Examines the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to see what interest and value the fictional detective may hold for historians. Reviewing several of the detective's adventures, the author states that both Holmes and historians are searching for a usable past and that, as explained by Holmes, historical method need not be a complex,…

The ideas of establishing an ombudsman--meaning a commissioner appointed by a legislature to hear and investigate complaints by citizens against government officials--in the United States is examined in this article. Discussion focuses on the origin of the idea and the feasibility of implementing it at the local, state, and federal levels. (SM)

This article focuses on the need for schools to accept the responsibility to teach the values of human life to the individual. Since conflict exists between self and group in society, a meaningful set of values for the resolution of this conflict remains the fundamental task of an ethical system. (SM)

The use of an art project to motivate kindness to animals is described. (DB)

Traditional values currently studied in social studies courses must be reexamined and restructured to fit today's world. (CK)

A secondary teacher uses examples from his own experience to illustrate how instructors can help students improve learning by following advice about group dynamics given in Richard and Patricia Schmuck's book "Group Processes in the Classroom." (RM)

Developing a political ideology is not an easy task, and it is usually not the most important goal for a student. Many students believe political awareness is an adult concern. Students who have these feelings often are unaware of their personal beliefs. Many accept their parents and/or close relatives' views as their own, often without giving…

This paper examines the mutually-reinforcing problems of sexism and heterosexism, and the actions that may be taken by social educators to ameliorate such injustices. Various approaches to anti-heterosexism education are organized in relation to the three dimensions of handling social conflict: intervention procedures (in particular the management…

This technical report provides an overview of the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA), including a description of the purpose of the NYSAA, the processes utilized to develop and implement the NYSAA program, and Stakeholder involvement in those processes. The purpose of this report is to document the technical aspects of the 2013-14 NYSAA.…

Unit planning is perhaps the most difficult of the teacher duties to execute well. This paper offers suggestions for improving focus and increasing the meaningfulness of thematic unit content for students. Stressing the concept of a Big Understanding, it outlines 6 sequential steps in the creation of units which, when applied, not only establish a…

The aim of this study is to determine the importance of the competence and competence acquiring levels in the subject matter and subject teaching of the teachers who are graduated from the primary school teaching programmes of the educational faculties, towards the social studies. The universe population of the research are the teachers who were…

Biography has a proven track record of exciting interest in historical events. Barbara Tuchman used it extensively in her best-selling histories, considering it a "vehicle to carry the larger subject," something that "encompasses the universal in a particular... representative." Others favor biography because it "humanizes history," "personalizes…

In this qualitative research study, the author investigated social studies teachers' conceptions of history by conducting in-depth, semistructured interviews with 12 in-service teachers. Results indicated that participants tended to look at the outcome of historical knowledge construction without considering its process or mentioning forces that…

This article describes the ways in which the author guided her third- and fourth-grade students in the use of historical fiction and primary and secondary sources (letters, historical newspapers, census data, photos) to think and write critically about provocative historical events. In creating their own newspaper, students learned to summarize…