During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and indiv... more During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and individuals seen as communist collaborators and national security threats. The War Resisters League, a pacifist group, was not just a target of FBI surveillance but was cast by the agency as a seditious organization. FBI records and corroborating sources show that Hoover's aim was to consolidate his own power over the Justice Department and, in the later years of the war in Vietnam, the White House. Since the majority of existing scholarship on FBI surveillance of the WRL focuses on the interwar period between World War I and World War II, this study expands this history into the critical period between 1965 and 1973. Within this history is Hoover's process of casting the WRL as a threat and violating members' civil liberties to "thwart" it. This process not only had an impact on the WRL's ability to organize but also created a dynamic between nonviolent antiwar activists and the Department of Justice that remains resonant in the twenty-first century. In January 1969, a high school student wrote a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover. In it, he requested information about the War Resisters League (WRL), the oldest absolute pacifist group in the United States. The student, a member of a Modern Problems class at Detroit High School, wrote in regards to a letter WRL member Dwight MacDonald sent to the school stating "as a class, we are divided in our attitudes regarding this organization. Some feel it is an over-zealous, patriotic, organization. Others of us, having read Masters of Deceit, have reason to believe it is a Communist front organization." 1 Later that year, a parent wrote to Hoover about the WRL, stating, "I have a son attending college, who is hooked on this 'War Resisters League,' who's [sic] address is 339 Lafayette St. New York. If you could furnish some
The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2013
Many community college history instructors seek to improve student engagement. Determining how t... more Many community college history instructors seek to improve student engagement. Determining how to achieve student engagement in history class is complex and complicated. We sought to explore how the implementation of active learning strategies in undergraduate history courses using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student engagement. This research study was conducted at a metropolitan community college in the Southeast. Surveys were distributed to students in five undergraduate history courses in order to elicit student perspectives on how active learning strategies impact engagement. The survey data revealed some active learning strategies improved student engagement and others did not. We report a mixture of implementing lecture and active learning strategies is effective in fostering engagement in undergraduate history courses.
Vitae Scholasticae: The Journal of Educational Biography, 2013
The purpose of this research is to examine the historical significance of Elizabeth Jennings’ law... more The purpose of this research is to examine the historical significance of Elizabeth Jennings’ lawsuit in 1854 against the Third Avenue Railway Company in New York City, and analyze her teaching career in the former African Free School and abolitionist background. Additionally, we analyze possible reasons why Elizabeth Jennings is missing from the social studies curriculum and demonstrate how her inclusion as a civil rights pioneer in her own right can highlight the neglected history of slavery and segregation in Antebellum New York City.
College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial stude... more College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial students are bringing to university classrooms different experiences regarding the ways they learn and engage in critical thinking. As online universities gain more popularity across the country, higher education institutions are offering more hybrid and distance-learning courses on the Internet match the demand for using technology for teaching and learning. This action research study evaluates how the Annenberg Media digital simulation The Constitutional Convention of 1787 effected student engagement in an undergraduate history course at a community college in a metropolitan region of the Southeast. Practical suggestions are provided for college level history instructors to adapt digital simulations for teaching curricular and content skills that foster critical thinking, digital literacy, and engaged learning.
Vitae Scholasticae: The Journal of Educational Biography, 2013
Many mainstream histories of the civil rights movement in United States hist o ry a... more Many mainstream histories of the civil rights movement in United States hist o ry are focused on famous activis ts such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luth er King, Jr., Dred Scott, Homer Plessy, Frederick Do uglass, and John Brown. These leaders challe nged slavery and segregation mainly in the South before and after the Civil War. While these figures have prominent places in the social studies curriculum, there are other less- publicized Americans who played important roles in combatting racia l discrimina tion not only in the South, but in the North as well. One citizen who challenged discriminatory policies at the "site of a little-known miles tone in racial progress" on the corner of Pearl Street and Park Row in New York City was African American schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings. In 1854 she was forcibly ejected from a streetcar because of her race. She sued the streetcar
company and won. Despite her legal victory at a time when a favorable ver dict in this kind of case "would not have been achieved in the North before-or after- the Civil War," Elizabeth Jennings slipped into the quiet annals of United States history and is consequently absent from most states' standards.
Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A c... more Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A case study was conducted in order to gain insights about how a local history research project impacts student perspectives about who is considered a “hero” in historical narratives. Key findings show using primary documents, secondary sources, and reflective writing prompts can promote critical thinking skills about the inclusion and portrayal of “heroes” in secondary and undergraduate history courses.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
December 1, 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her se... more December 1, 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus in 1955. One hundred years prior to Parks' act of resistance, African American schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings was ejected from a streetcar in New York City due to her race. She sued the streetcar company, represented by future President Chester A. Arthur, and won in 1855. Although Jennings and Parks share commonalities with regard to their civil rights activism, there are differences, particularly with regard to their inclusion and portrayal in historical narratives of that often appear in the social studies curriculum. The purpose of this research is to outline similarities between Jennings and Parks in order to evaluate whether such historical comparisons are accurate. Analysis of primary and secondary sources are included in this research in order to 1) examine the historical contexts of the mid-19th century and mid-20th centuries that influenced Parks and Jennings’ lives and activism, and 2) discuss the implications of these comparisons in the context of Black Freedom narratives in the social studies curriculum.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether middle and secondary students' social identities ... more The purpose of this study is to examine whether middle and secondary students' social identities impact exhibition of historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure with the instructional unit " The Elizabeth Jennings Project. " Major findings show that evidence of a " historical empathy gap " exists with regard to disparities on how students of diverse racial affiliations, English language proficiency, gender identities, and learning abilities impact demonstration of historical empathy.
The Great Speckled Bird (commonly known as The Bird) was an alternative newspaper published from ... more The Great Speckled Bird (commonly known as The Bird) was an alternative newspaper published from 1968-1976 in Atlanta, Georgia that reported on student and youth demonstrations that focused on controversial topics such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, gender rights, environmental issues, and political corruption. The majority of scholarship on student and youth activism during the Sixties and Seventies tends to focus on the Northeast and West Coast. Consequently, there is a gap in the literature about post-World War II student movements in the Southeast. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to 1) analyze how articles in The Great Speckled Bird serve as a historiographical record of student and youth activism in Atlanta, Georgia and the Southeast during its publication run from 1968-1976, and 2) examine how matters concerning free speech in mainstream and alternative publications still bear relevancy to 21st-century American education with regard student activism, the First Amendment, and curricular goals of discerning the reliability of print and online content.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instruc... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instructional unit about an underrepresented historical figure, specifically Elizabeth Jennings, titled “The Elizabeth Jennings Project” (EJP) creates conditions conducive for middle and secondary social studies students to demonstrate historical empathy. Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students. Findings – Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP” provides insights about how historical empathy pedagogies can connect to national standards and initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for middle and secondary social studies. Originality/value – Historical empathy refers to deep inquiry in which intellectual and affective responses to content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives and beliefs of people in the past. Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 2020
Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data ... more Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data persists on the unique challenges and opportunities online faculty face. Gaining insights about these experiences is important to ensure the quality of online teaching as colleges and universities continue expanding e-learning programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the online teaching experiences of two faculty members through the implementation of reflective study methods. Major findings show that faculty access to professional development and mentoring, isolation and connectedness to the campus community, and academic freedom and curriculum control have significant implications for online teaching and student learning. In the wake of COVID-19 as colleges across the nation suddenly are faced with moving to exclusively online learning, this study is needed more than ever.
Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to promote e... more Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to promote engaged learning, content comprehension, and historical thinking, writing, and research skills in online courses. Although many higher education institutions are increasing their online history course offerings, there is a gap in the literature about the effectiveness of online teaching on student learning. As initiatives aimed at promoting HIPs at colleges and universities continue to grow, there is a need to examine whether the implementation of the asynchronous discussion board can be considered a HIP, especially when promoting writing intensity and undergraduate research in online history courses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the facilitation of asynchronous discussion boards serves as a HIP. The researcher conducted this study with a total of 167 undergraduate students enrolled in three sections of an online survey United States history course where she taught at a large four-year university in a metropolitan region of the Southeast.
