Social Studies Education

Preservice teachers often turn to platforms on the teacher-to-teacher online marketplace of ideas, such as Pinterest, Instagram, and TeachersPayTeachers, to develop curriculum and find classroom ideas and inspiration. This qualitative case study explored the purposes one elementary preservice student teacher expressed for using these platforms, how she wove materials from Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers into a 12-lesson social studies unit, and the impact of those materials on curricular coherence. Using theories of boundary crossing and pedagogical design capacity, the author argues that materials from these platforms are appealing to preservice teachers as potential boundary crossing objects, but a lack of pedagogical design capacity can lead to an activity-first mentality that impedes curricular coherence.

Given heightened scrutiny and conflicting messages surrounding history curricula, it is important to examine how teachers navigate online searches for planning and the literacies they employ. Using a critical digital literacies framework, the authors explored the search strategies, sites visited, and guiding values of 19 United States social studies teachers as they used internet resources to plan lessons on histories they identified as “difficult.” Most chose histories associated with genocide, enslavement, and/or colonialism. Using both free and paid websites, teachers considered credibility, bias, and diverse perspectives, while also taking into account school district approval and caregiver concerns. A small percentage of teachers discussed issues related to critical consciousness during their searches. Implications for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers are included.

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly integrated into K-12 education, it holds significant potential to enhance social studies instruction through personalized learning, inquiry-based exploration, and interactive simulations. However, the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) and GenAI in social studies requires a clear framework that aligns with the discipline’s emphasis on critical thinking, inclusivity, and civic engagement. This article introduces CIVIC, a framework of five pillars for using AI in social studies education: encouraging human-AI cointelligent partnerships in learning, ensuring responsible, inclusive, and equitable AI use, promoting the critical evaluation of AI-generated content, enhancing inquiry-based learning, and preparing for the future in the era of GenAI. Drawing from current literature and research, the CIVIC framework offers practical strategies for educators to incorporate AI and GenAI effectively into their classrooms while addressing challenges related to bias, data privacy, and the ethical implications of AI in historical and civic contexts. By following these guidelines, educators can leverage AI to support student engagement and learning while preparing students for the complexities of an AI-driven society.

In this editorial, the authors explore how history educators are navigating generative AI (GenAI) in the classroom. Drawing on insights from a Summer Institute providing professional development about GenAI and the metaphor of Seven Blind Mice, they describe how teachers come to GenAI with partial understandings, conflicting emotions, and a shared desire to make sense of a rapidly evolving tool. Building on existing frameworks like technoskepticism and technoromanticism, they introduce technocuriosity: a conceptual and methodological stance rooted in situated experimentation, speculative ethics, and critical engagement. Rather than asking whether GenAI should be used, technocuriosity asks how it is being configured, what it makes possible, and who gets to shape its educational futures. They argue that GenAI is not just a tool but a figural, co-intelligent actor in classrooms and that history educators have a critical role to play in steering its development.