George Maxim

George Maxim began his professional career in rural Appalachia classrooms and ultimately taught in varied settings and at different levels from preschool through the elementary school grades. After several years of experience, he pursued a PhD in Elementary Education from Penn State University, specializing in early childhood and social studies education. At the time, Dr. Maxim was the first doctoral student at Penn State to select a doctoral program combining those two disciplines. He...See more

George Maxim began his professional career in rural Appalachia classrooms and ultimately taught in varied settings and at different levels from preschool through the elementary school grades. After several years of experience, he pursued a PhD in Elementary Education from Penn State University, specializing in early childhood and social studies education. At the time, Dr. Maxim was the first doctoral student at Penn State to select a doctoral program combining those two disciplines. He accepted a position at West Chester (PA) University immediately after completing the requirements for his program, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in early childhood education, creativity, social studies methods, and literacy. Dr. Maxim served as Director of West Chester's early childhood program for several years. In addition, Dr. Maxim has spoken to various groups, conducted in-service programs, consulted on many topics, and delivered workshops to teachers throughout the region. He has been invited to speak to audiences in locations as distant as Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Maxim has received a number of teaching awards, including the Certificate of Excellence in College Teaching from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He actively served various professional organizations, including the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. As Chair of the Early Childhood Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies, Dr. Maxim was instrumental in starting the NCSS journal devoted specifically to early childhood/elementary educators, Social Studies and the Young Learner , and served on its editorial board for several years. Dr. Maxim's articles have appeared in various journals, including Childhood Education, Social Education, Social Studies and the Young Learner, Science and Children, The Arithmetic Teacher, and other relevant professional journals. He has written several books, including The Very Young, The Sourcebook, Learning Centers for Young Children, and Social Studies for Constructivist Classrooms. Dr. Maxim continues to publish journal articles, consult, and speak to professional groups. He particularly enjoys being involved in projects designed to develop new and exciting approaches to social studies instruction. And, being retired and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Maxim will never run away from a good game of golf! See less