Oral history research projects are assignments that can foster student engagement and learning in... more Oral history research projects are assignments that can foster student engagement and learning in undergraduate survey history courses. However, existing scholarship indicates that these assignments are seldom used in undergraduate survey courses. Since the aims of undergraduate survey history courses are to satisfy graduation requirements, foster critical thinking skills, and provide options for potential major areas of study, there is a need to examine whether engaged learning strategies, such as oral history projects, can serve as a high-impact practice (HIP) in undergraduate history courses. With these premises in mind, the purpose of this action research study is to evaluate whether my five-step oral history research project could serve as a HIP in the undergraduate history survey courses I taught at a two-year college located in metropolitan region of the Southeast. Major findings indicate that oral history research projects can be considered a HIP when grounded in pedagogies that emphasize community-based field work that encourage students to consider diverse perspectives on topics and make real-world connections to content and experiential knowledge.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and indiv... more During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and individuals seen as communist collaborators and national security threats. The War Resisters League, a pacifist group, was not just a target of FBI surveillance but was cast by the agency as a seditious organization. FBI records and corroborating sources show that Hoover's aim was to consolidate his own power over the Justice Department and, in the later years of the war in Vietnam, the White House. Since the majority of existing scholarship on FBI surveillance of the WRL focuses on the interwar period between World War I and World War II, this study expands this history into the critical period between 1965 and 1973. Within this history is Hoover's process of casting the WRL as a threat and violating members' civil liberties to "thwart" it. This process not only had an impact on the WRL's ability to organize but also created a dynamic between nonviolent antiwar activists and the Department of Justice that remains resonant in the twenty-first century. In January 1969, a high school student wrote a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover. In it, he requested information about the War Resisters League (WRL), the oldest absolute pacifist group in the United States. The student, a member of a Modern Problems class at Detroit High School, wrote in regards to a letter WRL member Dwight MacDonald sent to the school stating "as a class, we are divided in our attitudes regarding this organization. Some feel it is an over-zealous, patriotic, organization. Others of us, having read Masters of Deceit, have reason to believe it is a Communist front organization." 1 Later that year, a parent wrote to Hoover about the WRL, stating, "I have a son attending college, who is hooked on this 'War Resisters League,' who's [sic] address is 339 Lafayette St. New York. If you could furnish some
The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 2013
Many community college history instructors seek to improve student engagement. Determining how t... more Many community college history instructors seek to improve student engagement. Determining how to achieve student engagement in history class is complex and complicated. We sought to explore how the implementation of active learning strategies in undergraduate history courses using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student engagement. This research study was conducted at a metropolitan community college in the Southeast. Surveys were distributed to students in five undergraduate history courses in order to elicit student perspectives on how active learning strategies impact engagement. The survey data revealed some active learning strategies improved student engagement and others did not. We report a mixture of implementing lecture and active learning strategies is effective in fostering engagement in undergraduate history courses.
Vitae Scholasticae: The Journal of Educational Biography, 2013
The purpose of this research is to examine the historical significance of Elizabeth Jennings’ law... more The purpose of this research is to examine the historical significance of Elizabeth Jennings’ lawsuit in 1854 against the Third Avenue Railway Company in New York City, and analyze her teaching career in the former African Free School and abolitionist background. Additionally, we analyze possible reasons why Elizabeth Jennings is missing from the social studies curriculum and demonstrate how her inclusion as a civil rights pioneer in her own right can highlight the neglected history of slavery and segregation in Antebellum New York City.
College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial stude... more College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial students are bringing to university classrooms different experiences regarding the ways they learn and engage in critical thinking. As online universities gain more popularity across the country, higher education institutions are offering more hybrid and distance-learning courses on the Internet match the demand for using technology for teaching and learning. This action research study evaluates how the Annenberg Media digital simulation The Constitutional Convention of 1787 effected student engagement in an undergraduate history course at a community college in a metropolitan region of the Southeast. Practical suggestions are provided for college level history instructors to adapt digital simulations for teaching curricular and content skills that foster critical thinking, digital literacy, and engaged learning.
Vitae Scholasticae: The Journal of Educational Biography, 2013
Many mainstream histories of the civil rights movement in United States hist o ry a... more Many mainstream histories of the civil rights movement in United States hist o ry are focused on famous activis ts such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luth er King, Jr., Dred Scott, Homer Plessy, Frederick Do uglass, and John Brown. These leaders challe nged slavery and segregation mainly in the South before and after the Civil War. While these figures have prominent places in the social studies curriculum, there are other less- publicized Americans who played important roles in combatting racia l discrimina tion not only in the South, but in the North as well. One citizen who challenged discriminatory policies at the "site of a little-known miles tone in racial progress" on the corner of Pearl Street and Park Row in New York City was African American schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings. In 1854 she was forcibly ejected from a streetcar because of her race. She sued the streetcar
company and won. Despite her legal victory at a time when a favorable ver dict in this kind of case "would not have been achieved in the North before-or after- the Civil War," Elizabeth Jennings slipped into the quiet annals of United States history and is consequently absent from most states' standards.
Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A c... more Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A case study was conducted in order to gain insights about how a local history research project impacts student perspectives about who is considered a “hero” in historical narratives. Key findings show using primary documents, secondary sources, and reflective writing prompts can promote critical thinking skills about the inclusion and portrayal of “heroes” in secondary and undergraduate history courses.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
December 1, 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her se... more December 1, 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus in 1955. One hundred years prior to Parks' act of resistance, African American schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings was ejected from a streetcar in New York City due to her race. She sued the streetcar company, represented by future President Chester A. Arthur, and won in 1855. Although Jennings and Parks share commonalities with regard to their civil rights activism, there are differences, particularly with regard to their inclusion and portrayal in historical narratives of that often appear in the social studies curriculum. The purpose of this research is to outline similarities between Jennings and Parks in order to evaluate whether such historical comparisons are accurate. Analysis of primary and secondary sources are included in this research in order to 1) examine the historical contexts of the mid-19th century and mid-20th centuries that influenced Parks and Jennings’ lives and activism, and 2) discuss the implications of these comparisons in the context of Black Freedom narratives in the social studies curriculum.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether middle and secondary students' social identities ... more The purpose of this study is to examine whether middle and secondary students' social identities impact exhibition of historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure with the instructional unit " The Elizabeth Jennings Project. " Major findings show that evidence of a " historical empathy gap " exists with regard to disparities on how students of diverse racial affiliations, English language proficiency, gender identities, and learning abilities impact demonstration of historical empathy.
The Great Speckled Bird (commonly known as The Bird) was an alternative newspaper published from ... more The Great Speckled Bird (commonly known as The Bird) was an alternative newspaper published from 1968-1976 in Atlanta, Georgia that reported on student and youth demonstrations that focused on controversial topics such as the Vietnam War, civil rights, gender rights, environmental issues, and political corruption. The majority of scholarship on student and youth activism during the Sixties and Seventies tends to focus on the Northeast and West Coast. Consequently, there is a gap in the literature about post-World War II student movements in the Southeast. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to 1) analyze how articles in The Great Speckled Bird serve as a historiographical record of student and youth activism in Atlanta, Georgia and the Southeast during its publication run from 1968-1976, and 2) examine how matters concerning free speech in mainstream and alternative publications still bear relevancy to 21st-century American education with regard student activism, the First Amendment, and curricular goals of discerning the reliability of print and online content.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instruc... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instructional unit about an underrepresented historical figure, specifically Elizabeth Jennings, titled “The Elizabeth Jennings Project” (EJP) creates conditions conducive for middle and secondary social studies students to demonstrate historical empathy. Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students. Findings – Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP” provides insights about how historical empathy pedagogies can connect to national standards and initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for middle and secondary social studies. Originality/value – Historical empathy refers to deep inquiry in which intellectual and affective responses to content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives and beliefs of people in the past. Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 2020
Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data ... more Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data persists on the unique challenges and opportunities online faculty face. Gaining insights about these experiences is important to ensure the quality of online teaching as colleges and universities continue expanding e-learning programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the online teaching experiences of two faculty members through the implementation of reflective study methods. Major findings show that faculty access to professional development and mentoring, isolation and connectedness to the campus community, and academic freedom and curriculum control have significant implications for online teaching and student learning. In the wake of COVID-19 as colleges across the nation suddenly are faced with moving to exclusively online learning, this study is needed more than ever.
Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to promote e... more Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to promote engaged learning, content comprehension, and historical thinking, writing, and research skills in online courses. Although many higher education institutions are increasing their online history course offerings, there is a gap in the literature about the effectiveness of online teaching on student learning. As initiatives aimed at promoting HIPs at colleges and universities continue to grow, there is a need to examine whether the implementation of the asynchronous discussion board can be considered a HIP, especially when promoting writing intensity and undergraduate research in online history courses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the facilitation of asynchronous discussion boards serves as a HIP. The researcher conducted this study with a total of 167 undergraduate students enrolled in three sections of an online survey United States history course where she taught at a large four-year university in a metropolitan region of the Southeast.
