Secondary history teachers' use of images to teach racal history

This study investigated how secondary history teachers who participated in a Teaching American History grant in thought about using images to teach racial history. This research examined how four teachers reflected on and integrated images into their curriculum. The study examined how teachers were using images to teach racial history, how the TAH programs impacted their ability to use images effectively, and challenges they faced when employing images of race in the history classroom.

The study identified four major themes through cross-case analysis that utilized visual literacy and a model of examining how images have been used to teach history. These themes highlighted the teachers’ interest in using images as primary and secondary sources to teach racial history, the strategies the teachers employed, and how their environments supported or limited their ability to implement this curriculum. The findings indicated the teachers made conscious decisions about the specific goals of each presentation and sought out images that would help students develop historical knowledge and empathy. The teachers’ exhibited the ability to convey complex racial narratives to varying degrees, based on their teaching environments and personal beliefs. As a result of the Teaching American History grant, the teachers experimented with new ways of integrating images in their curriculum and several of the teachers experienced shifts in their personal beliefs.

Future research recommendations included examining how history teachers use images as secondary source narratives, and the development of a new model that expands existing visual literacy models to encompass historical thinking skills and an examination of racial history.