‘I know what you are about to enter’: lived experiences as the curricular foundation for teaching citizenship

ABSTRACT

This qualitative multiple case study documents how two African American women social studies teachers utilise their lived experiences as the curricular foundation for teaching differing notions of citizenship to African-American students. Particular events, experiences, and relationships helped shape their perception of their roles as teachers and how they approached crafting a curriculum that was representative of their lived experiences as well as those of their students and community. This study hopes to shed light on how experiences may be used as valuable sources of knowledge in creating a more inclusive curriculum that mirrors the diversity seen in classrooms.

KEYWORDS:

• African-American teachers
• curriculum
• black feminism
• social studies education
• citizenship

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. “Lifting as we climb” was the motto of National Association of Coloured Women.