Beyond the Invisible Barriers of the Classroom: iEngage and Civic Praxis

Research literature suggests students need to engage in actual civic experiences; however, in most cases, teachers feel unwilling or unable to facilitate experiences beyond the formal classroom setting. In this project, we sought to understand the relationship between social studies teachers’ civic ideology, pedagogical approaches, and instructional decision-making through their engagement in an action civics camp. The project is part of a more significant effort to help critically minded teachers engage in more activist praxis by moving past the often-limiting ideological barriers of the classroom. By activist praxis, we refer to the ways a teacher’s ideology informs pedagogy related to the ways they are able and willing to extend civic engagement into the material and social world. Activist praxis is part of a teacher’s continual engagement in efforts to create the conditions for a more just and equitable public sphere