Papers by Sandra Oldendorf
Elementary students in North Carolina are not required to take social studies standardized tests.... more Elementary students in North Carolina are not required to take social studies standardized tests. As a result, assumptions about social studies instruction have emerged. The assumptions represent perceptions or misperceptions about whether the subject is being taught, whether it is valued, and whether there are pressures to ignore social studies to focus on tested subjects. Data from a multi-university, longitudinal study examining the state of social studies in elementary grades are highlighted. Selected findings from the statewide research provide a framework for considering the assumptions. Recommendations suggest a team approach to advocating for the social studies.
Social studies and the young learner, 2008
This paper describes and evaluates a 2-year collaborative project between two rural high schools ... more This paper describes and evaluates a 2-year collaborative project between two rural high schools and a teacher education college in Montana. An introduction covers rural teaching issues, rural school advantages and disadvantages, the demographics of the participating schools, rural collaborative efforts, and the microteaching experience. High school students came to the college once a week for 6 weeks to be taught lessons prepared by preservice teachers in conjunction with their methods course. Over a 2-year period, 170 participating high school students, 10 high school teachers, 3 administrators and 160 preservice teachers were surveyed to ascertain the effectiveness of the program. Evaluation methods included questionnaires, oral and videotaped interviews, debriefing sessions, observational and anecdotal evidence, and journals kept by the preservice teachers. Responses from teachers, administrators, high school students, and preservice teachers are summarized. Analysis highlights collaborative resonance (program enrichment through school-college collaboration), consensus building, collaborative planning of lessons and units, the value of reflection and critique for preservice teachers, positive student attitudes toward social studies and history, and increased college aspirations among students. (Contains 42 references.) (SAS)
A volume in International Social Studies Forum: The Series Series Editors Richard Diem, Universit... more A volume in International Social Studies Forum: The Series Series Editors Richard Diem, University of Texas at San Antonio and Jeff Passe, Towson University There may be no topic that is more controversial in our country and in our schools than religion. Changing demographics and the evolving relationship between religion and politics have resulted in conflicts concerning teaching about religion, teaching about evolution, and prayers at graduation. In spite of laws and policies designed to clarify these challenges, the relationship between religion and the schools remains a powerful and conflicted issue. And yet, religious literacy is essential for people of all ages to understand historical and contemporary cultures and conflicts as well as different beliefs and practices of people in our communities and around the world. Many of the concerns raised about teaching children about religion can be addressed through the use of authentic children's and adolescent literature. The use...
The topic of migrant workers is commonplace among headlines in the national news, but such worker... more The topic of migrant workers is commonplace among headlines in the national news, but such workers have been part of the United States economy for at least seventy-five years, as can be seen in decades of enrollment records in K-12 schools.1 Migrant students have been, until recent years, a concern for schools closest to the US-Mexican border, but children of migrant workers are now part of the social fabric across the country—there are almost one million in our schools today.2 Teachers can help their students, both migrant and non-migrant, understand the experiences of this ever-growing population, and thus aid in dismantling stereotypes and building a stronger democratic citizenry. First, we must define a few terms.3 For the purposes of classroom discussion, we define an “immigrant” as any person who has come to the United States from another country. (Depending on where the speaker stands on the controversial issue of immigration, one who enters the United States without permissi...
Social Studies and the Young Learner, 2008
Social Studies and the Young Learner, 2006
The topic of migrant workers is commonplace among headlines in the national news, but such worker... more The topic of migrant workers is commonplace among headlines in the national news, but such workers have been part of the United States economy for at least seventy-five years, as can be seen in decades of enrollment records in K-12 schools. In this article, the authors discuss ...
This paper describes and evaluates a 2-year collaborative project between two rural high schools ... more This paper describes and evaluates a 2-year collaborative project between two rural high schools and a teacher education college in Montana. An introduction covers rural teaching issues, rural school advantages and disadvantages, the demographics of the participating schools, rural collaborative efforts, and the microteaching experience. High school students came to the college once a week for 6 weeks to be taught lessons prepared by preservice teachers in conjunction with their methods course. Over a 2-year period, 170 participating high school students, 10 high school teachers, 3 administrators and 160 preservice teachers were surveyed to ascertain the effectiveness of the program. Evaluation methods included questionnaires, oral and videotaped interviews, debriefing sessions, observational and anecdotal evidence, and journals kept by the preservice teachers. Responses from teachers, administrators, high school students, and preservice teachers are summarized. Analysis highlights collaborative resonance (program enrichment through school-college collaboration), consensus building, collaborative planning of lessons and units, the value of reflection and critique for preservice teachers, positive student attitudes toward social studies and history, and increased college aspirations among students. (Contains 42 references.) (SAS)
Theory & Research in Social Education, 1989
... Pages: N/A. Pub Types: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive. Abstract: Examines the histor... more ... Pages: N/A. Pub Types: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive. Abstract: Examines the history and vocabularies of the Highlander Folk School (Tennessee), an adult education school emphasizing decision-making, critical thinking, and active citizen participation. ...
Theory & Research in Social Education, 2006
In response to the growing concern of the marginalization of social studies education, members of... more In response to the growing concern of the marginalization of social studies education, members of the North Carolina Professors of Social Studies Education (NCPSSE) organization began a longitudinal study in 2003 to examine elementary social studies education. This study is ...
Social Studies and the …, 2007
In this article, the authors emphasize the role of elementary social studies teachers as citizen ... more In this article, the authors emphasize the role of elementary social studies teachers as citizen activists and reformers. The authors call upon all teachers to become AGENTS for change in order to strengthen the role of social studies in elementary schools, to guarantee that all ...
Social Studies and the …, 2007
In this article, the authors emphasize the role of elementary social studies teachers as citizen ... more In this article, the authors emphasize the role of elementary social studies teachers as citizen activists and reformers. The authors call upon all teachers to become AGENTS for change in order to strengthen the role of social studies in elementary schools, to guarantee that all ...
Childhood Education, Jun 22, 2005
... The tale of Ganesh, the little boy devoted to protecting his mother, Parvati, the beautiful g... more ... The tale of Ganesh, the little boy devoted to protecting his mother, Parvati, the beautiful goddess, is a good example. ... Buddhism was begun in India by a Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who left the confines of his palace to seek out the meaning of suffering, illness, old ...
Religion & Education, 2005
... Religion in Schools in the Rural South Sandra Brenneman Oldendorf and Connie R. Green ... Dis... more ... Religion in Schools in the Rural South Sandra Brenneman Oldendorf and Connie R. Green ... Discussion and Implications We believe that the implications of our study affect both preservice and inservice teacher education. Our discussion centers on the following themes: ...
Childhood Education, 2005
... The tale of Ganesh, the little boy devoted to protecting his mother, Parvati, the beautiful g... more ... The tale of Ganesh, the little boy devoted to protecting his mother, Parvati, the beautiful goddess, is a good example. ... Buddhism was begun in India by a Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who left the confines of his palace to seek out the meaning of suffering, illness, old ...
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Papers by Sandra Oldendorf