I have a passion for teaching social studies and teaching others how to successfully convey the important lessons social studies can teach us.
Professor
The ever-changing and exciting world of social studies presents many challenges for both teachers and students. That’s why I’ve devoted my career – both in teaching and research – to the topic of social studies.
My research examines the emotional and affective dimensions of learning, teaching, and learning to teach social studies, particularly when those topics involve the intensities of violence, loss, upheaval, and injustice. I’m most interested in the ways that people make a relationship with with they know, so that the questions I ask are often not about “what’ is known, but instead on “how” that knowledge lands for people. Does it make us excited? Angry? Emboldened? Embarrassed? Even though a full learning about the past or present involves encountering often jarring or unsettling information, my research supports a direct engagement with, rather than avoidance of, this emotional terrain.