Documenting a Critical History Pedagogy and Its Impact on Diverse Learners in a Tenth-Grade World History Classroom
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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: STUDENTS AS INVESTIGATORS, TEACHERS AS RESEARCHERS: DOCUMENTING A CRITICAL HISTORY PEDAGOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON DIVERSE LEARNERS IN A TENTH-GRADE WORLD HISTORY CLASSROOM Timothy J. Kelly, Doctor of Philosophy, 2014 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Linda Valli, Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership This study documents a teacher’s efforts to scaffold and support his students’ investigations of modern world history and their interactions with the critical history pedagogy he implements in a diverse tenth-grade classroom. Using teacher research methods to generate descriptive quantitative and qualitative data, the study explores the role of the teacher, the students, and local contextual factors in the teaching and learning process. In particular, the teacher-researcher details his attempts to mediate the influences of curriculum and assessment measures in a high stakes accountability context, while equipping his students with powerful disciplinary tools aimed at deepening their understanding of the past and developing in them a capacity to shape those meanings. The data suggest that the teacher-researcher faced considerable challenges in implementing an inquiry-based approach to learning about the past. The breadth of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s) meant that in-depth learning centered on the analysis of conflicting sources and the interpretation of competing perspectives necessarily contended with coverage demands associated with SOL test preparation. These external constraints became background concerns when the teacher-researcher focused more on the internal knowledge-based constraints that were impeding student learning. In addition to the cultural, linguistic, and academic diversity of the learners in his classroom, the teacher was challenged by his students’ lack of experience analyzing historical sources, exploring multiple perspectives, and writing evidence-based arguments. Study findings indicate that two main factors contributed to the growth of historical thinking and writing among study participants. First, the history domain’s cognitive practices were progressively introduced and learning supports were designed to meet the range of aptitudes and skill levels present in this diverse public school setting. Although some students experienced more in the way of skill development than conceptual growth, evidence demonstrates that a range of students experienced progression. Second, the teacher-researcher learned to utilize traditional classroom structures in the context of open-ended inquiries and directed these practices toward more meaningful encounters with historical knowledge. Although elements of his instructional pedagogy seemed to align with more conventional practices, a disciplinary thread was woven throughout the fabric of the world history course. STUDENTS AS INVESTIGATORS, TEACHERS AS RESEARCHERS: DOCUMENTING A CRITICAL HISTORY PEDAGOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON DIVERSE LEARNERS IN A TENTH-GRADE WORLD HISTORY CLASSROOM by Timothy J. Kelly Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Advisory Committee: Professor Linda Valli, Chair/Advisor Professor Patricia Alexander Dr. Lisa Eaker Professor Francine Hultgren Professor Jing Lin ©Copyright by Timothy J. Kelly 2014 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge several people who guided and supported me during my graduate school experience through the completion of this dissertation. A special thanks to my long-time advisor and mentor, Dr. Bruce VanSledright, who helped give me direction in the early stages of the study, read drafts, and provided critical feedback. I also extend a debt of gratitude to Dr. Linda Valli, who took over as my advisor and chair in the final stages of the dissertation process. To my social studies education colleagues, Kevin Meuwissen and Liliana Maggioni, our collaborations on earlier projects and your own work in the field have been instrumental in shaping my thinking and research. Finally, I would like to thank my teaching colleagues, especially Kathlyn Berry, who provided a candid sounding board for my developing ideas about teaching and learning history, and my students, who were gracious participants in this study. Of course, my family, who lived this experience with me and learned to live without me for extended periods, deserve special recognition. Lori, I appreciate your understanding of my unique work style and the pace of my writing, the time and space you gave me to complete this project, and all you did to support our family during this long process. Maddie, your words of encouragement and the artistic “awards” you made for me motivated me to keep working hard. And Jonah, even though I did not produce a superhero in my “workshop,” you seemed to understand I was doing something important in my office. Finally, I am grateful to my first teachers, Mom and Dad, who showed me the wonder and value of learning and modeled professional lives centered on exploring new ideas in education and helping their own students realize their potential. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables .. ................................................................................................................vii List of Figures . ................................................................................................................vii Chapter 1: Generating Puzzles and Problems of Practice: Contextual Factors and Constraints in the Teaching and Learning of History ....................................1 Narrative Vignette ....................................................................................1 Introduction: An Evolving Professional Identity .....................................3 Contextual Factors and Constraints .........................................................7 Reforming History Education in a High Stakes Accountability Climate ...............................................................................................7 The Public Curriculum and Standardized Assessments.....................8 Student Views of History ...................................................................12 The Challenges of Diversity ..............................................................14 Minority Achievement .......................................................................18 Assessment in the Local Context: Trends and Attitudes ...................19 Conclusion ...............................................................................................21 Research Questions ........................................................................................23 Key Terms and Concepts ...............................................................................24 Creating a Culture of Inquiry .........................................................................26 Why This Study .............................................................................................28 Chapter 2: Investigating History in Diverse Classrooms: A Review of the Literature in Social Education ...........................................................................................30 Narrative Vignette ....................................................................................30 Introduction: “The Sergio Dilemma” and Alternative Perspectives on the Social Studies ................................................................................32 Seeing Sergio through a Critical Lens: Why History and Culture Matter ...................................................................................35 Social Studies as the Transmission of Knowledge, Culture, and Values ................................................................................................40 History as Cultural Literacy: Assimilating and Elevating Sergio ...........................................................................40 Multicultural Pedagogies: Making Room for Sergio and “His History” ...............................................................................43 (Re)Viewing Sergio: The Complexities of Culture and Historical Positionality .............................................................................................47 Conventional Practice and How Students Learn History ........................51 Social Studies as Reflective Thinking and Inquiry ..................................57 Learning: The Reconstruction of Experience ..............................57 Reflective Inquiry as Disciplinary Practice .................................61 Summary ..................................................................................................70 iii Chapter 3: Students as Investigators, Teachers as Researchers: Theoretical Framework and Research Methods ...................................................................................73 Narrative Vignette ....................................................................................73 Introduction ..............................................................................................76 The Place of Teacher-Research among the Broad Traditions of Research...............................................................................................77 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................78 Curriculum Framework: A Critical History Pedagogy ............................80 Method and Data Collection