Sarah Mcgrew
Biographic Data
| ID | 2747464 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sarah Mcgrew |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sarah |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcgrew |
| SIGNATURE | MCGREW S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Maryland, College Park |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8925-1468 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 89 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Discussing Credibility and Corroboration
As concerns about digital misinformation proliferate, scholars have evaluated a range of interventions to support people to detect misinformation and identify credible sources. One approach involves teaching lateral reading—opening new browser tabs to search for more information about the credibility of a source or the accuracy of its claims via additional credible sources. We investigated students’ reasoning as they discussed how they researched…
“From personal experience, it’s true!”
Background As algorithms cater information to individual interests and identities on social media feeds, it is critical to understand how students evaluate personally-relevant online sources and how teachers might support this process.Methods We analyzed dialogue in seven high school social studies classrooms during lessons on using lateral reading to investigate online sources on relevant topics. We investigated how students framed online evalua…
Tackling misinformation through online information literacy
Talking about credibility, students, and facilitation
Social studies education research for sustainable democratic societies
Social studies education and research can and must play a central role in sustaining democratic societies. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this vital journal that aims to strengthen social studies education, democratic societies face numerous serious challenges. Although today’s circumstances are unique, many of our current challenges have existed (and will continue to exist) in some form throughout the history of democracy. In this art…
Conversations after lateral reading
Expanding digital citizenship education to address tough issues
Teachers need new instructional strategies and systemwide support to educate students about the threats that racism, hyper-partisanship, and disinformation pose to democracy. Nicole Mirra, Sarah McGrew, Joseph Kahne, Antero Godina Garcia, and Brendesha Tynes explore the three major elements of digital citizenship education — safety and civility, media analysis, and student voice — and introduce evidence-based principles that can deepen teaching a…
Lateral reading on the open Internet
Bridge or byway? Teaching historical reading and civic online reasoning in a U.S. history class
This study investigated an approach to teaching students to evaluate online information in the context of a high school history class. Over the course of a semester, I collaborated with a teacher to teach and refine a series of eight lessons focused on civic online reasoning. We aimed to use students’ historical reading as a bridge to help them learn to evaluate online sources; however, tensions also arose between historical reading and civic onl…
Who Is behind this? Preparing high school students to evaluate online content
Prior research suggests that high school students often struggle to evaluate online content; however, with support, they can learn to conduct more effective digital evaluations. This study extends our understanding of how students attend to the source of online information and the role instruction may play in changing students’ evaluation of online sources. Reporting on the pre- and posttest responses of high school students (N = 420) who partici…
Challenging approaches
Learning to evaluate
Lateral Reading and the Nature of Expertise
Background/Context The Internet has democratized access to information but in so doing has opened the floodgates to misinformation, fake news, and rank propaganda masquerading as dispassionate analysis. Despite mounting attention to the problem of online misinformation and growing agreement that digital literacy efforts are important, prior research offers few concrete ideas about what skilled evaluations look like. Purpose/Objective/Research Que…
Evidence of emergent practice
Teacher candidates can facilitate text-based discussion when prepared.•Instructional scaffolds can assist candidates in facilitating discussion.•Assignments, questioning sequences, and prepared materials can support enactment.•Candidates still struggle to connect discussion to lesson's learning goal
Teaching content in practice
Despite evidence of its benefits, discussion remains rare in history/social science classrooms. To address this problem, communities of teacher educators (TEs) have begun supporting novices to approximate discussion facilitation. Some scholars are concerned that this turn to practice will come at the cost of content preparation. Focusing specifically on rehearsals of discussion facilitation in three history/social science methods courses, our ana…
Improving university students' web savvy
BackgroundYoung people increasingly turn to the Internet for information about social and political issues. However, they struggle to evaluate the trustworthiness of the information they encounter online.AimsThis pilot study investigated whether a focused curricular intervention could improve university students' ability to make sound judgements of credibility.SampleParticipants (n = 67) were students in four sections of a 'critical thinking and …
