The humanities and social science disciplines are increasingly expected to prove their relevance faced with the politics of knowledge in the knowledge economy. This tendency is investigated in this book regarding the discipline of the history of education in America and Europe.

Every few years in the United States, history teachers go through what some believe is an embarrassing national ritual. A representative group of students sit down to take a standardized U.S. history test, and the results show varied success. Sizable percentages of students score at or below a "basic" understanding of the country’s history. Pundits seize on these results to argue that not only are students woefully ignorant about history, but history teachers are simply not doing an adequate job teaching historical facts. The overly common practice of teaching history as a series of dates, memorizing the textbook, and taking notes on teachers’ lectures ensues. In stark contrast, social studies educators like Bruce A. VanSledright argue instead for a more inquiry-oriented approach to history teaching and learning that fosters a sense of citizenship through the critical skills of historical investigation. Detailed case studies of exemplar teachers are included in this timely book to make visible, in an easily comprehensible way, the thought processes of skilled teachers. Each case is then unpacked further to clearly address the question of what history teachers need to know to teach in an investigative way. The Challenge of Rethinking History Education is a must read for anyone looking for a guide to both the theory and practice of what it means to teach historical thinking, to engage in investigative practice with students, and to increase students’ capacity to critically read and assess the nature of the complex culture in which they live.

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) has reinforced the requirement that all teachers must meet the needs of all learners. This topical book provides practical, tried and tested strategies and resources that will support teachers in making history lessons accessible and exciting for all pupils, including those with special needs. The authors draw on a wealth of experience to share their understanding of special educational needs and disabilities and show how the history teacher can reduce or remove any barriers to learning. Offering strategies that are specific to the context of history teaching, this fully revised edition will enable teachers to: Make history education accessible and engaging to pupils of all abilities Create an inclusive classroom environment that responds to the emotional needs of the class and nurtures a culture of learning Develop inclusive practical demonstration and role play techniques to aid conceptual understanding Set assessment objectives Deploy in-class support effectively An invaluable tool for continuing professional development, this text will be essential for teachers (and their teaching assistants) seeking guidance specific to teaching history to all pupils, regardless of their individual needs. This book will also be of interest to SENDCOs, senior management teams and ITT providers. In addition to practical activities and supporting material contained in the book, there are also free online resources for readers to download and use in the preparation of successful, inclusive lessons for all pupils.

'This book, informed by exceptionally wide inquiry into current history teaching practices in the English-speaking world, is a real achievement. The authors convey current context and challenges with great insight, and they move through possibilities in sequencing, content, skills and assessment, without strident comment, extending our knowledge of options and pitfalls in the process' - Peter N. Stearns, Provost, George Mason University 'Comprehensive, persuasive, and at all times accessible in style and argument, this text both encourages and empowers university historians to review and enhance their teaching practices. All key facets of programme development are explored with reference to an extensive and well-chosen range of international examples. The chapter on the historian's skills and qualities of mind is one of several that I will be referring to frequently' - Jeanine Graham, Senior Lecturer, History, University of Waikato '... the varied findings make fascinating reading ... this book should be required reading for everyone involved in teaching history: there is plenty here for us all to learn from' - ESCalate 'In providing such a clear, informative and thoughtful exploration of the current state of history in higher education, and in helping to raise the quality of critical debate about its future, this book contributes greatly to the growing scholarship of teaching and learning in the discipline. It should also become a vital resource for all historians who wish to honour the old dictum that, in teaching as in research, the one duty we owe history is to rewrite it' - Professor Paul Hyland, Director of History in the Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology '[E]xtremely useful... provides a thought-provoking and useful discussion concerning the task of actually teaching history at university level... This timely book needs to be read widely, and the many issues it raises should command our closest attention' - Higher Education Review Over the last 10 years or so, history as an academic discipline has become steeped in controversy and introspection. Additional areas of interest have opened up, fresh perspectives and approaches have been offered, and new teaching and learning strategies have been advocated. There has been an increasing emphasis on producing well-qualified graduates equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to cope with the changing demands of the world of work. This book suggests how these issues may be managed. The authors identify and discuss the underlying principles, and consider ways in which they can be applied at module and programme levels. The Teaching & Learning in the Humanities series, edited by Ellie Chambers and Jan Parker, is for beginning and experienced lecturers. It deals with all aspects of teaching individual arts and humanities subjects in higher education. Experienced teachers offer authoritative suggestions on how to become critically reflective about discipline-specific practices.

