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Posts by Lightning Jay

Abstract

Abstract

How are history teachers teaching about rightwing movements in this current moment of increasing authoritarianism? Join Rob Martinelle, Lightning Jay, and I tomorrow at our #AERA2026 roundtable. Sat, April 11, 1:45 to 3:15 pm, JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Ground Floor, Gold 2.

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Now with an open-access link www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

4 weeks ago 1 0 0 0

In many cases, discussions about students' social identities, race, and class are not directly connected to teaching. This study makes the case that engaging in the connection between practice and imagining students more directly may improve teacher education.

1 month ago 1 1 0 0

I found that teacher educators are constantly prompting teachers to imagine their future students, and that preservice teachers are happy to oblige! They celebrate students' capacity for inquiry, for learning, and for insight.

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University of Chicago Press Journals: Cookie absent

New paper! When teachers are learning about what to do in the classroom, they are also implicitly learning about students. What do their teacher education methods courses tell them about their future pupils? www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

1 month ago 4 1 1 2

Here's a story that deserves attention.

These standards push Trump talking points into school curriculum.

For real, it's the worst I’ve seen in over 100 years of right-wing school aggression.

2 months ago 5 1 2 0
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A more complete Latin American history, including centuries of US influence, helps students understand the complexities surrounding Nicolás Maduro’s arrest High school students in the US often learn about Latin America through the lens of the US, as a main character that exerts power.

New explainer with a Ana Ros, a Binghamton colleague. If we don't teach students to understand American violence abroad, they won't understand American violence at home.
theconversation.com/a-more-compl...

2 months ago 2 0 0 0

Read it last year. Still thinking about it. It's such a gem.

6 months ago 1 0 0 0

The trend is similar in Blue, Red, and Purple states, which suggests there is something about this narrative that is politically palatable. I argue, however, that graduating students who do not know about the defining political movement of their time is a failure of social studies education.

7 months ago 1 0 1 0

The biggest gap is around social movements, activists, and the individual people, issues, and goals that make up the Right.

7 months ago 1 0 1 0
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I look at the state standards for the 30 most populous states and discover a deep avoidance of the modern conservative movements in most states. There is some discussion of presidential administrations (particularly Nixon and Reagan), but few other politicians.

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The modern political right in United States history standards The last decade has seen a global rise in the power of the political Right. In some countries, that has meant a shift towards centre-right traditional conservativism. In others, more radical rightw...

New Article! What do high school students learn about rightwing history? Not very much. www.tandfonline.com/eprint/C7MT4...

7 months ago 6 1 1 0

Good thinkers having good discussions. As we gear up for another year in the classroom, how can we make our classrooms hubs of rich discussion? #sschat #cdnhistory #historyeducation #historicalthinking #bced

7 months ago 7 4 0 1

This link is paywalled, but I'm always happy to share with teachers. Email if interested.

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Social Education September 2025

Should Project 2025 be required reading for high schoolers? In our new article, @abigailrd.bsky.social and I explore two ways for teachers to bring challenging texts into the classroom. www.socialstudies.org/social-educa...

7 months ago 4 1 1 0

Even as oppression descends, a democratic education campaign can uplift.

7 months ago 289 93 11 2

As always, Dan and Michael were amazing hosts on @visionsofed.bsky.social and I'm proud to write with Tim Patterson, Jenni Conrad and
@wendychanw.bsky.social

8 months ago 0 0 0 0

Our conversation is based on this paper. bsky.app/profile/ligh...

8 months ago 1 0 1 1
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Episode 216: Observing Classroom Discussions with Lightning Jay & Abby Reisman In episode 216, Dan and Michael chat with Lightning Jay and Abby Reisman about their article published in Theory & Research in Social Education, “The social studies discourse instrument: Valida…

New podcast!!! You can listen to @abbyreisman.bsky.social and I discuss the importance of discussions in the social studies classroom! It get meta!! visionsofed.com/2025/07/21/e...

8 months ago 7 5 1 1

As Binghamton and the broader SUNY system invests in community schools, the democratic schools that we dream of depend on our ability to prepare teachers for those contexts. It was great working with Dr. Naorah Rimkunas on this, who has a deep understanding of that work.

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Most teacher ed. programs don't help teachers learn to work with families. This paper reports on our work at Binghamton U to change that. We found that when preservice teachers talk with parents, it can help teachers AND parents!!

9 months ago 1 0 1 0

There's a lot of evidence that collaboration between teachers and families is one of the most powerful levers in education, BUT real collaboration is tricky.

9 months ago 1 0 1 0

New paper! Real Talk: Designing Practice-Based Teacher Education for Family Communication www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15...

9 months ago 1 1 1 1

As always, I'm so lucky to get to work with @abbyreisman.bsky.social Tim Patterson Jenni Conrad and @wendychanw.bsky.social

11 months ago 2 0 1 0
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The social studies discourse instrument: Validating an observation tool for classroom discussions This article introduces the Social Studies Discourse Instrument (SSDI), a novel observation tool for capturing whole-class discussions in social studies. This tool assesses three domains of classro...

The paper is our work on the Social Studies Discourse Instrument, which is a new validated observation tool for social studies classroom discussions. We're really hoping that it can help social studies teachers, scholars, and educators think more collaboratively. www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ETANM...

11 months ago 1 0 1 0
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#AERA is such an intense conference. I always come back with so many ideas. This year, I'm also coming back with an award! So grateful to the Social Studies SIG and my co-authors for the Outstanding Paper recognition.

11 months ago 3 0 1 0
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Supreme Court Seems Set to Allow Opt-Outs From L.G.B.T.Q. Stories in Schools (Gift Article) In a lively and sometimes heated argument, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared poised to rule for parents with religious objections to storybooks with gay and transgender characters.

School people, bad news from SCOTUS.

This case is a big deal. Yes, LGBTQ rights, but much more:

It threatens basic school functions:
1.) Children's right to get the best knowledge;
2.) Schools' ability to do basic administration.
Here's an explainer thread: (1/)
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/u...

11 months ago 13 12 3 2

I'm late to the party here. Things are moving so quickly that it's hard to find the right resources. I'll keep my eye out.

1 year ago 2 0 0 0