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Contact Info

Email: mpearcy [at] rider.edu

Phone Number: 609-895-5405

Department: Department of Teacher Education

Office Location: Bierenbaum Fisher Hall

Additional Info:

Academic Focus: Undergraduate Teacher Education

Academic Background

  • B.A., History, University of Florida, 1992
  • M.Ed., Social Studies Education, University of Florida, 1993
  • Ph.D., Social Science Education, University of South Florida, 2011

Courses Taught

  • SST 300: Historical & Contemporary Issues in the Social Studies
  • SED 405: Teaching Social Studies in Secondary Schools
  • SED 370: Teaching in the High School
  • BHP 100: Great Ideas I
  • EDU 106: Contexts of Schooling
  • EDU 465: Student Teacher Seminar
  • IND 210: Special Education Study Abroad (Italy, May 2017)
  • IND 210: Education Study Abroad (Dublin/Belfast, May 2018)

Employment Background

  • Rider University: 2012-present
  • Braden River High School: 2007-2012
  • Venice High School, Venice, Florida: 2004-2007
  • Lemon Bay High School, Englewood, Florida: 1993-2004

Research Interests

American History, “historical thinking,” “Just War” theory, moral education, the teaching of war

Publications

As Editor

  • Pearcy, M. (2017).  Best Practices in Social Studies Assessment. Information Age Publishing: Charlotte, NC.
  • Teaching Social Studies (New York/New Jersey Councils for the Social Studies), Winter/Spring 2017, 17, 1. 

Book Chapters

  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “The greater good”—Using Flags of Our Fathers for critical thinking and historical inquiry. In Roberts, S. (Ed.), Hollywood or History? An Inquiry-Based Strategy for Using Film to Teach U.S. History.
  • Pearcy, M., Jackson, M., and Santangelo, R. (in review). “It’s because their kids have a voice”:  Teaching about the 2017 executive immigration ban in an ethnically diverse classroom. In Wilcox, L. (Ed.), It’s Being Done in Social Studies: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in the Pre/K-12 Curriculum. Information Age Publishing: Charlotte, NC.
  • Pearcy, M. (2017). “’We’re all on a journey’: Balancing assessment, feedback, and experimentation. In M. Pearcy (Ed.), Best Practices in Social Studies Assessment. Information Age Publishing: Charlotte, NC.
  • Pearcy, M., and Bond, L.  (2017). “’Anyone can learn’: Articulating an authentic stance in student-centered project assessment. In M. Pearcy (Ed.), Best Practices in Social Studies Assessment.
  • Pearcy, M. (2017). Problematizing the social studies. In S.G. Grant, J. Lee, & K. Swan (Eds.), Teaching Social Studies: A Methods Book for Methods Teachers. Information Age Publishing: Charlotte, NC.
  • Pearcy, M. (2017). Introduction. In Brooks, S., Violence among students and school staff: Understanding and preventing the causes of school violence. CreateSpace Publishing: North Charleston, SC.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “This is where the soul goes”: Teaching about historical agency with the film Amistad. Chapter submission, Cinematic Social Studies: A Resource for Teaching and Learning Social Studies with Film.

