What would Benjamin Franklin's Facebook page look like? Would he be "friends" with William Pierce, James Madison, or Alexander Hamilton? Would there have been a separate Facebook group for the framers of the Constitution, where they would have posted comments on the wall regarding the different stipulations that needed inclusion in the…

In a recent paper by Wilamowsky et al. [6], an intuitive proof of the area of the circle dating back to the twelfth century was presented. They discuss challenges made to this proof and offer simple rebuttals to these challenges. The alternative solution presented by them is simple and elegant and can be explained rather easily to non-mathematics…

This paper argues that the standard approach to teaching the history of political thought does not serve the ultimate goals of political theory education, and that alternative approaches are needed to make the history of thought appropriate for undergraduates. A history of political thought for life ought to enhance a person's capacity to act as a…

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…

Following an introduction by James Britton, this book discusses the attitudes and values giving rise to effective writing instruction. The seven chapters examine the following topics: (1) achieving a philosophical perspective on composing through awareness of how writers actually work; (2) assumptions underlying classical rhetoric; (3) writing as…

This paper explored how art history is taught in secondary schools. The author maintained that identifying the origins and evolution of ideas ensures that proposed models of teaching art history adhere to the philosophical base from which they derive. The paper is divided into five sections. In the first part, the author described four categories…

Explores the nature of historical thinking, asserting that no intrinsic differences characterize how people understand ideas. Suggests history's role in the social studies is to inspire creative inquiry into past cultures and into oneself. Examines mythology's power to teach what is timeless and quintessentially human. Highlights Joseph Campbell's…

Contends that recent historiographic scholarship underscores the need for new approaches to the history of psychology. Introduces the content of an advanced undergraduate seminar based on materials in social constructionism and contextual history. Illustrates its application to the history of psychology through a contextual look at the place of…

Reviews the use of the collaborative learning process in a seventeenth-century intellectual history seminar. Utilizing reader response, peer critiques, small writing groups, and peer tutoring, students became active participants in the learning process and assumed more responsibility for the course material. Includes a complete syllabus and…

Maintains that, in spite of its cosmopolitan origins, U.S. sociology is regarded widely as parochial in its outlook and concerns. Discusses factors contributing to the intellectual isolationism of U.S. sociological research and pedagogy. Provides suggestions for internationalizing the sociology curriculum. (CFR)

An alternative to the traditional history survey course, which is becoming less and less popular, is described. The goal of this project is to shift the emphasis from coverage of content to the development of skills necessary to understand that content. This particular project focused on colonial America, which covers a portion of the first of…

Utilizes selections from 17th century philosophical writing as instructional material for a series of learning activities that reveal the influence of the material on early American democratic thought. Activities involve selections from Isaac Newton, John Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, The Declaration of Independence, and Bishop Bossuet. (MJP)