Discusses methods for increasing students' appreciation of and interest in history by incorporating the human element into the narrative. Suggests that this can be accomplished by utilizing diaries, journals, oral histories, and living people. Argues that the brief coverage of events presented in texts does little to give students a feeling of the…

Discusses the use of fine arts as sources to enrich the study of history. Suggests that such works will serve as barometers of change, examples of cross-cultural influences, and political messages. Includes suggestions of works and artists from different historic periods. (DK)

Describes assumptions, rationale, and trade-offs involved in designing the research methodology used in a longitudinal study of organizational change. Data were obtained from over 100 organizations through 4 interviews spaced 6 months apart with top managers. (53 references) (MLF)

Understanding history is a challenge. In order to provide teachers with a tool that can help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to interpret primary sources and reconcile various historical accounts, the authors developed the SCIM-C strategy. Grounded in research on teaching and learning history and building upon Riley's layers of…

The Web is mistakenly viewed by too many as the panacea for a teacher's ills. Sending students to the Internet for information has done little to turn the tide in students' perceptions of learning. The problem, though, is not necessarily that the Web is not loaded with excellent learning resources; rather the problem is in sticking to the…

The current debate over history and social studies is partially founded in the belief that an integrated social studies approach lacks the rigor of a history approach resulting in deficient content knowledge by students. Charlotte Crabtree of the National Center for History in the Schools stated that the only disciplines worth studying are…

Archives are preserved records of human activities. An account of Chinese archival development is as long as the written records of the Chinese history. Oracle bones, bronze ware, and wood and bamboo strips are the three most important recording forms of the early Chinese civilization, as they represented three major stages of archival development…

Primary source documents can be a key element in conversation and deliberation. They lend authenticity to student consideration of issues facing people's democracy and stimulate student interest. In addition, conversation about a primary document leads to a much deeper understanding of that document and can raise authentic questions for further…

Virtual library? Electronic library? Digital library? Online information network? These all apply to the growing number of Web-based resource collections managed by consortiums of state library entities. Some, like "INFOhio" and "KYVL" ("Kentucky Virtual Library"), have been available for a few years, but others are just starting. Searching for…

If teachers want to get their undergraduate students engaged in the study of history, there is no substitute for getting them to do their own research using original sources. In practical terms, this involves posing a good question, framing that question in a critical framework for analysis, searching for relevant documents, writing an interesting…

Cold War historiography has undergone major changes since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. For two years (1992-1993) the principal Soviet archives fell open to scholars, and although some of the richest holdings are now once again closed, new information continues to find its way out. Moreover, critical documentary information has become…

Although primary source work is a major component of undergraduate history degrees in many countries, the topic of how best to support this work has been relatively unexplored. This article addresses the pedagogical support of primary source work by reviewing relevant literature to identify the challenges undergraduates face in interpreting…

The aim of the Central Michigan University Alpena-Montmorency-Alcona Teaching American History (TAH) Project has been to forge a model of professional development that would not merely improve teachers' knowledge of events, people, and dates, but to go beyond this to strengthen the understanding of the nature and practice of historical thinking,…

Historians explore historical accounts, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, speeches, historical documents, relevant legislation, maps, ship manifests, genealogical records, official certificates, photographs, and paintings. In short, historians examine any official or unofficial document that might provide relevant information about…

The research reported here was funded by the UK Department for Education and Skills to consider the influence of the school on the decision by young people to participate in learning on completion of compulsory schooling. A national sample of 24 schools across England participated in this study. Research methods included focus group interviews…