From Classroom Community to Civic Community: Three Activities for Social Studies Teachers and Teacher Educators

Authors

• Sonia Janis, University of GeorgiaFollow
• Samantha Hand, University of GeorgiaFollow
• Hyelin Kim, University of GeorgiaFollow

Abstract

In politically uncertain times, social studies educators must cultivate classrooms where students feel valued, develop trust, take intellectual risks, and engage substantively with controversial issues and difficult histories. Drawing on our implementation of three community-building activities in a spring 2026 social studies education course, we describe how pre-service teachers (PSTs) experienced these activities as opportunities for relationship-building, identity exploration, and collaborative learning while preparing to teach difficult histories to local eighth-grade students. Each activity is paired with adaptations for middle and high school settings, including suggestions that attend to technology, student privacy, and diverse forms of expression. Community-building is an essential pedagogical foundation for sustaining inclusive, culturally responsive social studies classrooms and creating the necessary conditions for civic discourse. The activities are for both teacher educators working with PSTs and practicing social studies teachers seeking to build classrooms where students engage across difference.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Janis, Sonia; Hand, Samantha; and Kim, Hyelin (2026) "From Classroom Community to Civic Community: Three Activities for Social Studies Teachers and Teacher Educators," Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 3.

Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sspeach/vol4/iss2/3