History teaching and learning make intellectual demands on both teachers and students, requiring them to travel back in time and engage with complex issues and distant lifestyles. History education research advocates the use of approaches that portray History as an intellectually engaging subject but the application of cognitive research to…

This framework identifies the main ideas, major events, key individuals, and unifying themes of American history as a basis for preparing the 2010 assessment. The framework recognizes that U.S. history includes powerful ideas, common and diverse traditions, economic developments, technological and scientific innovations, philosophical debates,…

Past research which used Piaget's model of cognitive development has suggested that historical understanding is a developmental construct. The present study, designed to test the theoretical adequacy of previous studies, shows that a new variable, information processing, could predict the level of historical understanding. (Author/CS)

Discusses the French educational reforms between 1969 and 1985, examining their effects on the teaching of history and geography, which are mandatory throughout pre-university education. Writing for elementary school teachers, Marbeau considers the construction of knowledge in children aged 6 to 11, in history, geography, and the social sciences.…

Maintains that children's ability to understand and use narrative precedes their ability to understand and use other genres. Asserts that the link between history and narrative is overlooked in discussions about children's historical understanding. Argues that children should use narrative. (CFR)

Describes the Chata Project, a British research project that challenged the prevalent assumption that children will construct sound causal explanations from factual information imparted during history instruction. Their research suggests that explicit instruction is required for children to understand the causal relationships among events,…

Presents a dialog between an educational psychologist and a middle school social studies teacher concerning the integration of the arts into social studies curriculum. Both agree that the use of the arts can simultaneously enhance the presentation of content while providing multiple paths to learning. (MJP)

This book presents 16 papers on programs and approaches that have been developed around the world to enhance learning and thinking skills for children and adults. Papers are divided among three main sections focussing respectively on issues and applications, specific applications to school content, and assessment and evaluation. Papers have the…