Discusses how examination of buildings as historical evidence can help students in college level history courses understand culture. Teaching methods are suggested, including walking tours, analyzing physical appearance of buildings, describing spaces between buildings, and examining buildings' ownership and occupancy patterns. Journal…

The author describes five key components of the Personalized System of Instruction and relates his successful experience using the method in teaching college-level Black American history to American servicemen stationed in West Germany. For journal availability, see SO 505 438. (AV)

College history courses are declining in popularity. Approaches to improving history teaching include behavioral objectives, consideration of student learning rates, inquiry teaching, focus on local history and technology, and relevance to present and future. Available from: Division of Social Sciences, Emporia Kansas State College, Emporia,…

Uses of three-dimensional objects in college level history courses are described, including using artifacts to enliven and invigorate classroom teaching and to convey a sense of the past to students. Journal available from Loren E. Pennington, Division of Social Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas 66801. (DB)

Noting that college history teachers must often contend with student reading problems, the article recommends ways of improving student comprehension of textbooks. Methods center on selecting a proper textbook and on having students preview, paraphrase, analyze, and review. Journal available from Loren E. Pennington, Division of Social Sciences,…

Problems of college survey courses in history are reviewed. Traditional approaches which stress lecture and discussion overwhelm students with content. A recently developed method, Personalized System of Instruction, is described as a way of making history courses manageable and interesting for both students and teachers. For journal availability,…

Effects of the Personalized System of Instruction in two history courses at Colorado State University in 1973 and 1975 are discussed. The article contains summary data of student attitudes toward the method, results of unannounced follow-up testing one semester later, and a review of inconveniences created by the method. For journal availability,…

Suggests that history teachers can increase student interest in United States history courses by using a biographical approach to teaching about individuals from many areas of American life. Surveys literary works and textbooks which lend themselves to incorporation into history courses. Journal availability: see SO 507 033. (DB)

Reviews the major ideas of humanistic psychology that have relevance for education. Provides practical suggestions for implementing these ideas in the high school history classroom. (JDH)

Discusses problems which currently beset many college history departments (declining enrollments, cost-conscious administrators, curriculum problems) and explains how college-level history instructors can implement innovative curriculum changes. In addition, a course on historical processes is described. Journal available from Loren E. Pennington,…

Recording history is a valuable learning technique in studying immigration or ethnic history. At the University of Missouri in Saint Louis, students develop a questionnaire and then interview first-generation immigrants as well as American-born descendants. Tapes and transcriptions are added to the campus archives. For journal availability, see SO…

Examines levels of the pyramid model of history including complete past; surviving evidence of the past; discovered evidence of the past; what historians consider important; historians' version of history; and what appears in textbooks. Suggests that the model can show students that history as presented in textbooks is a small part of the overall…

Describes how a role-playing approach may be used to capture the style, flavor, and conversation of nineteenth-century British life through the staging of a Victorian tea. Examines the economic, social, and cultural questions addressed through the technique. Also discusses evaluation and student impact and recommends the activity for any…

Discusses how to motivate students to learn history. Suggests using primary sources, relating subject matter to what students already know, and avoiding lectures whenever possible. Recommends formulating goals in advance, preparing reading lists, preparing questions for students, and assigning individual projects. Argues that such a course will…

Identifies trends in teaching local history on the college level, including quantative studies, urban history, and redefinition of historical movements. Maintains that local history should be included in the college curriculum because it is a valuable discipline, helps integrate historical knowledge into the mainstream of society, and encourages…