Scholars disagree about the implications of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action for history educators and curriculum developers. Some scholars contend that responding to these Calls to Action requires rejecting the discipline of history and historical thinking approaches currently being implemented in history and social…

"Historical thinking" has a central role in the theory and practice of history education. At a minimum, history educators must work with a model of historical thinking if they are to formulate potential progression in students' advance through a school history curriculum, test that progression empirically, and shape instructional…

For educational historians involved in the representation of Indigenous contexts and peoples, what is the relevance of ethnohistory as a discipline or methodology, and what is lost or gained in using it? This article reviews ethnohistorical literature, and brings it in conversation with literature by Indigenous scholars on research methodologies,…

This paper considers the use of a simple assignment, the personal narrative, in teaching students the discursive issues involved in doing academic history. Focusing on autobiography, I present the results of a survey of Canadian university students into their experiences with writing personal histories. Specifically, the survey asked students to…

The current Alberta Social Studies curriculum places a strong emphasis on recognizing the importance of multiple perspectives in the interpretation of Canada's past. The three drawings that the author has created represent the progression from the overall arching grand narrative of Canadian history to the introduction and embedding of the multiple…

This article presents the Quebec ministry of education's (MELS) strategy for diversifying the national historical narrative that is transmitted in the province's History and Citizenship Education program as well as the manner in which Francophone national history teachers put this strategy into practice. In bringing research on their social…

The book is entitled History Wars in the Classroom: Global Perspectives and examines how ten separate countries have experienced debates and disputes over the contested nature of the subject, for example the "Black Armband" and "Whitewash" factions in Australia who adopt opposingly celebratory or denigratory views of Australian…

Historians are responsible for the decline of interest in historical studies. They have emphasized the trivial, written for special interest groups, failied to incorporate an analytical dimension, and have not struck a balance between elements of change and continuity. A Canadian history course which responded to these points is discussed. (RM)

Argues that the idea of school history as learning the best version of the past, or even learning one or more versions, is inadequate practice. Contends that history education not only must teach about passages of the past, but also develop students' understanding of the nature and status of historical claims. (DSK)

Advocates archaeology as a method to examine historiographical resources, enhance appreciation of historical reconstructions, and promote critical thinking. Archaeology is seen as a subject that can reduce students' boredom with traditionally taught history and increase their involvement in the methods of historians. Includes an annotated list of…

Seeks to define the study of Canadian cultural history, tracing the development of cultural history from the Enlightenment to the present. Discusses books on cultural history that had an impact on theories of culture and society. Ties this general discussion of cultural history and its roots to Canadian cultural history. (RW)

Reports on a 1996 Ministry of Education study on the teaching of history in Quebec. Criticizes the study for perpetuating leftist biases in favor of multiculturalism and globalization while censuring the study of Western civilization as evidence of Eurocentrism. Discusses the implications of, and reactions to, the government report. (MJP)

Argues that feminist history enriches the understanding of Canadian history by focusing on groups of women beyond the white, middle class, including those from First Nations communities. Reviews the life and works of E. Pauline Johnson (1861-1913), a Mohawk, English poet, and performer. Notes sources on women's history. (DSK)

Three problems concerning the use of history texts in secondary schools can be underscored. The first is philosophical, the intended use of the history text. The philosophical underpinnings of history texts are a matter of some contention today. History and social studies texts were, for many years, viewed as a means of socializing new citizens…

Maintains that, to write meaningful history, historians work implicitly with criteria of historical significance. Reports on a study of 14 10th-grade students' opinions about the significance of historical events. Concludes that attention to students' understanding of historical significance would enhance the teaching and learning. (CFR)