Educative Curriculum Materials

Abstract

This study explored the dynamic teacher-curriculum relationship to determine whether experiences with educative curriculum materials for using historical photographs might contribute to three social studies teachers’ professional teaching knowledge as it relates to problem-based historical inquiry. Specifically, this three-iteration design experiment examined any changes in participating teachers’ understanding of the following four research-based principles: learning should be purposeful, connected, active, and structured to encourage success. Data obtained from this implementation also addressed the following questions: can educative curriculum materials featuring historical photographs help social studies teachers develop professional teaching knowledge as it relates to problem-based historical inquiry? How do social studies teachers who are new to problem-based historical inquiry interact with and use educative curriculum materials featuring historical photographs? Can educative curriculum materials designed to develop problem-based historical inquiry influence teachers’ practice decisions? Can educative curriculum materials help teachers’ articulate a professional teaching knowledge as it relates to problem-based historical inquiry? While the three participants tended to use the educative curriculum materials virtually indistinguishably from traditional resources, they each seemed to become more reflective; the educative curriculum materials seemed to prompt in the teachers a rather modest development of a more professional teaching knowledge as it relates to problem-based historical inquiry.