Session Abstract

What about teacher education? This question is getting asked repeatedly in contemporary conversations around improving K-12 history education.  TAH grants focus on classroom teachers, but what about reaching teachers during their training, rather than after they have assumed classroom duties? Teacher educators face many challenges in preparing the next generation of teachers, from candidates with little academic training in the discipline to the reams of historical content they are expected to teach once in the classroom. One approach to tackling these challenges is to focus on the teaching and learning of historical thinking in methods courses. This panel includes scholars who have developed and taught such courses, both in Schools of Education and in history departments. Guiding principles, persistent dilemmas, and promising practices will be shared and considered in regards to the future of this important course.