Teachers already know that students need the skills necessary to think critically, work with others and express ideas, but often wonder how they can ensure a painless, successful professional development experience that puts the learner at the center and models best practices? They also ask how the outcomes of these fruitful professional learning…

In this article, the author talks about the updated National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Standards that are directed toward those meaningful units and engaging lessons. The revised standards set guiding questions and provide strategies and "Snapshots of Practice" which can be used to combine extensive use of content with suggestions for…

Reviews the establishment, purposes, current status, problems, and prospects of middle schools. Identifies five goals generally accepted by middle school educators. Reports that middle schools' exemplary features include such components as interdisciplinary team organization, flexible schedules, and home base/individual counseling programs. (GEA)

Advocates of social foundations view education as a means for social change. They seek to study and understand the larger social role of the educational system and the complex relationships between teacher, children, school, and society. However, in reality, teachers often fail to be social change agents. The constant bombardment of standardized…

Presents guidelines teachers may use to develop a series of interdisciplinary lessons on the census for elementary students. Offers rationale for teaching about the census,and outlines social studies objectives that can be met by census activities. Provides ideas for primary and intermediate level activities. (LS)

Reviews reports from several professional organizations on recommendations about education for participatory citizenship. Reports on a study of 3,000 teachers in grades 1-3 from 7 midwestern states on the characteristics of social studies programs. Recommends four approaches to foster developmental social studies instruction. (CFR)

Examines the current and future use of communications satellites in tele-education programs. Discusses programs such as Project SHARE which are using telecommunications to send medical and educational programming to remote parts of the world. Reports on developments in tele-education technology that are expected for the 1990s, followed by Amy…

Maintains that although women's history has made great strides in the university environment, it remains peripheral in elementary and secondary education. Suggests feasible strategies to incorporate this subject into the curriculum. Includes Peggy McIntosh's "Five Phases of Curricular Re-Vision with Regards to Gender 1983." (MJP)

Endorses U.S. political history as a colorful and interesting resource for teaching important historical and social science concepts: order and change, elitism and pluralism, creating structures, the Constitution, and the formation of political parties. Discusses these concepts and gives examples of each. (MJP)

Presents two composite and contrasting cases of how elementary school children are taught history. One student receives instruction heavily slanted toward institutional political history, while the other learns these concepts incorporated throughout social history illustrated with different types of learning activities. Suggests workable…

Describes the Chata Project, a British research project that challenged the prevalent assumption that children will construct sound causal explanations from factual information imparted during history instruction. Their research suggests that explicit instruction is required for children to understand the causal relationships among events,…

Summarizes a Canadian study that attempted to determine how a diverse group of high school students identified and understood events of historical significance. The students' responses ranged from generally objective and analytical to wildly subjective. Includes a recommended exercise for establishing students approaches to and definitions of…

Reviews a series of teaching activities that revolve around family photographs, letters, and artifacts. Outlines how these items can be used to teach recommended National Council for the Social Studies strands and provides classroom examples. Discusses developing a unit of study and includes a form for a Family Artifact Report. (MJP)

Asserts that the parameters and objectives of citizenship education should be expanded to incorporate multicultural perspectives. Criticizes traditional citizenship education for promoting limited objectives reflecting the status quo. Maintains that changing demographics and an emphasis on critical thinking necessitate a broader curriculum. (MJP)

Discusses the "flashback" method of history instruction that begins with analyzing specific, current conditions and then traces their historical evolution. This method allows students to feel connected to the subject while participating in its historical investigation. Compares the "flashback" and the traditional chronological…