Refereed Journals

  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “Sixty Words”: Teaching about the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the “bizarro war.” The Social Studies.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “We Are Not Enemies”: An Analysis of Textbook Depictions of Fort Sumter and the Beginning of the Civil War. The History Teacher.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “We are the best killers”: A  critical analysis of textbook depictions of the Civil War. The Social Studies Journal.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). Drones, balance of power, and just war: Assassination and warfare in a new century. Social Education.
  • Pearcy, M., and Clabough, J. (in review). Is the free press free? Using truth claims to examine fake news. Social Studies Research and Practice.
  • Pearcy, M., and Clabough, J. (in review). Helping students analyze and critique the rhetoric of American demagogues. The History Teacher.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “Great disasters”: A lesson on the role of government in disaster relief and reform. Ohio Social Studies Review.
  • Pearcy, M. (in review). “A tale of two shirts”: Experiential learning and the development of a global perspective. Journal of Social Studies Education Research.
  • Pearcy, M. (2017). “A work of private murder and vengeance”: Teaching about atrocities in the Mexican-American War. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 5 (1), 1-11.
  • Pearcy, M. (2016). “The Little Rock forty-two”: Using alternative perspectives to teach about race in America. Ohio Social Studies Review, 53 (1), 53-64.
  • Pearcy, M. (2016). Mapping riots: Using geographic tools to promote racial understanding. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 4 (2), 40-57.
  • Pearcy, M. (2016). The Green Book: Race, geography, and critical understanding. The Councilor, 77 (2), 1-12.
  • Pearcy, M. (2016). A wordle to the wise: Using “word clouds” meaningfully in the classroom. Social Studies Research and Practice, 11 (2), 96-110.
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). A survey of high school students’ views on modern war and just war principles. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 40, 281-293.
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). “Playing the President”: The value of simulations in promoting civic literacy. Ohio Social Studies Review, 52 (1), 40-49. 
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). “They’re always over us”—Teaching about drones. The Social Studies, 106 (3), 126-137.
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). “Redlining”—Teaching about racial residential segregation. Virginia Social Science Journal, 50, 40-50.
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). “A mean and infamous war”—Teaching about dissent in the Mexican-American War. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 3 (1), 55-66. 
  • Pearcy, M. (2015). “The Flying Man”—The value of visual media in social education. The Journal of Education, 195 (1), 39-47.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). Sozial studies: How travel abroad empowers a global perspective. Journal of International Social Studies, 4 (2), 93-108.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). Golden tickets, four corners, and the McQuiz: Strategies for dynamic direct instruction. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 2 (2), 29-42.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). “Social” vs. Sozial: Reflections on German society and implications for the social studies. Ohio Social Studies Review, 51 (1), 31-43.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). The “just war” doctrine: An ethical framework for teaching about war. Virginia Social Science Journal, 49, 77-97.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). Student, teacher, professor: Three perspectives on online education. The History Teacher, 47 (2), 169-185.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). “I live among men and not angels”: A historical analysis of textbook depictions of Reconstruction. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies, 2 (1), 7-21.
  • Pearcy, M. (2014). In defense of slavery: A lesson about historical perspectives and the ‘peculiar institution.’ Southern Social Studies Journal, 39 (2), 15-22.
  • Pearcy, M. (2013). The more things change: Reflections on preservice teacher education and the state of technology. Contemporary Issues in Teacher Education, 13 4.
  • Pearcy, M. (2013). “We have never known what death was before”: U.S. history textbooks and the Civil War. Journal of Social Studies Research, 37 (5), 45-60.
  • Pearcy, M. (2013). Textbook depictions of the Fugitive Slave Act: A case for historical and moral literacy. Ohio Social Studies Review, 50 (1), 63-74.
  • Pearcy, M. (2013) “Five little arguments”—Teaching progressive issues using the Common Core Standards. Social Science Docket, Summer/Fall 2013.
  • Pearcy, M. (2012). The “just war” theory: A moral method for teaching war. FCSS Trends and Issues, Spring, 57-60.
  • Pearcy, M., & Dotson, M. (2011). “If we were truly brave”—“Affairs of honor” and the art of dueling in digital spaces, Social Studies Research and Practice, 7 (2), 113-121.
  • Pearcy, M. (2012). America’s army: “Playful hatred” in the social studies classroom, International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 4 (2), 19-36.
  • Pearcy M. (2011), Ed., Pearson Publishing national evaluation series teacher certification manual, American History, Version 2.
  • Pearcy, M., and Duplass, J.D. (2010). Teaching history—Strategies for dealing with breadth and depth in the standards

Professional Activities/Affiliations

  • Executive Editor, Teaching Social Studies  (New York & New Jersey Councils for the Social Studies)
  • National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
    • NCSS Research Committee (2015-present)
    • NCSS House of Delegates (2016-present)
  • New Jersey Council for the Social Studies (NJCSS) Board of Trustees
  • College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA)
  • Collegiate Alliance for Social Education (CASE)
  • Small Colleges and University Faculty Forum (SCUFF)
  • National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS): National Board Certification, Adolescent/Young Adult-History (2004-2014; renewed 2014-2024)

Personal Interests

Family time, with my wife Michelle and two daughters, Katie and Thea