Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This session is part of “Perspectives in History,” the 2021 Oklahoma History Conference. Schools in the United States tend to be framed upon Eurocentric ideologies (Abela & Dague, 2020), thereby silencing the many voices and experiences that create the fabric of the United States. By creating classrooms where students either acclimate to the colonial mindset or do not, teachers force students to choose between being included (Brayboy, 2014) or ostracizing themselves in favor of a subjective, sometimes standards-based truth. However, our country’s very nature as a gumbo-style melting pot means instruction must be based on more than only European ideologies. Recent attention to civil unrest has highlighted an underlying issue in public schools: equal education does not mean equal representation in school curricula. Adding other voices in instruction to Social Studies coursework, particularly through storytelling, can provide a more robust understanding of the communities in which schools exist. This session will explore strategies to offer inclusive instruction and ways to encourage Social Studies instruction that focuses not only on content-based instructional methodologies but skill-building activities that can help develop better-informed citizens of tomorrow.
Dr. Amber J. Godwin is an assistant clinical professor at Sam Houston State University. Her research aims to develop critical thinking experiences for learners and explore interventions that enhance social studies education. She was previously employed in Florida and Texas school systems as a teacher. She has served as an essay scorer for AP College Board, a contractor for McGraw-Hill, and a question writer.
This session is part of “Perspectives in History,” the 2021 Oklahoma History Conference. Schools in the United States tend to be framed upon Eurocentric ideologies (Abela & Dague, 2020), thereby silencing the many voices and experiences that create the fabric of the United States. By creating classrooms where students either acclimate to the colonial mindset or do not, teachers force students to choose between being included (Brayboy, 2014) or ostracizing themselves in favor of a subjective, sometimes standards-based truth. However, our country’s very nature as a gumbo-style melting pot means instruction must be based on more than only European ideologies. Recent attention to civil unrest has highlighted an underlying issue in public schools: equal education does not mean equal representation in school curricula. Adding other voices in instruction to Social Studies coursework, particularly through storytelling, can provide a more robust understanding of the communities in which schools exist. This session will explore strategies to offer inclusive instruction and ways to encourage Social Studies instruction that focuses not only on content-based instructional methodologies but skill-building activities that can help develop better-informed citizens of tomorrow.
Dr. Amber J. Godwin is an assistant clinical professor at Sam Houston State University. Her research aims to develop critical thinking experiences for learners and explore interventions that enhance social studies education. She was previously employed in Florida and Texas school systems as a teacher. She has served as an essay scorer for AP College Board, a contractor for McGraw-Hill, and a question writer.
