Routledge Civic Education for Diverse Citizens in Global Times: Rethinking Theory and Practice (Rutgers Invitational Symposium on Education Series)

This book explores four interrelated themes: rethinking civic education in light of the diversity of U.S. society; re-examining these notions in an increasingly interconnected global context; re-considering the ways that civic education is researched and practiced; and taking stock of where we are currently through use of an historical understanding of civic education.There is a gap between theory and practice in social studies education: while social studies researchers call for teachers to nurture skills of analysis, decision-making, and participatory citizenship, students in social studies classrooms are often found participating in passive tasks (e.g., quiz and test-taking, worksheet completion, listening to lectures) rather than engaging critically with the curriculum. Civic Education for Diverse Citizens in Global Times, directed at students, researchers and practitioners of social studies education, seeks to engage this divide by offering a collection of work that puts practice at the center of research and theory. Review "Each of the 12 chapters in this text will leave practitioners, researches, curriculum designers, and anyone else interested in the future of citizenship education rethinking their understanding of the intersection of theory and practice…This book would be useful to reflective practitioners engaged in citizenship education as a research interest, and policy makers who are concerned with revitalizing civic education programs."--James Carpenter, Theory & Research in Social Education (Winter 2009): 144-148