Oral history research projects are assignments that can foster student engagement and learning in... more Oral history research projects are assignments that can foster student engagement and learning in undergraduate survey history courses. However, existing scholarship indicates that these assignments are seldom used in undergraduate survey courses. Since the aims of undergraduate survey history courses are to satisfy graduation requirements, foster critical thinking skills, and provide options for potential major areas of study, there is a need to examine whether engaged learning strategies, such as oral history projects, can serve as a high-impact practice (HIP) in undergraduate history courses. With these premises in mind, the purpose of this action research study is to evaluate whether my five-step oral history research project could serve as a HIP in the undergraduate history survey courses I taught at a two-year college located in metropolitan region of the Southeast. Major findings indicate that oral history research projects can be considered a HIP when grounded in pedagogies that emphasize community-based field work that encourage students to consider diverse perspectives on topics and make real-world connections to content and experiential knowledge.
Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. ... more Understanding historical empathy is a bourgeoning subfield of social studies education research. Students demonstrate historical empathy by analyzing sources 1) to determine historical context, 2) identify perspectives of historical figures, and 3) make affective connections to historical content. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine primary sources from educational leaders and organizations during the Progressive Era in American public school education in order to trace the origins of historical empathy as an implicit goal in the social studies curriculum. Our guiding research question is " How does the work of Progressive Era organizations and educational leaders impact how Americans viewed historical empathy? " We purposefully selected documents from Progressive Era organizations and certain leaders whose work formed a strong foundation of social studies education history. We conclude with an examination of the importance of historical empathy today in order to demonstrate the importance of historical empathy as a curri-cular aim of social studies education.
dvocacy in academia and the role of teacher preparation programs, 2018
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white patron o... more On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white patron on a Montgomery bus. Her act of resistance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ushered in the mid-20th century Civil Rights Movement. Although Parks occupies a prominent place in United States history, she was not the first to challenge racial segregation. Elizabeth Jennings was an African American schoolteacher who was ejected from a streetcar in New York City in 1854. Her lawyer, future President Chester A. Arthur, sued the streetcar company and won. Jennings’ and Parks’ stories serve as examples of counterstories that can raise critical race consciousness to matters of racial inequity in historical narratives and school curricula. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to examine whether students in an undergraduate teacher preparation course at a major university in a metropolitan region of the Southeast demonstrated critical race consciousness with reflective writing assignments by analyzing the counterstories of Elizabeth Jennings and Rosa Parks.
Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A c... more Conceptions of who is considered a “hero” impacts how students engage in historical thinking. A case study was conducted in order to gain insights about how a local history research project impacts student perspectives about who is considered a “hero” in historical narratives. Key findings show using primary documents, secondary sources, and reflective writing prompts can promote critical thinking skills about the inclusion and portrayal of “heroes” in secondary and undergraduate history courses.
College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial stude... more College instructors are entering a new frontier of teaching in the 21st century. Millennial students are bringing to university classrooms different experiences regarding the ways they learn and engage in critical thinking. As online universities gain more popularity across the country, higher education institutions are offering more hybrid and distance-learning courses on the Internet match the demand for using technology for teaching and learning. This action research study evaluates how the Annenberg Media digital simulation The Constitutional Convention of 1787 effected student engagement in an undergraduate history course at a community college in a metropolitan region of the Southeast. Practical suggestions are provided for college level history instructors to adapt digital simulations for teaching curricular and content skills that foster critical thinking, digital literacy, and engaged learning.
Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education, 2020
Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data ... more Despite the popularity of online course and degree offerings in higher education, a lack of data persists on the unique challenges and opportunities online faculty face. Gaining insights about these experiences is important to ensure the quality of online teaching as colleges and universities continue expanding e-learning programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the online teaching experiences of two faculty members through the implementation of reflective study methods. Major findings show that faculty access to professional development and mentoring, isolation and connectedness to the campus community, and academic freedom and curriculum control have significant implications for online teaching and student learning. In the wake of COVID-19 as colleges across the nation suddenly are faced with moving to exclusively online learning, this study is needed more than ever.
