Abstract

Immigrants come from all over the world to live in the United States for a number of reasons. Of the many who enter the U.S. each year, a greater portion are youth who have little or no ability to speak English and who are placed in K-12 mainstream classrooms. Although the task of teaching social studies to immigrant youth can be daunting for educators, rather than considering newcomers as a hindrance, immigrant students should be viewed as assets to the social studies classroom. Immigrant youth, particularly refugees, who have witnessed conflict and violence in their homeland, possess first-hand knowledge of the geographic, historical, political, and economic causes of events. As social studies is based on perspectives, immigrant students are primary resources from which other students can learn. Since social studies highlights aspects of culture, immigrants can offer insight about their language, religion, and traditions, much of which others generally lack understanding. Immigrant students are pools of knowledge that social studies textbooks cannot replicate. Immigrants should be viewed as enriching resources for the social studies curriculum, as well as individuals who have the potential to inspire others with their knowledge and commended for bringing authenticity to historical and contemporary events and issues. The purpose of this study is to consider ways in which immigrants can benefit the social studies classroom and how students, as well as teachers, can learn from immigrants who come from different backgrounds.

Presenters

Rina R. Bousalis
Associate Professor of Social Studies Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Florida Atlantic University, Florida, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Education and Learning in a World of Difference

KEYWORDS

Immigrants, Social Studies, Assets, Perspective, Culture, Refugees, Curriculum

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