclusive without discouraging them with all the bad stuff in the world?
      - How do you organize your classroom that respects differences in an increasingly diverse environment?
    - - How do we teach social studies in a meaningful way (without watering it down)? How can we encourage an issues-centered curriculum while covering standards?
      - Regarding the post-social studies experience of students—how we can we consider that and make social studies more meaningful?
      - How do we create a curriculum that allows students to make connections to the material? Why is it important that students make these connections?
      - In a high school classroom (or middle school) how can you make students understand why history is important? How can you get them to care about social studies when, as Schul notes, many students say it is their least favorite subject? Are those things related?
      - What is the balance between social engagement and content, and how do we manage that balance?
      - How do we link student education in the classroom to already-existing activist movements so they can actually have a role in participation should they desire to?
    - - In trying to foster a national idea of citizenship, should the United States try to create a national curriculum?
      - What would a national social studies curriculum look like and include given the “epistemology of ignorance”?
    - - How do I teach my students to deal with the realities that exist beyond the classroom regarding power and the status quo? How do I prepare them to challenge that reality?
      - In addition to hip hop and social media, what other avenues exist to have our students interrogate democracy?
- - - - How do we include the civics- and issues-centered approaches to social studies when we have to deal with the fact that social studies is mostly subject-oriented?
      - Where do we draw lines between disciplines and disciplinary classrooms?
      - How can we shape curriculum to encourage interdisciplinarity?
    - - How could you teach social studies without history?
      - How do different perspectives change our understanding of events? Is it important to provide students with different perspectives of history?
      - How can we best incorporate biography into our curriculum in a balanced way?
      - Do people still believe that history consists of just facts? How much of history is bias/opinion rather than the rote fact, and how does that play into our 21st century understanding of the past?
      - Should teachers adopt a single approach to teaching history in their classrooms?
      - Why is history education viewed as the medium to encourage nationalism even in our modern times when the idea of nationalism itself is constructed and we are living in multicultural and multiracial societies?
    - - How do I meaningfully teach about racism without resorting to name dropping?
      - How do we have our students recognize the structures of race and bias and remove those in order to think critically about the world?
      - How do we integrate all the non-binary gender identities into our curriculum?
      - Is it preferable to have a whole unit on gender and sexuality or to introduce it slowly throughout (the course of a semester/year)? How blunt should or can this be?
      - Does talking about income inequality within schools empower students or leave students disillusioned?
      - How do you get students to care about any issue of inequality they have no frame of reference for?
      - Is there a way to teach intersectionality that isn’t just explaining what it is (given how specific it is)?
      - How can I work to empower indigenous communities without embodying a White Savior complex?
      - How do I support students to think critically about the issues raised in the class without imposing my views on them?
    - - How do we help students develop the skills to be competent citizens while staying non-partisan?
      - How do we teach civic education without teaching assimilation?
      - Has the amount of civic competence and political participation changed? Is civic engagement in the present as bad or better than it was in 2003? What gets people to “break out from their bubble”?