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Place-based, social studies teaching and learning has the potential to foster engaged citizens connected and committed to improving their communities. This study explored the research question, “In what ways do classroom and field-based experiences prepare teacher candidates (TCs) to make connections between place-based education and elementary social studies education?”

This qualitative case study examined how elementary TCs learned about, researched, curated and created place-based social studies educational resources related to community sites. Data collection included TCs’ Pre- and Post-Course Reflections as well as Self-Evaluations, which were analyzed using an inductive approach and multiple rounds of concept coding. Several themes emerged through data analysis.

The authors organized their findings around three themes: connections (i.e. place becomes personal), immersion (i.e. learning about place to learning in place) and bridge building (i.e. local as classroom). The classroom and field-based experiences in the elementary social studies methods course informed the ways in which TCs learned about and connected to the concept of place, experienced place in a specific place (i.e. downtown Statesboro, Georgia), and reflected upon the myriad ways that they could utilize place in their future elementary social studies classrooms.

TCs (as well as in-service teachers and teacher educators) must become more informed, connected and committed to places within their local communities in order to consider them as resources for elementary social studies teaching and learning.

Film has long been an instructional tool in social studies education; however, most research and methods for using film to teach social studies are situated at the secondary level. As such, the purpose of this study was to extend and expand what is known about using film in elementary social studies classrooms. More specifically, this qualitative content analysis study explored how and why elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) used film clips from Molly of Denali to design critical Indigenous studies lessons. The data offer insight into the possibilities of using film as a strategy to teach anti-oppressive elementary social studies education.

The authors used qualitative content analysis in this study. Data for this study included 17 lesson planning assignments and corresponding written rationales completed by PSTs in an elementary social studies methods course. Data collected as a result of convenience sampling, given both the authors were the instructors of the methods course. To analyze the data, the authors used a multi-step coding process and a combination of inductive and deductive coding.

Grounded in a framework of anti-oppressive and anti-colonial education, PSTs designed elementary social studies lessons that used film clips from Molly of Denali to increase representation, center a counter-narrative and serve as a motivator. PSTs also infused other sources into their lesson plans, thus extending their lessons beyond the film.

Given the lack of research on how film can be used in elementary social studies classrooms, this study fills a void in the literature. Results of this study suggest that similar to the benefits of using film in secondary classrooms, film can be an engaging and motivating source of information for elementary students. Moreover, when used within a critical pedagogical framework like Sabzalian's (2019) critical orientations of Indigenous studies, film can increase representation and teach anti-oppressive counter-narratives in the elementary classroom.

The need for strong civic education is constant, and teachers are essential to the delivery of civic education in the classroom. Teachers need confidence and competence to transform students’ civic literacy beyond basic levels to deeper levels preparing them to navigate complexities of American democracy. This study explored the impact of an intentional course experience examining teacher candidates’ perceptions of civic literacy and their perceived ability to integrate civic literacy into the curriculum.

This mixed methods study explored teacher candidates (n = 119) perceptions of civic literacy and their perceived ability to integrate civic literacy into the curriculum. Data were collected using pre- and post-surveys. Data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results were analyzed using paired sample t-tests. Qualitative data were analyzed using a general inductive coding process.

Study results indicated a significant difference in pre- and post-responses for both increased knowledge of civic literacy and teacher candidates' perceptions regarding the ability to integrate civic literacy into their future curriculum. Qualitative data indicated teacher candidates expanded civic literacy understanding.

This study emphasized the importance of teacher candidates understanding and integrating civic literacy into their curriculum. Findings show candidates start with low civic literacy and lack integration skills. Education must move beyond compartmentalized social studies. Teachers need both knowledge and skills to educate students in civic literacy effectively, preparing learners for civic engagement. Future studies should embed in-depth qualitative data within quantitative responses and examine professors’ pedagogical practices and focus on civic literacy.

The research explores how these volunteering experiences in Chinese art museums influence students’ future teaching careers and employability.

Our study delves into the educational value of art museum volunteering for higher education students, focussing particularly on those majoring in elementary education. Utilising a triangulation methodology that includes questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and observations, we collected data from 30 art museums across 17 provinces in China. Our research aims to understand how these volunteering experiences influence students’ future teaching careers and employability.

The study examines the types of educational activities offered, the art education experiences gained and the impact on students’ skills. The findings suggest that volunteering enhances students’ practical skills in art education, creativity, critical thinking, cultural understanding and employability, contributing positively to their future educator roles. The findings highlight the importance of partnerships between museums and higher education institutions to improve the quality of art education and the professional preparation of future educators.

We identified some limitations. Because the period of investigation for this study was limited to a recent year, the unique strategies and techniques for conducting educational practices varied from museum to museum, resulting in different barriers and opportunities for improvement for volunteers. This study did not conduct a detailed analysis of gender- and region-specific differences, nor did it include interviews with museum educators and educational program spokespersons or an analysis of their opinions.

Our research fills a notable gap in the existing literature by focussing on the Asian context and underscores the importance of collaborative efforts between museums and higher education institutions.

In this article, the authors explore one way that teacher preparation programs and elementary schools can collaborate to enhance science instruction for elementary school learners. This paper provides an overview of a project where a teacher candidate worked with six classroom teachers to organize science materials and prepare for science lessons.

This project included targeted assistance from a teacher candidate in “unpacking” a kit of science materials and a feedback survey given to classroom teachers after the project.

After the teacher candidate helped “unpack” the science kits, teachers reported that they were more confident in teaching lessons from the curriculum. The teacher candidate reported that she learned more about how materials can be used in science teaching and learning.

This project showed how PDS can involve teacher candidates in spanning boundaries to elementary science teaching to enhance outcomes for all stakeholders.

This article presents a professional development partnership which has grown together through collaboration resulting in increased capacity to engage mentor teachers (MTs), nurture teacher candidates (TCs), partner in university coursework and professional development, innovate teacher preparation practices and place new teachers with a strong sense of autonomy into surrounding school districts.

This is a descriptive paper of a Professional Development Schools (PDS) partnership.

This paper describes characteristics of a PDS partnership.

This paper describes the characteristics and activities of a PDS partnership that was a recipient of the 2024 NASUP Exemplary PDS Partnership Award.

This chapter examines the University of Connecticut (UConn) Neag School of Education's efforts to improve the recruitment of students of colour through an Early College Experience (ECE) Programme. During the pandemic, the School of Education and the ECE Programme collaborated to train and certify high school teachers to instruct the UConn's lower level undergraduate courses. The programme exposed many students of colour to teaching as a career.