This paper explores the ideas of teacher educator Lillian de Lissa, who established the Kindergarten Training College in Adelaide in 1907 and spent the following 40 years in early childhood teacher education in Australia and the United Kingdom. I argue that de Lissa's enduring concern was the construction of early childhood teachers' professional…

In the early nineteenth century, governments began to develop specialized educational programs--kindergartens and infant or nursery schools--to give children a head start in life. These programs hinged on new visions of childhood that originated in England and Europe, but what happened when they were transported to the colonies? This book unwinds…

Reports on the work of Harriet Martineau, an economist who had a major impact on British economic theory and public policy in the mid-1800s. Discusses the background and development of her theories. Describes the impact they had on Thomas Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and other social scientists. (CFR)

Reviews works of cultural historians of the French Revolution. Analyzes interpretations of what constituted "the people" in three late eighteenth-century sources: Diderot's "Encyclopedie," contemporary political pamphlets, and Louis-Sebastien Mercier's vignettes of Parisian street life. Contends representation of "the…

Discusses Columbus's motivation for his explorations. Argues that his ideas of geography and navigation were not novel but based on ancient and medieval sources. Claims that Columbus was motivated by a belief that his destiny was to carry Christianity to pagans, thereby ushering in the end of the world and final judgment. (DK)

Important ideas from the Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman traditions are formally introduced to students in the sixth-grade course. Units three and five focus on people and ideas that form the roots of western civilization. The goal is to help students perceive how the viewpoints of Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman are congruent and divergent. Unit…

Discusses influences on the development of Russian nationalism. Describes the development of an intelligentsia and its relationship with both peasants and rulers. Addresses the influence of French and German political and religious thinkers. Emphasizes that the Napoleonic wars provided both a Russian patriotic bond and exposure of Russia's elite…

The purpose of this unit is to explore the ideas and ideals of the 18th century Enlightenment thinkers called the Philosophes, and to understand how they continue to influence basic notions about the nature of man and his world. The unit introduces key members of the Philosophes through short excerpts from their works. The selections illustrate…

The reinterpretation of past events has been a natural phenomenon of twentieth century historiography. Historical revisionism--the reshaping by contemporary scholars of traditional views of the past--has been an inevitable and necessary trait of the profession and has contributed to the growth of humankind's perception of previous generations.…

Examines the contribution of William Prescott's historical writing and the influence that it still exerts over Spanish historical scholarship in the United States. Prescott posited Spain as decadent, aristocratic, and consumed by social stratification and religious dogma, the antithesis of a vigorous and democratic United States. (MJP)

Explores the hostile reception following the publication of "A Young Girl's Diary" in England in 1921. The diary, consisting of a Viennese teenager's humorous and irreverent observations, faced charges of immorality and uncertain authorship. Postulates an alternative reading focusing on the young girl's negotiations concerning knowledge…

Presents a historical overview of the social and educational theories popular in 19th-century Russia. Educators and reformers constantly argued over the contradictory efforts to raise educational standards without threatening the status quo. Identifies preeminent educational movements and their leading adherents. (MJP)

Contends that the English coffee house was a social and economic institution that served as a daily newspaper and a center of commerce. Discusses coffee house origins, development, significance, and decline. Concludes that the coffee house served as a transition from medieval society to an age of rationality and industry. (CFR)

Investigates the very beginnings of pedagogy as it separated from theology at the University of Halle in the 18th century. Discusses the role of the charitable organization, the Francke Foundation, in the establishment of this new discipline. Considers the entrenched opposition pedagogy faced from the University establishment. (MJP)

Presents a crucial German essay, originally published in 1958, that defined and introduced didaktik to a new generation of educators. In this incarnation, didaktik represents an educational approach that incorporates critical thinking (as defined by Adorno and Habermas) into both content and instruction. Briefly outlines the essentials of didactic…