Edited by: Wayne Journell
Foreword by: Joel Westheimer
Afterword by: Tyrone C. Howard
Publication Date: December 31, 2021
COVID-19 offers a unique opportunity to transform the K–12 social studies curriculum, but history suggests that changes to the formal curriculum will not come easily or automatically. This book was conceived in the space between the dismantling of our old way of life and the anticipation of what comes next. The authors in this volume—leading voices in social studies education—make the case that COVID-19 has exposed deficiencies in much of the traditional narrative found in textbooks and state curriculum standards, and they offer guidance for how educators can use the pandemic to pursue a more justice-oriented, critical examination of contemporary society. Divided into two sections, this volume first focuses on how elementary and secondary educators might teach about the pandemic, both as a contentious public issue and as a recent historical event. The second section asks teachers to reconsider many long-standing aspects of social studies teaching and learning, from content and instructional approaches to testing.
Wayne Journell is professor and coordinator of the Secondary Teacher Education Program and Secondary Social Studies Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also is editor of Theory & Research in Social Education and has received two Exemplary Research in Social Studies Awards from the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). His books include Unpacking Fake News: An Educator's Guide to Navigating the Media with Students.