Teaching History with Museums, Second Edition provides an introduction and overview of the rich pedagogical power of museums and historic sites. With a collection of practical strategies and case studies, the authors provide educators with the tools needed to create successful learning experiences for students. The cases are designed to be adapted to any classroom, encouraging students to consider museums as historical accounts to be examined, questioned, and discussed. Key updates to this revised edition and chapter features include: New Chapter 9 captures the importance of art museums when teaching about the past. Updated Chapter 10 addresses issues of technology, focused on visitors’ experiences in both physical and virtual museums. New coverage of smaller, lesser known museums to allow readers to adapt cases to any of their own local sites. Specific pre-visit, during visit, and post-visit activities for students at each museum. Case reflections analyzing pitfalls and possibilities that can be applied more broadly to similar museums. A listing of resources unique to the museum and history content for each chapter. With this valuable textbook, educators will learn how to promote instruction in support of rigorous inquiry into the past and the goals of democratic values of tolerance and citizenship in the present.

Big History is a new field on a grand scale: it tells the story of the universe over time through a diverse range of disciplines that spans cosmology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and archaeology, thereby reconciling traditional human history with environmental geography and natural history. Weaving the myriad threads of evidence-based human knowledge into a master narrative that stretches from the beginning of the universe to the present, the Big History framework helps students make sense of their studies in all disciplines by illuminating the structures that underlie the universe and the connections among them. Teaching Big History is a powerful analytic and pedagogical resource, and serves as a comprehensive guide for teaching Big History, as well for sharing ideas about the subject and planning a curriculum around it. Readers are also given helpful advice about the administrative and organizational challenges of instituting a general education program constructed around Big History. The book includes teaching materials, examples, and detailed sample exercises. This book is also an engaging first-hand account of how a group of professors built an entire Big History general education curriculum for first-year students, demonstrating how this thoughtful integration of disciplines exemplifies liberal education at its best and illustrating how teaching and learning this incredible story can be transformative for professors and students alike.

A practical and engaging guide to the art of teaching history Well-grounded in scholarly literature and practical experience, Teaching History offers an instructors’ guide for developing and teaching classroom history. Written in the author’s engaging (and often humorous) style, the book discusses the challenges teachers encounter, explores effective teaching strategies, and offers insight for managing burgeoning technologies. William Caferro presents an assessment of the current debates on the study of history in a broad historical context and evaluates the changing role of the discipline in our increasingly globalized world. Teaching History reveals that the valuable skills of teaching are highly transferable. It stresses the importance of careful organization as well as the advantages of combining research agendas with teaching agendas. Inspired by the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning movement, the book encourages careful reflection on teaching methods and stresses the importance of applying various approaches to promote active learning. Drawing on the author’s experience as an instructor at the high school and university levels, Teaching History: Contains an authoritative and humorous look at the profession and the strategies and techniques of teaching history Incorporates a review of the current teaching practice in terms of previous methods, examining nineteenth and twentieth century debates and strategies Includes a discussion of the use of technology in the history classroom, from the advent of course management (Blackboard) systems to today’s digital resources Covers techniques for teaching the history of any nation not only American history Written for graduate and undergraduate students of history teaching and methods, historiography, history skills, and education, Teaching History is a comprehensive book that explores the strategies, challenges, and changes that have occurred in the profession.

This comprehensive resource is an invaluable teaching aid for adding a global dimension to students' understanding of American history. It includes a wide range of materials from scholarly articles and reports to original syllabi and ready-to-use lesson plans to guide teachers in enlarging the frame of introductory American history courses to an international view.The contributors include well-known American history scholars as well as gifted classroom teachers, and the book's emphasis on immigration, race, and gender points to ways for teachers to integrate international and multicultural education, America in the World, and the World in America in their courses. The book also includes a 'Views from Abroad' section that examines problems and strategies for teaching American history to foreign audiences or recent immigrants. A comprehensive, annotated guide directs teachers to additional print and online resources.

In some hands, history can be an inspirational and rewarding subject, yet in others it can seem dry and of little relevance. The aim of this textbook is to enable student teachers to learn to teach history in a way that pupils will find interesting, enjoyable and purposeful. It incorporates a wide range of ideas about the teaching of history with practical suggestions for classroom practice. This is the third edition of a textbook that has established itself as the leading text for student teachers of history. It has been thoroughly updated, with a revised chapter on the use of ICT in history teaching and major new sections in the areas of inclusion, resources, assessment and professional development. It provides an array of references and materials that give a sound theoretical foundation for the teaching of history, including weblinks to further resources. A range of tasks enable students to put their learning into practice in the classroom. The book also provides reference and access to a wide range of recent and relevant research in the field of history education, which will be of use to student teachers pursuing courses that have a Masters Level component. In all, it is an invaluable resource for student and beginning history teachers.

Drawing on a wide range of international research, reflections and experiences of univeristy historians, this book links theory and practice and examines how high quality history teaching and learning can be acheived today in universities world wide.