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)

The late novelist Walker Percy once argued that literature, especially fictional stories, has portrayed a clearer and far more cohesive picture of the human condition than any of the social sciences, including history. His ideas hint at the possibility of conceptualizing the American experience as the story that it is and as a way of organizing…

Currently, no research exists that teases apart and compares how pre-service teachers within different national educational settings begin to reorganize, reconstruct and transform their own experiences, knowledge and perspectives on history and history teaching as they negotiate the process of learning to teach history. This comparative case study…

Among the greatest frustrations of a teacher of history is the failure of many students, even bright and motivated students, to provide concrete evidence to support their assertions about the past. The problem of evidence is by its nature developmental, and thus not amenable to simple punitive or explanatory approaches. History, as a discipline,…

In this article, the author examines how the idea (and ideal) of nation continues to serve as a directive for social studies education. He proposes discussing what a critical approach to understanding nation (and the historical narratives that define nation) might look like in the classrooms and what the stakes are for social studies educators,…

Women have always been a part of history, but society has not always recognized their contributions. History textbooks, for example, largely portray women as passive bystanders in the world's events, with fewer than 11 percent of textbook images and references devoted to specific women. A U.S. Congressional Resolution designated March as Women's…

Based on recent critiques of Soviet and American textbooks, this article discusses educators' differing assumptions concerning what students should learn, who should decide what they learn, how students learn, how geography and history curriculum should be organized, and how much choice teachers should have. Includes eight references. (MLH)

History educators in England share many of the problems of their American colleagues and voice many of the same anxieties. But much of the current British literature reflects a sense of revitalization in secondary school history education that is conspicuously absent in the American context. (RM)

The topic of immigration is frequently taught in middle school classrooms as part of the history of America, for this country is indeed a "land of immigrants." Special emphasis is usually given to immigration that occurred a century or more ago, but contemporary immigration may prove to be a more compelling way to view this concept.…

The author achieved something that he had been striving to do for several semesters when, in 2002, he revised his survey course on the history of the United States up to Reconstruction by replacing most of the photocopied readings he had assigned in the past with online texts. Readings on the web now provided the basis for 10 of the 12 weekly…

This paper explores whether or not the simple addition of essay questions in examinations increased the learning of the sort normally tested by objective questions alone. Thirteen sections of a "United States History to 1877" class comprised the study group. The experimental group, consisting of nine sections, wrote essay questions on…

The Second World War stands as the most devastating and destructive global conflict in human history. More than 60 nations representing 1.7 billion people or three quarters of the world's population were consumed by its horror. Not surprisingly, therefore, World War II stands as a landmark episode in history education throughout the world and its…

Historically, the cold war was a watershed that separated two epochs: the time of abnormal, although compelled, partnership of two political systems and the period of peaceful coexistence with barely hidden hostility. The peacefulness of the latter, however elusive and vulnerable it was from time to time, has to be credited to the cold war, a…

A book is a treasure that can hold fascination and wonder within and capture our attention with exterior beauty as well. With this in mind, the author had her students explore the rare book covers of the Middle Ages, when books were handwritten by monks on handmade paper. They created their own large-format books (12 x 13" or 30.5 x 33 cm)…

During the last 25 years, there has been a serious effort by scholars and teachers to introduce race, gender and ethnicity into the United States survey. While courses and curriculum have been transformed by the integration of race and gender, how much progress has been made integrating immigration and ethnicity? Considering the current atmosphere…