Preparing Teachers for a New Generation of Social Studies Learners: Introducing the National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers

Abstract

What kinds of knowledge, skills, and dispositions are needed in order to prepare social studies teachers for twenty-first century learners? Answering this question is the core pursuit of the latest revision of the National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers. For several decades, the National Council for the Social Studies has published standards that assist in the review and accreditation of social studies teacher education programs. Each revision has recalibrated how the field answers the question of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Since 2004, the stance of the field has been that social studies teacher education programs should focus on interdisciplinary, thematic, and subject-specific content knowledge, and that candidates should be able to create meaningful learning experiences that shape the democratic dispositions of students.