Understanding Diversity Through Social and Community Inquiry

Abstract

This article describes a portion of a long-term, action-research project investigating the teaching of an elementary social studies methods course for preservice teachers from a social justice framework. Other major foci for the course are integrated with topics related specifically to social studies teaching and learning: cultural diversity, an inquiry orientation to teaching, and teaching for social justice. The authors describe and analyze the community and social inquiry assignments used to develop the concepts of marginalization and privilege within the course. By examining their students’ developing understanding of marginality, the authors address particular aspects of assignments that seemed to facilitate and hinder this development, offering new understandings of their own practice as teacher educators for social justice. They frame their ongoing agenda for action research to develop learning experiences designed to promote political understanding among preservice teachers as rooted in the fight for social justice and offer suggestions for other teacher educators working to prepare teachers to teach for positive social change.