Can Students Evaluate Online Sources? Learning From Assessments of Civic Online Reasoning
To be an informed citizen in today’s information-rich environment, individuals must be able to evaluate information they encounter on the Internet. However, teachers currently have limited options if they want to assess students’ evaluations of digital content. In response, we created a range of short tasks that assess students’ civic online reasoning—the ability to effectively search for, evaluate, and verify social and political information onl…
Facilitating Whole-Class Discussions in History
Both the Common Core Standards for Literacy and the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards underscore the importance of classroom discussion for the development of high-level literacy and subject-matter knowledge. Yet, discussion remains stubbornly absent in social studies classrooms, which tend toward rote memorization and textbook work. In this article, we discuss our efforts to design practice-based method…
Can Students Evaluate Online Sources? Learning From Assessments of Civic Online Reasoning
To be an informed citizen in today’s information-rich environment, individuals must be able to evaluate information they encounter on the Internet. However, teachers currently have limited options if they want to assess students’ evaluations of digital content. In response, we created a range of short tasks that assess students’ civic online reasoning—the ability to effectively search for, evaluate, and verify social and political information onl…
Facilitating Whole-Class Discussions in History
Both the Common Core Standards for Literacy and the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards underscore the importance of classroom discussion for the development of high-level literacy and subject-matter knowledge. Yet, discussion remains stubbornly absent in social studies classrooms, which tend toward rote memorization and textbook work. In this article, we discuss our efforts to design practice-based method…
Evidence of emergent practice
Teacher candidates can facilitate text-based discussion when prepared.•Instructional scaffolds can assist candidates in facilitating discussion.•Assignments, questioning sequences, and prepared materials can support enactment.•Candidates still struggle to connect discussion to lesson's learning goal
Improving university students' web savvy
BackgroundYoung people increasingly turn to the Internet for information about social and political issues. However, they struggle to evaluate the trustworthiness of the information they encounter online.AimsThis pilot study investigated whether a focused curricular intervention could improve university students' ability to make sound judgements of credibility.SampleParticipants (n = 67) were students in four sections of a 'critical thinking and …
Social studies education research for sustainable democratic societies
Social studies education and research can and must play a central role in sustaining democratic societies. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this vital journal that aims to strengthen social studies education, democratic societies face numerous serious challenges. Although today’s circumstances are unique, many of our current challenges have existed (and will continue to exist) in some form throughout the history of democracy. In this art…
Teaching content in practice
Despite evidence of its benefits, discussion remains rare in history/social science classrooms. To address this problem, communities of teacher educators (TEs) have begun supporting novices to approximate discussion facilitation. Some scholars are concerned that this turn to practice will come at the cost of content preparation. Focusing specifically on rehearsals of discussion facilitation in three history/social science methods courses, our ana…
Challenging approaches
Bridge or byway? Teaching historical reading and civic online reasoning in a U.S. history class
This study investigated an approach to teaching students to evaluate online information in the context of a high school history class. Over the course of a semester, I collaborated with a teacher to teach and refine a series of eight lessons focused on civic online reasoning. We aimed to use students’ historical reading as a bridge to help them learn to evaluate online sources; however, tensions also arose between historical reading and civic onl…
Talking about credibility, students, and facilitation
Can Students Evaluate Online Sources? Learning From Assessments of Civic Online Reasoning
To be an informed citizen in today’s information-rich environment, individuals must be able to evaluate information they encounter on the Internet. However, teachers currently have limited options if they want to assess students’ evaluations of digital content. In response, we created a range of short tasks that assess students’ civic online reasoning—the ability to effectively search for, evaluate, and verify social and political information onl…
Facilitating Whole-Class Discussions in History
Both the Common Core Standards for Literacy and the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards underscore the importance of classroom discussion for the development of high-level literacy and subject-matter knowledge. Yet, discussion remains stubbornly absent in social studies classrooms, which tend toward rote memorization and textbook work. In this article, we discuss our efforts to design practice-based method…
