Portraiture in the social studies:Interdisciplinary and technological approaches to instruction

Abstract

This article is based on action research on the integration of portraiture in social studies instruction. At a public high school in Detroit, 54 students in four social studies classes studied the biographies of prominent African Americans, and they created portraits based on historic images. Some of the students’ drawings were exhibited as posters in mass transit stations during Black History Month.  For their own portraits, the students utilized sketch apps, and they engaged in autobiographical writing.  Forty-four students completed optional and anonymous surveys on the portraiture project.  The findings suggest that interdisciplinary approaches to social studies instruction engage learners, and they increase students’ understanding of how art is used in society to honor and commemorate.

Keywords

• social studies, arts integration, culturally responsive teaching, authentic learning

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