Our World around the Corner: How Youths Make Meaning of Place, Belonging, and Citizenship
This six-month qualitative study examines the question: How do youths conceptualize and experience place and to what extent does place inform their sense of belonging and global citizenship? Through individual and group interviews, site visits, and analysis of photographs taken by eighteen participants between the ages of 14 and 18, connections between race and place, power and the construction of borders, trans-national mediascapes and disruptions of our imagined community, and the relationship between mobility, global citizenship, and survival emerged as just a few of the key findings related to how youths imagine place and relate place to their sense of belonging in a global age.
Global citizenship research remains a growing and contested area of study; however, how one’s consciousness of place relates to her or his identity and sense of belonging within the literature is still emerging. This project is framed by the discourses of flexibility and hybridity that are shared across the theoretical scholarship of critical geography, cultural studies, and citizenship education. My work integrates these theoretical approaches to forge new ways of thinking about the experiences of youths in relation to urban and global places, and more thoroughly illustrates the complex and evolving nature of how youths of color conceptualize citizenship and places as fluid rather than static or of fixed meaning. By adopting a trans-disciplinary approach, I not only advance the place of critical geography and youth culture in the field of education, but also have initiated a line of research that will examine how the perspectives and experiences of youths can inform a more place-conscious and globally responsive approach to teacher education and the work of in-service educators.
Global citizenship research remains a growing and contested area of study; however, how one’s consciousness of place relates to her or his identity and sense of belonging within the literature is still emerging. This project is framed by the discourses of flexibility and hybridity that are shared across the theoretical scholarship of critical geography, cultural studies, and citizenship education. My work integrates these theoretical approaches to forge new ways of thinking about the experiences of youths in relation to urban and global places, and more thoroughly illustrates the complex and evolving nature of how youths of color conceptualize citizenship and places as fluid rather than static or of fixed meaning. By adopting a trans-disciplinary approach, I not only advance the place of critical geography and youth culture in the field of education, but also have initiated a line of research that will examine how the perspectives and experiences of youths can inform a more place-conscious and globally responsive approach to teacher education and the work of in-service educators.
Critical Place-based Pedagogy in Social Studies Teacher Education
This project seeks to understand: How do teacher candidates in secondary social studies make meaning of their lived experiences in relation to space and place and to what extent do they draw connections between these experiences and teaching in a culturally responsive, place-relevant manner in social studies?
Based on interviews and analysis of blog reflections and multimedia images posted on a social media site used by each participant, research findings revealed: (1) teacher candidates developed a more critical understanding of social construction and place making through experiential learning; (2) that through experiential learning and the use of social media teacher candidates developed an increased understanding of how culture and space intersect; (3) applying the concepts learned in their teacher education class created new understandings for what it means to teach social studies in a culturally responsive manner, but the extent to which teacher candidates enact those perspectives is still developing.
Based on interviews and analysis of blog reflections and multimedia images posted on a social media site used by each participant, research findings revealed: (1) teacher candidates developed a more critical understanding of social construction and place making through experiential learning; (2) that through experiential learning and the use of social media teacher candidates developed an increased understanding of how culture and space intersect; (3) applying the concepts learned in their teacher education class created new understandings for what it means to teach social studies in a culturally responsive manner, but the extent to which teacher candidates enact those perspectives is still developing.
Fostering Global Citizenship Education for Teachers through On-Line Research
This project involved one hundred and twenty-six International Baccalaureate (IB) teachers in more than thirty countries who, through the use of asynchronous online discussion forums, exchanged ideas and best practices on how they conceptualize and teach about multiple perspectives and global citizenship through the development of international-mindedness (Hayden, Rancic, & Thompson, 2000) world-mindedness, (Cushner, 2002; Sampson & Smith, 1957) and global-mindedness (Kirkwood, 2001). One’s participation in the study and the nature by which the study was conducted affected teachers’ conceptualization of what global citizenship education entails and the extent to which they think of themselves as global citizens. Data analysis revealed that during their participation and upon reflection on their experience in the study, participants developed new ideas about the importance of open-mindedness, interconnectedness, multiple perspectives, and cross-cultural learning experiences. We showed how online data collection and research on global citizenship education transformed teachers’ conceptualization and teaching about global citizenship while they discussed how they teach about these very concepts.