Using student-centered teaching methods presents a great challenge to many new middle and high schoolhistory teachers. Having experienced mostly teacher-centered instructional approaches (such as lectures and teacher-led discussions) in secondary school and college classes, they begin student teaching with few models for how to teach using less traditional forms of instruction.
This paper discusses “Ideas, Issues, and Insights,”
a strategy for prospective history teachers, as they explore the use of student-centered teaching methods withmiddle and high school students. It analyzes written reflection papers where history teacher candidates identifytheir ideas for three student-centered instructional methods
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small group work, primary source analysis, and historical role-plays and simulations
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as well as issues that arise when these student-centered methods areimplemented in the classroom. As history teacher candidates respond to their ideas and issues, they generateinsights about how they can best use student-centered teaching methods in their future classrooms. The first- person perspectives of history teacher candidates are highlighted to show how college students in one universi-ty-based teacher preparation program think about their student teaching experiences and their choice of instructional methods to use with students.