Teaching material and textbooks undoubtedly operate politically and should be scrutinized concerning the knowledge that they construct and legitimize. But such scrutiny often involves new hegemonies and political complicities that also require further scrutiny. Following Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's discourse analysis the present article…

Graphic novels (book-length works of fiction or non-fiction that use the conventions of a comic book to tell a story or convey information) can embed images within that primary flow. The text boxes and recurring images of the single graphic novel flow can incorporate maps, photographs, timelines, primary sources, and images within the panel…

Biography is a popular approach to history education in the younger grades, especially when teaching units of study during Women's History Month, which is March. A biography-centered approach, however, can be problematic when such lessons are not tied to any context, promoting the misconception that individuals create social change in isolation.…

Background/Context: The Common Core State Standards Initiative reveals how little we understand about the components of effective discussion-based instruction in disciplinary history. Although the case for classroom discussion as a core method for subject matter learning stands on stable theoretical and empirical ground, to date, none of the…

Research on the effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) on learning exists, but there is a paucity of empirical work that explores the role that positive emotions play in supporting learning in such settings. To address this gap, this study compared undergraduate students' emotions and learning outcomes during a guided historical tour using mobile…

The gamic mode is an innovative way of authoring scholarly history that goes beyond the printed text or digital simulations by using digital game technologies to allow the reader to interact with a scholarly argument through meaningful choice and trial and error. The gamic mode makes the way in which the past is constructed as history explicit by…

This qualitative research study examined how student teachers and novice history teachers learn to teach adolescent bilingual learners (BLs) from coursework to the classroom. The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent five participants drew upon social justice-oriented pre-service preparation when they taught history to bilingual…

The purpose of this article is to analyze teaching of modern history in Poland and the teachers' role in the process of democratization. Forty-eight high school history teachers responded to a questionnaire investigating the curricula, textbooks, supplemental teaching materials and methods of teaching. The results demonstrate that since 1989 these…

A substantial amount of research and curriculum development completed over the past 2 decades can be used to improve the teaching of U.S. history to young children. This digest discusses: (1) insights from recent research; (2) insights from recent curriculum development; and (3) connections of research to curriculum development. The digest…

Most history books for children focus on people, places, and events. In a different approach, some authors focus on an object--an everyday item that might be ignored when it comes to writing history. They shine a spotlight on the item, and in the process, they add insight and interest to human history. This article looks at four outstanding books…

This paper describes a review of recent literature about teaching history to address what history is (or purports to be), why educators should teach history, and what new teaching methods are now being used. Methods discussed in the paper include: (1) active learning situations, such as debate, demonstration, and simulation; (2) specialized topics…

Points out the value of including a unit of journalism history in courses on journalism fundamentals. Outlines two possible ways of organizing such units--chronological and topical--and suggests possible topics and resources. (TJ)

Presents 11 ERIC documents selected specifically for secondary and college-level history teachers. Six documents examine the role of history teachers, with materials ranging from a rationale for teaching history to practical classroom applications in the field. Five documents include resources for teaching about the U.S. Constitution. (GEA)

Reviews the history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and describes the debate over expanding its membership. Includes a discussion of the process for adding NATO members and a copy of the treaty. Suggests several exercises to help students better understand the NATO-expansion debate. (DSK)

Presents an annotated bibliography of books on the Holocaust suitable for young adults. Describes Holocaust institutions and their resources. Provides an address for teachers interested in contacting a Holocaust institute in their area. Discusses the proliferation of teaching resources on the Second World War and their value in the classroom. (RW)