The Impact of a Methods Course on Teaching Practices: Implemeting Issues-Centered Teaching in the Secondary Social Studies Classroom

Abstract

Issues-centered teaching is considered an alternative to the monotonous, fragmented and coverage-oriented approach characteristic of most approaches to social studies instruction. This paper sought to investigate how six second-year middle and high school social studies teachers attempted to implement an issues-centered instructional model taught to them during a summer, graduate-level methods course. The research relied upon the self-reported data of teachers through “email interviews” and journal entries. The results of the study were mixed. Although teachers reported their students to be more thoughtfully engaged and participatory under an issues-centered model, significant practical dilemmas emerged that posed as barriers to its successful implementation. Instructional design concerns were paramount for teachers, as they struggled in creating and carrying out coherent, issues-based instructional units while remaining committed to content coverage. Among other implications, this research suggests that methods instructors should be more cognizant of the implementation challenges of the issues-centered methodology and design their courses to address these challenges.