Abstract
- This article addresses a great need in the social studies predicated on the design and implementation of authentic and meaningful instructional methods. For too long, an over-dependence upon didactic approaches in the social studies has disengaged students and fostered a citizenry apathetic of politics and the social world. This article introduces an innovative approach to teaching in which teachers and students jointly construct a Living Library. The article defines and explains essential characteristics of a Living Library, provides a “how to” guide for its construction, and discusses potential implications of the Living Library movement to social studies instruction. This approach gets students researching and interacting with diverse members of their community, provides students the opportunity to question held assumptions and stereotypes, and encourages students to refrain from simply “judging a book by its cover.”