Through place-based learning and critical inquiry, teacher candidates explore how to teach history in ways that foster equity, connection, and belonging.
Teacher candidates in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams Elementary Education program participated in a place-based learning experience at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, supported by an I-Excel Mini-Grant from the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development.
As part of their Social Studies Methods and Materials course, students are encouraged to critically examine their understanding of U.S. history, with particular attention to voices and perspectives that have been historically marginalized or omitted.
The museum visit extended this work in meaningful ways. Located at the original site of the 1960 Woolworth sit-ins, the museum offers an immersive opportunity to engage with the lived experiences of the Civil Rights Movement. Being in the space where history unfolded allows students to move beyond texts and develop a deeper, more personal understanding of the courage, resistance and collective action that shaped this pivotal moment.
Throughout the semester, students also participate in a weekly book club featuring texts that center historically marginalized perspectives. These discussions foster critical reflection, dialogue, and a deeper awareness of how history is constructed and taught.
Together, these experiences support principles of responsive and inclusive teaching while aligning with state and national social studies standards. In this way, teacher candidates begin to see teaching as a relational and reflective practice, one that calls them to honor diverse histories, foster meaningful connections, and create learning spaces rooted in equity and belonging.