As mentioned earlier, studying women's history is a personal passion. Prior to my higher education, I was not aware that the field of women's history existed. Several incredibly enlightening courses with passionate professors introduced me to this relatively new and ever changing field. As I learned about great women (and men!) that influenced history in ways that I was not aware and how gender relationships, structures, and hierarchies served as undertones for historical movements and events, I wondered why this side of history was excluded from my high school education. In short, why should students wait until higher education to learn about women's history and gender issues? I turned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) for US History and current US History textbooks to answer the question: where are the women?
Including Women's Voices in Historical Narratives:
A Case Study in the US Civil Rights Movement
Highlighted Course: ECI 523 Teachers as Researchers
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce the methods and skills required for designing, conducting, interpreting, and applying action research - the systematic inquiry into curriculum, instruction, teaching, and learning. This course will focus on reflective inquiry and practical applications.
Using the North Carolina United States History curriculum, I conducted an evaluation of the curriculum using a feminist lens, focusing mainly on the Civil Rights Movement. Instead of researching why women’s voices are largely excluded from the curriculum, I wanted to know how I could include women’s narratives in a history that reflects mostly male experiences. My research question asked, “What kind of strategies and resources can I use to include women’s voices in the common civil rights narrative that is presented in the NC US History curriculum?”
How can I use ideas and theories about new literacies and global learning to increase student learning in the social studies?
I found a number of online resources that teachers can use to explore and extend studies in civil rights. I also suggested that teachers take advantage of Web 2.0 tools such as Animoto, Voicethread, and Glogster to promote development of digital literacies. The wealth of information on the internet, coupled with new and past scholarly research on women in the Civil Rights Movement, can make the inclusion of women in the curriculum possible and exciting for students.
For a detailed analysis on my research on women in the Civil Right's Movement curriculum, read my full essay titled, Teaching the Civil Rights Movement: Where are the Women?
I found a number of online resources that teachers can use to explore and extend studies in civil rights. I also suggested that teachers take advantage of Web 2.0 tools such as Animoto, Voicethread, and Glogster to promote development of digital literacies. The wealth of information on the internet, coupled with new and past scholarly research on women in the Civil Rights Movement, can make the inclusion of women in the curriculum possible and exciting for students.
For a detailed analysis on my research on women in the Civil Right's Movement curriculum, read my full essay titled, Teaching the Civil Rights Movement: Where are the Women?