TOM McGOWAN, PhD
Professor and Chair
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education
118 Henzlik Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0355
(402) 472-2231
Biography
Dr. Tom McGowan holds the rank of Professor and serves as Chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Previously, he was a Professor of Curriculum & Instruction at Arizona State University, and also served in several administrative roles, including the Coordinator of the Bank of America Exemplary Teachers for Arizona Program. He earned a BA in History from Boston University (1970) and an MA in European History from the University of Nebraska (1974). After completing a post-baccalaureate teacher certification program, he began his teaching career as a fourth grade classroom teacher at Blumfield Elementary in the Ralston (Nebraska) Public Schools. In 1983, he completed his PhD in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska. That same year, Dr. McGowan joined the elementary education faculty at Indiana State University and taught undergraduate and graduate social studies courses primarily. He taught at Arizona State University, principally in the areas of curriculum studies and K-8 social studies education, from 1988-2002.
Dr. McGowan has published a range of pieces in the professional literature, including refereed articles, chapters in scholarly monographs, newsletters, teacher activity books, and textbooks for elementary children. He has served as a reviewer for scholarly journals and associations and has edited both a theme issue of a journal and an on-going section of a professional publication. He has also chaired a section of the AERA program. His principal areas of interest have been literature-based social studies instruction and the nature of school-university collaboration. He has served as vice president, president and a member of the board of directors for the Arizona Council for the Social Studies and received the Council's Wilbur Murra Award for distinguished service to the social studies profession. He has also served as a member of the board of directors, executive committee and as a candidate for vice president of the National Council for the Social Studies. He is preparing manuscripts for publication in a number of areas, including a social studies methods textbook and the findings from two qualitative studies that are nearing completion.
Recent Publications
Books
Green, R., McGowan, T., & Salvucci, L. (2003). United States history. Orlando: Harcourt School Publishers.
Green, R., McGowan, T., & Salvucci, L. (2003). United States history: Beginnings. Orlando: Harcourt School Publishers.
Green, R., McGowan, T., & Salvucci, L. (2003). United States history: From Civil War to present. Orlando: Harcourt School Publishers.
Boehm, R., Hoone, C., McGowan, T., McKinney-Browning, M., Miramontes, O, & Porter, P. (2000). Harcourt Brace Social Studies [a social studies textbook series for grades K-6]. Orlando: Harcourt School Publishers.
