Papers by Simone Schweber
... I am reminded of Peter Novick's dispiriting argument that how you make sense of whic... more ... I am reminded of Peter Novick's dispiriting argument that how you make sense of which analogies to draw from the Holocaust or what les-sons you believe the Holocaust bears, are purely reflections of personal choice, a matter of what clicks or doesn't rather than what ...
Schweber and Resenly’s chapter, “Curricular imprints or the presence of curricular pasts: A study... more Schweber and Resenly’s chapter, “Curricular imprints or the presence of curricular pasts: A study of one third grader’s Holocaust education 12 years later,” examines the long-term effects of a student’s encounter with the Holocaust. Based largely on interview data, the authors look at how individual and collective identity mediates Holocaust memory and how early curricular experiences matter over time. They conclude that in this case, experiences with Holocaust education in later years and avoidance of so-called casual learning about the topic followed an emotional pattern set by that early experience in formal education. The research highlights the challenges of learning about the Holocaust in depth at a young age, perhaps especially for Jewish children who identify with Jewish victimization.
Based on research conducted within a Lubavitch girls' yeshivah in the United States, this art... more Based on research conducted within a Lubavitch girls' yeshivah in the United States, this article describes in detail how the Holocaust was taught and learned about in an eighth grade, secular studies classroom. The article describes the yeshivah, its site and students, and the teacher and the unit she taught. Special attention is given to the meaning the students made of their learning. The article concludes by arguing that the Shoah was rendered mysterious in this classroom, that the teaching of history was compromised, and that both the students' historical understandings and religious growth opportunities were shortchanged in the process.
Peabody Journal of Education
Act 10, the 2011 legislative ruling in Wisconsin that reduced public-sector unions' collectiv... more Act 10, the 2011 legislative ruling in Wisconsin that reduced public-sector unions' collective bargaining power, provides a descriptive case study to examine what happens to teachers when collective bargaining disappears. Analysis of interviews with social studies teachers (n = 26) from a stratified random sample of 13 districts shows that the most salient changes for teachers post-Act 10 include increased workloads, reduced pay and benefits, decreased job stability, and unchecked school board and administrative power. These findings are consistent across communities of different sizes and political leanings. In concert with a slew of other reforms initiated within a context of decreased union power, these changes have led to teachers feeling uncertain and vulnerable as well as experiencing a loss of “meaningful teaching.” Interviewees expressed doubts about whether they should continue teaching and concerns for the future of the profession.
Theory & Research in Social Education, 2016
Abstract The protests against the Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin during the spring of 2011 provi... more Abstract The protests against the Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin during the spring of 2011 provide a powerful moment in which to examine social studies teachers’ curricular, pedagogic, and personal political decisions in the context of a local, controversial current event. We engaged 7 middle and high school social studies teachers from small and large, liberal and conservative communities who participated in the protests in in-depth, semi-structured interviews using direct prompts rooted in critical incident scaffolding and open questions in keeping with oral history traditions. The teachers’ stories reveal the profound significance of that moment in their lives, the ways in which teaching through turmoil deepened their political awareness and activism, a range of factors influencing their decisions of whether or not to disclose their opinions to their students, the importance of the need for “balanced” teaching of controversial issues, and the ways in which they feel their voices have been silenced in the aftermath of the legislation.
Teachers College Record, 2008
Beyond Pedagogy, 2014
The administrators at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum like to remind people that the museum ha... more The administrators at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum like to remind people that the museum has only been open since 1994, which at the time of this writing, puts the age of the museum at 20 years. The institution, they mean, is just post adolescence, with all that implies.
Jewish Social Studies: History, Culture, and Society, 2008
Based on research conducted within a Lubavitch girls' yeshivah in the United States, this art... more Based on research conducted within a Lubavitch girls' yeshivah in the United States, this article describes in detail how the Holocaust was taught and learned about in an eighth grade, secular studies classroom. The article describes the yeshivah, its site and students, and the teacher and the unit she taught. Special attention is given to the meaning the students made
Theory & Research in Social Education, 2006
Qualitative Inquiry, 2007
By juxtaposing the experiences of conducting research at two schools, one a Charismatic, evangeli... more By juxtaposing the experiences of conducting research at two schools, one a Charismatic, evangelical, fundamentalist Christian school, the other, an ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jewish girls’ school, the author discusses prevailing notions of subjectivity, arguing that postmodern and postpositivistic models of subjectivity apply, but that their applications are best imagined as profoundly context driven.
Journal of Jewish Education, 1999
Considered as a field of inquiry, research on Holocaust education remains highly underdeveloped. ... more Considered as a field of inquiry, research on Holocaust education remains highly underdeveloped. Most research has focused on the production of Holocaust meaning rather than its reception. Thus, while the Holocaust is taught about in different countries and at various grade-levels, the effects of such efforts remain elusive, especially within Jewish educational settings. Much Holocaust education continues to focus on
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Papers by Simone Schweber