The Future of Education

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive case study was to study how educators utilize cemeteries as a teaching space. The focus subject areas for this study were specifically for instruction in Black history and for enacting social studies curriculum by examining the curricular and instructional strategies educators, community members, and cemetery staff use with historically Black cemeteries as a place of learning for students. The research sites were in Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana, thus grounding this study in the Southern United States. Though they have vastly different approaches, the stories of the research participants can help other educators consider how to use place-based education using cemeteries to increase student engagement and ownership of learning. The data was gathered primarily through semi-structured interviews and walking tours. Through some storytelling and thematic analysis, I share my learnings for how teachers can use cemeteries as places of learning for students. Further, I share the implications of my learnings about using place-based cemetery education for teaching social studies content.

Keywords: place-based education, black history education, cemetery-based education

REFERENCES

[1] Please view this Google Doc for the list of references: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15zj5-Xzt6zKzh_oMEfnpJhXXZYjMbAre/edit?rtpof=true&sd=true&pli=1&tab=t.0