Historians explore historical accounts, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, speeches, historical documents, relevant legislation, maps, ship manifests, genealogical records, official certificates, photographs, and paintings.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…

Graphic organizers offer visual models that equip teachers and students with tools, concepts, and language to organize, understand, and apply information. Many teachers, concerned that social studies tends to overwhelm students, feel social studies is viewed as a complex and confusing subject unrelated to the contemporary world. Graphic organizers…

In this article, the author discusses how he began a series of lessons on the French and Indian War era. He incorporates physical activity, paintings, artifacts, diaries and discussions into the lessons, so that students in fourth grade through middle school can get a real feel for what the colonial frontier was like. He emphasizes that using…

This paper examines the different dimensions of scaffolding for online historical inquiry based on a case study of two secondary-two history classes from a neighborhood school in Singapore. The data collected for the study include video and screen captures, focus group interview, digital artifacts, and students' survey. Using sample transcripts…

This article explores preservice teachers' resistance to elementary history teaching that makes explicit and accessible the construction of historical knowledge for students. Using qualitative data from a 3-semester-long critical action research study, the author examines two themes of resistance voiced by a majority of 70 preservice teachers:…

The paper discusses the collective identity of the Palestinian citizens of Israel as it is filtered to school students through the state-commissioned school textbooks. Since it was established in 1948, Israel has maintained two separate education systems, one for Palestinian-Israelis, who are now approximately 20% of the population, and the other…

Web 2.0 tools offer new possibilities for teaching and learning. PrimaryAccess is a Web 2.0 tool designed for K-12 history education. PrimaryAccess shares many of the characteristics of other Web 2.0 applications, but its educational focus makes it different from generic Web applications. Our work developing and researching PrimaryAccess has…

For educators, the anti-globalization movement has created a literature of opposition which offers enhanced opportunities for teaching critical analysis of neo-liberal political economy. The movement also aids those who wish to teach how First World wealth and privilege is functionally related to Third World poverty and underdevelopment. The…

No one disputes today the fact that, for centuries, the diversity of traditions and cultures has been one of the major assets of both Europe and Romania, and that during the past decades the principle of tolerance has become the guarantee of a European open society aware of the importance of its cultural diversity. In this 21st century, in Romania…

Middle school history teachers confront the same challenge every day: how to convey the breadth and depth of a curriculum that spans centuries, countries, and cultures. In "Making History Mine", Sarah Cooper shows teachers how to use thematic instruction to link skills to content knowledge. By combining thought-provoking activities and rich…

Self-efficacy is one of the important concepts of the social cognitive theory, and can be defined as individual's perception of his or her own capabilities for organizing and successfully executing the courses of action required to attain designated types of performance. Teachers with high self-efficacy perception can contribute to creation of a…

History advisory councils provide a means for incorporating career development and professional experience into the functioning of a history department. The nature of these councils is essentially advisory, focusing on the application of history in nonacademic settings. History advisory councils help to ensure that a market-oriented element is…

This paper assesses the work of artist-creator Walt Disney as a model for museum educators to draw the public into its work. Disney Land and Disney World are viewed as monuments of U.S. life and imagination, a living museum that attracts 40 million U.S. visitors per year. The paper describes what should be a partnership among the image-making,…

The Division of History, Government, and Social Sciences of Oak Park and River Forest High School (Illinois) has selected the very best student writing done by its students, for publication in this annual compilation. Works in the following categories are featured: oral histories, contrasting viewpoints, historical essays, book reviews,…

The author compares syllabus outlines for the 5-year grammar school course (Grades 8-12 equivalent) in West Africa, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and concludes that a national directive on history syllabus similar to that of Britain and the U.S. is needed including aims of history teaching in Nigeria. (JT)