Teaching Civics in the Digital Age: The Use of Traditional and Innovative Pedagogies

By Diana Owen

This paper assesses the extent to which middle and high school teachers are employing traditional and digital instructional approaches in the civics classroom. It addresses the following research questions: What pedagogical approaches are middle and high school teachers using in the civics classroom? How are they incorporating digital technologies into the curriculum? The study examined differences based on teacher characteristics, such as years of experience, background, and school type. The study finds that basic digital learning pedagogies, such as Internet research, are pervasive in civics classrooms. However, teachers incorporate digital citizenship skills beyond knowledge acquisition, such as creating and sharing civics content, in the classroom far less frequently.