Creating Citizens: Lessons in Relationships, Personal Growth, and Community in One Secondary Social Studies Classroom

Abstract

This article presents findings from a study examining how a secondary social studies teacher used curriculum and pedagogy to help racially/ethnically diverse students from low socioeconomic backgrounds build community to become active citizens with the capacity for democratic living. In particular, the article discusses his emphasis on critical thinking, building of community, and thorough disciplinary content. The resulting pedagogy, Classroom-based Multicultural Democratic Education (CMDE), is a re-conceptualization of democratic education that has the potential to help teachers transform a racially/ethnically diverse politically disengaged student population into an active democratic citizenry.

Notes

¹Civic engagement can be divided into three main categories (civic activities, electoral activities, and political voice activities) and assessed in numerous ways, such as voting, membership in civic and service organizations, attendance at local government meetings, or correspondence with government officials (Ketter, Zukin, Andolina & Jenkins, 2002; Lopez et al., 2006; Zukin, Keeter, Andolina, Jenkins, & Delli Carpini, 2006).

²For a more detailed discussion on multicultural democracy, please see Marri (2003) and Parker (1996).

³All names used in this article are pseudonyms.

⁴This is a famous picture of Elizabeth Eckford, 15, and one of the “Little Rock Nine,” as she walked to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.