Lateral Reading and the Nature of Expertise
Background/Context The Internet has democratized access to information but in so doing has opened the floodgates to misinformation, fake news, and rank propaganda masquerading as dispassionate analysis. Despite mounting attention to the problem of online misinformation and growing agreement that digital literacy efforts are important, prior research offers few concrete ideas about what skilled evaluations look like. Purpose/Objective/Research Que…
Evidence of emergent practice
Teacher candidates can facilitate text-based discussion when prepared.•Instructional scaffolds can assist candidates in facilitating discussion.•Assignments, questioning sequences, and prepared materials can support enactment.•Candidates still struggle to connect discussion to lesson's learning goal
Teaching content in practice
Despite evidence of its benefits, discussion remains rare in history/social science classrooms. To address this problem, communities of teacher educators (TEs) have begun supporting novices to approximate discussion facilitation. Some scholars are concerned that this turn to practice will come at the cost of content preparation. Focusing specifically on rehearsals of discussion facilitation in three history/social science methods courses, our ana…
Improving university students' web savvy
BackgroundYoung people increasingly turn to the Internet for information about social and political issues. However, they struggle to evaluate the trustworthiness of the information they encounter online.AimsThis pilot study investigated whether a focused curricular intervention could improve university students' ability to make sound judgements of credibility.SampleParticipants (n = 67) were students in four sections of a 'critical thinking and …
Learning to evaluate
Who Is behind this? Preparing high school students to evaluate online content
Prior research suggests that high school students often struggle to evaluate online content; however, with support, they can learn to conduct more effective digital evaluations. This study extends our understanding of how students attend to the source of online information and the role instruction may play in changing students’ evaluation of online sources. Reporting on the pre- and posttest responses of high school students (N = 420) who partici…
Challenging approaches
Conversations after lateral reading
Expanding digital citizenship education to address tough issues
Teachers need new instructional strategies and systemwide support to educate students about the threats that racism, hyper-partisanship, and disinformation pose to democracy. Nicole Mirra, Sarah McGrew, Joseph Kahne, Antero Godina Garcia, and Brendesha Tynes explore the three major elements of digital citizenship education — safety and civility, media analysis, and student voice — and introduce evidence-based principles that can deepen teaching a…
Lateral reading on the open Internet
Bridge or byway? Teaching historical reading and civic online reasoning in a U.S. history class
This study investigated an approach to teaching students to evaluate online information in the context of a high school history class. Over the course of a semester, I collaborated with a teacher to teach and refine a series of eight lessons focused on civic online reasoning. We aimed to use students’ historical reading as a bridge to help them learn to evaluate online sources; however, tensions also arose between historical reading and civic onl…
Social studies education research for sustainable democratic societies
Social studies education and research can and must play a central role in sustaining democratic societies. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of this vital journal that aims to strengthen social studies education, democratic societies face numerous serious challenges. Although today’s circumstances are unique, many of our current challenges have existed (and will continue to exist) in some form throughout the history of democracy. In this art…
Tackling misinformation through online information literacy
Talking about credibility, students, and facilitation
“From personal experience, it’s true!”
Background As algorithms cater information to individual interests and identities on social media feeds, it is critical to understand how students evaluate personally-relevant online sources and how teachers might support this process.Methods We analyzed dialogue in seven high school social studies classrooms during lessons on using lateral reading to investigate online sources on relevant topics. We investigated how students framed online evalua…
Discussing Credibility and Corroboration
As concerns about digital misinformation proliferate, scholars have evaluated a range of interventions to support people to detect misinformation and identify credible sources. One approach involves teaching lateral reading—opening new browser tabs to search for more information about the credibility of a source or the accuracy of its claims via additional credible sources. We investigated students’ reasoning as they discussed how they researched…
Psychology (15 works) · Computer Science (12 works) · Mathematics education (12 works) · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies (9 works) · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy (8 works) · Pedagogy (8 works) · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences (6 works) · Online and Blended Learning (6 works) · World Wide Web (6 works) · Political science (5 works)