Chapter 10: Maurice P. Hunt: Activist Teacher, Scholar, Collaborator

A simple, five-sentence obituary published in The Fresno Bee on April 10, 1979, did little to highlight the significant and far-reaching career of Maurice Phillip Hunt, activist teacher, scholar, and collaborator. Yet in conducting research about Hunt’s life and scholarship for this chapter, we found many reasons for which he is—and should continue to be—remembered. As a coauthor with professional colleagues Lawrence Metcalf in social studies education and Morris Bigge in educational psychology, Maurice Hunt’s powerful ideas on teaching secondary social studies, promoting values inquiry, and the psychological and social foundations of education were promoted. Hunt’s advocacy for deep and critical thinking about solving real problems in United States society and recognition of the key role that teachers play in that endeavor was seeded during his graduate study and grew through his scholarly publications.