During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and indiv... more During the Vietnam War, the FBI conducted counterintelligence operations on many groups and individuals seen as communist collaborators and national security threats. The War Resisters League, a pacifist group, was not just a target of FBI surveillance but was cast by the agency as a seditious organization. FBI records and corroborating sources show that Hoover's aim was to consolidate his own power over the Justice Department and, in the later years of the war in Vietnam, the White House. Since the majority of existing scholarship on FBI surveillance of the WRL focuses on the interwar period between World War I and World War II, this study expands this history into the critical period between 1965 and 1973. Within this history is Hoover's process of casting the WRL as a threat and violating members' civil liberties to "thwart" it. This process not only had an impact on the WRL's ability to organize but also created a dynamic between nonviolent antiwar activists and the Department of Justice that remains resonant in the twenty-first century. In January 1969, a high school student wrote a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director J. Edgar Hoover. In it, he requested information about the War Resisters League (WRL), the oldest absolute pacifist group in the United States. The student, a member of a Modern Problems class at Detroit High School, wrote in regards to a letter WRL member Dwight MacDonald sent to the school stating "as a class, we are divided in our attitudes regarding this organization. Some feel it is an over-zealous, patriotic, organization. Others of us, having read Masters of Deceit, have reason to believe it is a Communist front organization." 1 Later that year, a parent wrote to Hoover about the WRL, stating, "I have a son attending college, who is hooked on this 'War Resisters League,' who's [sic] address is 339 Lafayette St. New York. If you could furnish some
Abstract Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to ... more Abstract Asynchronous discussion boards are a common pedagogical tool used by history faculty to promote engaged learning, content comprehension, and historical thinking, writing, and research skills in online courses. Although many higher education institutions are increasing their online history course offerings, there is a gap in the literature about the effectiveness of online teaching on student learning. As initiatives aimed at promoting HIPs at colleges and universities continue to grow, there is a need to examine whether the implementation of the asynchronous discussion board can be considered a HIP, especially when promoting writing intensity and undergraduate research in online history courses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the facilitation of asynchronous discussion boards serves as a HIP. The researcher conducted this study with a total of 167 undergraduate students enrolled in three sections of an online survey United States history course where she taught at a large four-year university in a metropolitan region of the Southeast.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instructi... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not the implementation of an instructional unit about an underrepresented historical figure, specifically Elizabeth Jennings, titled “The Elizabeth Jennings Project” (EJP) creates conditions conducive for middle and secondary social studies students to demonstrate historical empathy. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students. Findings Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP...
Advocacy in Academia and the Role of Teacher Preparation Programs
This is the call for teacher preparation programs to actively incorporate an emphasis on social j... more This is the call for teacher preparation programs to actively incorporate an emphasis on social justice education and the development of teachers committed to creating equitable schools. Education in today's multicultural, pluralistic society must be actively concentrated on and successful at creating more just and unbiased schools for underserved students. Similar to Ladson-Billings' argument for a redefining of ‘good teaching,' there must be a redefinition of that which constitutes social justice teaching. It is the role of today's teacher preparation programs to equip teachers with the essential skills necessary to develop students, manage bias, and create a culture of equity for all. Particularly as it relates to the education, understanding, cultivation, and development of all students in the K-12 school system, a required component of every teacher preparation program must be an increased focus on teaching that is comprehensive, socially just, and impartial.
A study of student engagement in community college undergraduate history courses. Journal on Exce... more A study of student engagement in community college undergraduate history courses. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 24(4), x-x.
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company and won. Despite her legal victory at a time when a favorable ver dict in this kind of case "would not have been achieved in the North before-or after- the Civil War," Elizabeth Jennings slipped into the quiet annals of United States history and is consequently absent from most states' standards.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students.
Findings – Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP” provides insights about how historical empathy pedagogies can connect to national standards and initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for middle and secondary social studies.
Originality/value – Historical empathy refers to deep inquiry in which intellectual and affective responses to content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives and beliefs of people in the past. Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/SSRP-11-2017-0064
company and won. Despite her legal victory at a time when a favorable ver dict in this kind of case "would not have been achieved in the North before-or after- the Civil War," Elizabeth Jennings slipped into the quiet annals of United States history and is consequently absent from most states' standards.
Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology was selected for this study because the researcher implemented the EJP at one school with a small sample size of participants to assess which pedagogical factors, if any, fostered historical empathy through analysis of an underrepresented historical figure among middle and secondary social studies students.
Findings – Major findings highlight that active learning pedagogies, such as in-class debate, were effective strategies that promote historical empathy when middle and secondary students examined documents about an underrepresented historical figure. Analysis of the implementation of “The EJP” provides insights about how historical empathy pedagogies can connect to national standards and initiatives such as the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for middle and secondary social studies.
Originality/value – Historical empathy refers to deep inquiry in which intellectual and affective responses to content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives and beliefs of people in the past. Although there are several studies that address pedagogies that promote historical empathy through examinations of famous historical figures, there is limited research concerning whether students display historical empathy by investigating underrepresented historical figures such as Elizabeth Jennings.
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/SSRP-11-2017-0064