In this article, the author discusses the ways that she experiences and encourages her students to experience selfhood, diversity, and community. She reflects on the strategies that she has used to help students articulate, affirm, and share their experiences; how she uses the knowledge they gain in the process to become cross-culturally…

History is alive! That is one of the important messages that teacher Barbara Knighton communicates to her students as she develops engaging stories about changes in farming, government, clothing, or transportation, using timelines as her basis. In this article, the authors describe how Knighton constructs social studies units for her first and…

As a social studies teacher educator, the author wants her students, as the nation's future teachers, to aspire to engage their students in K-12 classrooms in meaningful civic activity. Toward this end, she has developed several programs for preservice teachers to gain knowledge and the direct experience of civic participation. The Social Issue…

Addresses the problem of getting to know one's students in a videotaping project in which classmates were videotaped as they introduced themselves and asked questions the students prepared for a guest speaker. Notes how students spontaneously worked as a team and enjoyed replaying the tape. Suggests project also improved results of the speaker's…

In this article, the author describes "Dr. Gesundheit and the Mysteries of Snake Valley," a mini-unit that he designed so that his middle-level students could learn to interpret archaeological diagrams, work cooperatively to discover relationships among their observations, and draw well-founded conclusions. The unit requires approximately four…

Recounts a college economics professor's attempts to explain macroeconomic concepts to a blind student. Considers how explanations of economics principles often rely on graphic presentations. Describes experimental tactile adaptation, using graphs made out of sandpaper, yarn, spaghetti, and other materials. Recommends developing prefabricated…

Recounts a student teacher's first experiences in the classroom and provides helpful commentary and suggestions from a more experienced teacher. Briefly discusses classroom management, learning styles, individual needs, time constraints, assessment, and instructional materials. Includes a list of activities that help promote an atmosphere of…

Recommends using informal writing exercises to increase students' involvement in large survey history courses. Explains several activities in which undergraduates collect their thoughts on particular lecture topics. Also suggests that students keep journals to accompany reading assignments. Argues that journal writing enlivens the material and…

Interviews Wisconsin high school economics teachers, cited for their teaching excellence, to discover methods used to correct students' misconceptions about economics. Covers opportunity cost, supply and demand, money creation, and gross national product. Finds teachers were adept at using germane examples, showed more confidence teaching…