Date of Award
Fall 12-17-2019
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership (Ed.D)
Department
Educational Leadership
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Theresa Alviar-Martin
Committee Chair
Dr. Erin Adams
Second Committee Member
Dr. Daphne Hubbard-Berry
Abstract
Research shows that students need opportunities to engage in strategies that will enhance their critical thinking skills. With pressure on teachers to prepare students for state assessments, teachers teach to the test, not giving students chances to dialogue with their peers. To produce citizens in a genuinely democratic world, the voices of students is crucial. Socratic Seminar is a classroom methodology that can foster critical thinking skills and cultivate a democratic learning environment. The purpose of this participatory action research study is to examine teachers’ dispositions of critical thinking in elementary social studies classrooms as students think beyond the text. This research also examines coaching considerations, teachers’ provisions of coaching, and challenges faced when executing Socratic Seminars.