Researching and Teaching Social Issues

The Personal Stories and Pedagogical Efforts of Professors of Education

Edited by:
Samuel Totten, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Jon Pedersen, University of South Carolina

Published 2012

(orginally published by Lexington Books, A division of Rowman & Littlefield)

Researching and Teaching Social Issues: The Personal Stories and Pedagogical Efforts of Professors of Education is comprised of original personal essays in which notable teacher educators delineate the genesis and evolution of their thought and work vis-a-vis the teaching of social issues. In relating their personal stories, the authors were asked to discuss among other issues those individuals and/or scholarly works that have most influenced them and how, their own aspirations in the field, the frustrations they have faced, their perceptions of the field, their major contributions, and their current endeavors. Our goal was that each and every story be as informative, instructive, and engaging as possible. We believe that readers will be thoroughly engaged as they read the stories of these individuals—stories that are inspiring, filled with passion, and reflective in nature. We also believe that readers will gain unique pedagogical insights into the field and ample food for thought.

The individuals selected for inclusion in the book dedicated a great amount of time, thought, energy, and commitment to creating powerful and pedagogically sound ways to teach about social and/or controversial issues. Many have done so for well over forty years, and have been among the strongest advocates vis-à-vis the place social issues have in the extant curriculum and beyond.

CONTENTS
Introduction by Samuel Totten and Jon E. Pedersen. Education, Politics, and Social Transformation, Michael W. Apple. Human Ecology and Science Education Policies and Programs: Reflections on Social Activism, Roger W. Bybee. Forty Days and Forty Nights in the Wilderness of Capitalist Schooling, Ronald W. Evans. Becoming Political: One Woman’s Story, Carole L. Hahn. The Unending Quest for Social Issues in the Schools: A Personal Narrative, Byron G. Massialas. Social Justice, Alex Molnar. My Experience with Social Issues and Education, Fred M. Newmann. Social Issues and Decision Making: A Career Long Commitment, Anna S. Ochoa-Becker. The Evolution of an Educator, Jon E. Pedersen. A Happenstance-Based Social Issues Career, James P. Shaver. Serendipity: A Paradigm Shifter’s Friend in Academia, Barbara Solomon Spector. A Synergy of Awareness, Understanding, Empathy and Action: Confronting Social Issues in the English Classroom and Beyond, Samuel Totten. Socials Issues as Contexts for Science and Technology Education, Robert E. Yager. Selected Bibliography. Index.