One of the largest brick forts built in the United States, Fort Pickens (along with nearby Fort McRee, Fort Barrancas, and Advanced Redoubt) provided the setting for a serious effort by a small group of men to avert or at least postpone the outbreak of the Civil War. Months before the firing on Fort Sumter, southern forces at nearby Pensacola…

The Tokyo (Japan) October 2000 meeting of experts on History Teaching in Japan and the Russian Federation was organized by the International Society for Educational Information (ISEI) and the Council of Europe. This was the second meeting, following the initial 1999 St. Petersburg (Russia) meeting conducted to increase mutual understanding in the…

In England, secondary school history teacher education courses last around thirty-six weeks and consists of both university and school-based studies at the university of Birmingham. Throughout the 36 weeks, student teachers are required to be involved in a variety of different activities one of which is preparing assignments concerning the…

This book presents simulation activities for the eight profiles of U.S. Senators presented in John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage." Intended for student involvement, the simulations require student research and practice in order to carry out the designated roles. The simulations and role play are designed to actively involve the…

Spatial dynamics is an instructional strategy whereby students create large scale models that capture the details of a historic event. This Digest discusses classroom floor models and papier mache models. Floor models are best suited to elementary classrooms and middle schools. Papier mache models, appropriate for high school social studies…

This report describes the current status of history education and teaching at American community colleges. The report is a collection of articles by various leaders and experts in history at community colleges: (1) Introduction (N.I. Hata); (2) "Improving History Teaching and the Status of the Community College Historian" (C.A. Zappia),…

This teaching unit, "Settlement Unit,"which focuses on the settlement of Alabama's land, is the second in a series of 10 units about Alabama state history, part of a project designed to help teachers integrate the use of primary source materials into their classrooms. Although the units are designed to augment the study of Alabama, they…

This paper presents preliminary results from a five year longitudinal study on the efficacy of integrating museum resources into elementary and middle school curricula through educational outreach activities, over the Internet and in the classroom. From 1997 to 2003, museum educators at the University of Illinois' Spurlock Museum have explored how…

This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Women's Rights Historic Site Thematic Resources" and other sources on the M'Clintock House and women's rights. The lesson is about a house located at 14 East Williams Street in Waterloo, New York, where on July 16, 1848, five women, including Elizabeth…

Social studies teachers should consider ways in which personal experiences can enhance their teaching of world events. As more and varied travel opportunities are made available to educators through work-study tours and educational organizations, so too are the possibilities for making the travel experience a resource that can be a…

This position paper outlines the actions of a National Council for History Education (NCHE) conference. A six-part action plan was elaborated for offering students a solid and engaging study of history by enlarging the profession to include "scholars teaching history." The paper cites 29 points broken down into the following 6 sections:…

This report is part of an annual national survey that examines salaries of full-time teaching faculty in 54 selected academic disciplines. Data for the study were collected from a total of 296 public and 390 private four-year institutions from the baseline year of 1996-97 to the trend year of 1999-2000. This portion of the study covers salary data…

The distinguished teachers and historians on the Bradley Commission on History in Schools suggested the basic themes, narratives, topics, and questions essential to the study of United States history, of Western civilization, and of world history. This guide provides teachers, administrators, and parents with principles of selection and…

Aiming to bring a new sense of adventure to teaching and learning by focusing on the lives of historical figures, artists, and scientists, this book is a "how-to" for teaching the most important lesson of all: becoming human. Each chapter includes several "Actions" designed to bring the human aspect of various disciplines center stage while…

This teaching unit is based on primary sources taken from documents, artifacts, journals, diaries, newspapers, and literature from the period under study, which, in this case, is the beginning of the Revolutionary period in the American colonies. The unit addresses the intellectual foundations, the emotional attitudes, and the specific political…