Chapter 6: “I just Saw it on Facebook, so that isn’t True”: How the Omnipresence of Social Media Complicates History Education

Historical thinking is an essential skill for preservice teachers to develop as teachers must learn how to engage in historical thinking and how to engage their students in the process. The consistent presence of social media brings with it both opportunities and challenges in teaching historical thinking. In this study, the author examined interview and observational data from his teaching methods courses to determine how social media impacted preservice teachers’ understandings of and abilities to engage in contextualization, a specific aspect of historical thinking. Findings suggest that preservice teachers found it difficult to engage in contextualization partially due to social media and its constant presence. Implications related to social media and teacher education are discussed.