In this article, we investigated the level of transfer of authentic pedagogy among 12 classroom teachers after participating in a three-year professional development project using scaffolded lesson study. We met with teachers for 2 weeks each summer and provided historian-led content sessions and teacher educator facilitated model pedagogy…

Introducing patriotic holidays such as Veterans Day with historical photographs and other primary sources in classrooms can not only spark children's interest, but also promote critical thinking and historical comprehension. Meaningful, hands-on historical lessons can also motivate children to take informed action about issues they care about. We…

As a result of the U.S. Department of Education's near one-billion-dollar investment in the "Teaching American History" ("TAH") grant program since 2001, almost 1,200 projects have taken place in school districts around the country with the important aim of improving the teaching of American history in K-12 classrooms. The…

Background/Context: How students develop a capacity to examine and imagine the past impacts how they think about the present and imagine the future. This study contributes to research about teachers' beliefs and practices about teaching United States history through cultural encounters and nontraditional historical narratives. Although there is a…

The AP Achievement Institute I (APAI I) is a four-day professional development program offered to teachers and administrators by EXCELerator™, a district reform program operated by the College Board. The APAI I program is designed to help teachers develop effective AP instructional strategies for a diverse student body and to help district,…

This paper challenges a pervasive curricular justification for educationally acquainting young people with stories of genocide and other moral horrors from history. According to this justification, doing so favours the development of psycho-social soft skills connected with interpersonal awareness and the establishment and maintenance of positive…

This course for middle and high school teachers uses video, online text, classroom activities, and Web-based activities to explore American history from the Pre-Columbian era through Reconstruction. The video programs are divided into three segments: (1) "Historical Perspectives," an overview of the historical era; (2) "Faces of America," in which…

Briefly outlines three major themes of American urban history pertaining to the study of all communities, and describes a program using extensive comparative community field studies which reinforces these themes. Emphasizes readings, discussion, field trips, and a month of field work. (Author/CK)

In the first part of this article, the authors introduced the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Successful implementation of this program requires providing teachers with…

A project in which high school students examine the social history of the United States through a popular music presentation is described. The introduction of the paper draws together a series of sources which emphasize the importance of popular music, particularly during the 1960's and 1970's. The social effects of popular music are outlined:…

Fostering undergraduate research has increasingly become a focus of four-year institutions. Thus, given the maturity and capabilities of a substantial number of community college students, Virginia Community College System (VCCS) faculty can help students prepare for the baccalaureate by providing them with opportunities for actual research. With…

Explains how IBM and Apple microcomputers are being used in U.S. history survey courses at Johnson County Community College (Kansas). Discusses development of the program and the use of software such as "U.S. Constitution Tutor" and "Microstudy." Describes the courses and the computer-assisted-instruction modules designed to go…

In this article, the authors describe the eight-day Summer Institute, a part of an on-going "American History as Dialogue" Project funded by the United States Department of Education Teaching American History grant program. The focus of this project is both historical inquiry and the history of race in America. The goal of the project is to…

The central theme of this ideabook on the Bicentennial is the extension of the human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to the United States and the rest of the world. The ideabook is divided into three sections. Section one describes 17 proposed projects based upon a central Bicentennial program entitled "A Declaration of…

An 11th-grade interdisciplinary course combining English and American history examines United States history from the perspective of nine topics, rather than through the traditional, chronological-survey approach. Discovery learning and independent research are the focus of course method. At the start of the course, students are given nine…