ABSTRACT
Along with other subject areas in K-12 education, social studies and history are the focus of various reform initiatives. Several ideas about improving professional development for teachers inform the design of the program in which this study is situated and include: (1) using social studies standards (Michigan curriculum framework, 1996) and the Teaching for Understanding framework (Wiske, 1998) to design and teach units; (2) situating teachers’ learning about Teaching for Understanding in their practice (Greeno, Collins, & Resnick, 1996); and (3) developing and studying cases about teachers’ teaching (J.H. Shulman, 1992)—all in the context of a technology mediated and distributed collaborative learning environment that bridges school and university boundaries.
