Post-communicative methodologies nowadays provide instructors with multiple curricular models to reimagine their syllabi, design creative assignments, and prepare their lessons. Yet, challenging topics are still often avoided, fearing students' limited language proficiency. Conversely, compelling content--carefully presented and pedagogically…

COVID-19, the most severe global pandemic since the Spanish flu that followed World War I, threatens nearly every country, from global powers to developing nations. This threat presents a concurrent challenge for educational systems. With schools closed during the pandemic, students and teachers have had to stay at home worldwide. This shift has…

There is an assumption that education is incapacitated to alleviate poverty. The objective of this study is to explore the nature and impact of education being offered at one teachers' college in Masvingo Province. The study argues that the college is not offering education, which is instrumental for poverty alleviation. Qualitative data were…

Given its propensity to foster social awareness, literature can function as a tool for developing critical citizenship, particularly in schools. This article critically analyzes John Kani's "Nothing but the Truth", a text prescribed in South African high schools, in terms of whether it presents any issues that could be drawn upon to…

Critical thinking is an essential skill for learners and teachers alike. Therefore, it is essential that educators be given practical strategies for improving their critical thinking skills as well as methods to effectively provide critical thinking skills to their students. The "Handbook of Research on Critical Thinking and Teacher Education…

A prospectus and practical guide, this manual shows college teachers how to help students better understand social problems by comparing sociology with two other types of social knowledge (common sense and journalism) and cultivate critical thinking skills which transcend the three types of social knowledge. Chapter 1 proposes a teaching/learning…

Considers the role of economics education within the 1981 "California History/Social Science Framework." Economics education provides a unique perspective on social issues and extensive opportunities for students to exercise critical thinking skills. To help teachers integrate economics information into curricula, a list of California…

In this article, Eric Freedman examines the extent to which critical pedagogy can be considered a democratic form of education. Comparing Paulo Freire's notion of dialogue to Jurgen Habermas's "ideal speech situation," Freedman argues that such dialogue cannot realistically occur in educational situations where the teacher remains in an…

Maintains that most current descriptions of reflective inquiry portray Dewey's model incorrectly as a series of individual steps to be mastered in a procedural fashion. Offers an alternative approach to reflective inquiry grounded in a critical theory of education. (JDH)

Outlines a method for modifying the current social studies curriculum so it can be taught from an issue-centered approach. States that conventional courses in history and geography would be organized around the study of a select number of important issues and illustrates the way these classes would be taught using this approach. (SLM)

Student interest was stimulated and critical thinking skills developed through an "Issues in Social Biology" course which include several topics in genetics. Judicious selection of topics, course format, and ordering of subjects are discussed, along with suggestions for course improvement development. (DH)

Citizenship is defined as an informed and critical orientation that individuals bring to the examination of public affairs, an orientation that may or may not be supportive of established authority or prevailing views. It is argued that only through an interdisciplinary approach to the social studies curriculum can students properly be helped to…

This four-part report from the Harvard Social Studies Project describes a secondary school curriculum based on an analysis of public controversy and developed to train students to examine, through discussion and argument, the kinds of disputes that cause social conflict. The first part of the report is a discussion of the curriculum approach which…

Offers a conception of the K-12 social studies curriculum based upon a probing treatment of problems, ideas, and values of democracy. Maintains that democracy must be practiced in the schools if effective democratic citizenship is expected. Offers four guidelines for curriculum development, and identifies seven curriculum strands. (JDH)

This report describes a three-year project at Fordham University (New York) to develop three core courses for a new Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program for students seeking an advanced, critical, and multidisciplinary approach to contemporary social and ethical issues. During the first year a multidisciplinary planning committee…