Social Studies Interview Project

Social Studies Interview Project

About the project

Because field experiences during a pandemic were limited during the Fall 2020 semester, the Social Studies Education Program at Indiana University launched an effort to interview social studies stakeholders across the United States. We used these recordings in our methods courses to expose our teacher candidates to diverse voices from the field in order to approximate some of the personal practical wisdom often shared between mentors and students.

These interviews cover a range of topics such as distance learning, the habits of good teachers, civics education, teaching current events and news literacy, and engaging in classroom discussions. The social studies stakeholders interviewed for this project are award winning radio journalists, classroom educators, administrators, and foundation directors.

Each interview features discussion questions that were successful in generating reflective thinking in our program. We are delighted to share these interviews with the social studies teacher education community as another resource to use in your educational spaces.

About the host

Ryan Cowden, a doctoral student in the Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies program is the host of these interviews. He taught social studies for seven years in Southern California public schools, and has also trained educators and leaders as an AVID Staff Developer. Ryan is a seasoned podcaster. His School of Thought Podcast focuses on bringing insights from the fields of leadership and communication into education.