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Students often have a negative perception of history due to the traditional methodology employed in most classrooms. The objective of this quasi-experimental research was to establish whether elementary students’ perceptions of history improved after a gamified project was introduced into the classroom, compared to a control group that followed a traditional methodology. Students completed a questionnaire on a Likert scale before and after the classroom intervention. The results showed significant differences between the groups (posttest) and within the experimental group (pretest-posttest). This initial exploration of this issue hopes to arouse interest for new research able to overcome the limitations of this study, such as the sample size.

AbstractDespite the many contributions of nonhuman animals in history, nonhuman animal representations are seldom crafted with care and accuracy in curricular texts. Because of the anthropocentric vantage point of textbook creation, the nonhuman animal is often portrayed as an object, but as our relationship with the nonhuman world continues to deteriorate, we need now more than ever to consider the agency and subjectivity of nonhuman entities across time and space. In this article, I will use critical contextual analysis as a research method to examine the representation of the horse in a commonly used textbook in middle and high schools in the United States titled World History: Patterns of Interaction to raise larger questions about how to engage with nonhuman animal presence in history with students. Using critical animal studies as a theoretical framework to illuminate the data, the findings reveal that the horse is depicted as agentless and is shown merely as a means for human animals to expand empire and perpetuate social norms. The exploration identifies a gap in the social studies scholarship that neglects the historical contributions of nonhuman animals in curriculum. This article will argue that juxtaposing anthropocentric curricular texts such as the one under investigation with narratives that illuminate nonhuman animal subjectivity is essential for building a more empathetic world and for cultivating a more inclusive historical narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which the recent past of political violence is presented to the students is one of the fundamental tasks of contemporary education. However, it is often constricted by the rational and cognitive objectives of the duty of memory. In response to this, in this paper I propose an ethnographic gaze, attentive and sensitive to the textures of its daily performance, in order to contribute in a more solid and realistic way to the pedagogy of the duty of remembrance. This look has allowed me, in an investigation carried out in La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina) in 2018, to account for the intertwining of the work around the recent past with the school culture and the disciplinary code of history, with the relationships that the subjects have with each other and, through the links they build between different temporalities, with multiple attitudes and values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on classroom interaction has investigated how the teacher's feedback turn following students' responses can be used to transform students' turns into academic expressions during whole class discussions. Nevertheless, more empirical studies are needed to explore how teachers' translanguaging practices can play a role in shaping students' contributions into pedagogical opportunities for introducing academic terminologies in English-Medium-Instruction (EMI) classrooms. Adopting translanguaging as an analytical perspective, this study explores how an EMI history teacher deploys available linguistic and multimodal resources to connect students' responses with academic concepts and terminologies. The study draws its data from a larger linguistic ethnographic project that took place in an EMI secondary history classroom in Hong Kong. The classroom interaction data is examined using Multimodal Conversation Analysis, and this analysis is further triangulated with video-stimulated-recall-interviews that are analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. This paper argues that the EMI teacher's translanguaging practices facilitate the process of transforming student contributions into academic terminology and concepts. The process of deploying translanguaging for transforming student contributions highlights translanguaging as an important component of the teacher's classroom interactional competence for constructing new configurations of language practices and achieving specific pedagogical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The conduct of rare disease clinical trials is still hampered by methodological problems. The number of patients suffering from a rare condition is variable, but may be very small and unfortunately statistical problems for small and finite populations have received less consideration. This paper describes the outline of the iSTORE project, its ambitions, and its methodological approaches. Methods: In very small populations, methodological challenges exacerbate. iSTORE's ambition is to develop a comprehensive perspective on natural history course modelling through multiple endpoint methodologies, subgroup similarity identification, and improving level of evidence. Results: The methodological approaches cover methods for sound scientific modeling of natural history course data, showing similarity between subgroups, defining, and analyzing multiple endpoints and quantifying the level of evidence in multiple endpoint trials that are often hampered by bias. Conclusion: Through its expected results, iSTORE will contribute to the rare diseases research field by providing an approach to better inform about and thus being able to plan a clinical trial. The methodological derivations can be synchronized and transferability will be outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersection of historical remembrance and the ethical imperative of 'never again' in shaping a peaceful future, drawing on the context of Council of Europe's commitment to history education. It believes in the pivotal role of understanding the past for fostering democratic values. However, the paper critically examines the limitations of the widely embraced 'never again' ethic, transcending mere historical knowledge. The author, working in a post-conflict setting, discusses the complexities of transforming this ethic into an empirical tool. By delving into examples such as refugee camps during the 2015 crisis and ICE detention camps, the paper highlights the challenges of applying 'never again' in new political and social realities. While acknowledging the limitations of relying solely on history education, the paper suggests the need for multidisciplinary approaches and emphasizes competencies beyond historical thinking in shaping a promising future. The conclusion calls for engagement across sectors and broader knowledge incorporation in teacher training programs. Overall, the paper navigates the intricate relationship between historical awareness, ethical imperatives, and the practical challenges of preventing atrocities in the contemporary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the author's experiences teaching British history in the United States and the challenges and opportunities that arise from teaching history in a contemporary context. The author emphasizes the importance of situating Britain within its imperial and global relationships and using postcolonial methodologies to analyze the ways in which imperialism and colonialism have shaped the world. The author also highlights the significance of incorporating diverse perspectives and critical methodologies, such as creative assignments, to engage students and bridge the gap between the classroom and the world. Ultimately, the author aims to provide students with reparatory history that addresses the ongoing issues of colonialism and dispossession in the present day. [Extracted from the article]

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, specifically text-to-image generators, across various domains has had a profound impact on numerous fields. Despite this, the potential applications of AI image generators in architectural education, particularly in teaching the history of architecture, remain underexplored. This research aims to uncover the possibilities of utilizing AI image generators, with a specific focus on the capabilities of Leonardo AI, to enhance communication and engagement. This study employed an experimental methodology to investigate how the integration of AI image generators in education on the subject of "History of Architecture" promises to elevate the learning experience, offering new perspectives, visualizations, and interactive tools. Two workshops were conducted with university students to explore AI image generators' potential applications in architectural history education. The first workshop utilized an iterative approach, while the second aimed to assess students' analytical skills. The ultimate objective was to determine the capabilities of this tool and stimulate discussions regarding its potential future implementations. Following the workshops, online questionnaires were administered to students, and interviews were conducted with educators. The findings of this research underscore the need for validating AI-generated images, establishing guidelines to prevent misuse, and designing tailored AI tools for History of Architecture courses, thereby paving the way for further advancements in architectural history education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the Solidarity movement narratives, focusing on church representatives, religious issues, and symbols in the Polish history textbooks for upper secondary schools between 1991 and 2018. The analysed textbooks prove to reinforce Poland's national and religious identities, with John Paul II and the priest Popiełuszko being the primary national heroes of the Solidarity movement. The Catholic Church is presented as a protector of national values during the Solidarity period. The study also reveals the gradual reduction and simplification of the textbooks' content. This tendency is a trigger for the polarisation of the historical discourse, posing a weapon for secular policies to misuse the ideological and symbolic roles of the Church in reproducing the Pole-Catholic pattern in history textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the profound influence of academic structures, specifically within history departments, on shaping educational outcomes. The focus is on redesigning history courses and curricula to better serve diverse student populations and align with evolving educational needs. Examples from initiatives like the History Gateways project illustrate how departments can lead efforts to improve student learning and success. By utilizing curricular analytics and fostering departmental collaboration, history departments can address systemic challenges and ensure the relevance and vitality of their programs in the face of demographic shifts in higher education.

The article discusses the revision of the curriculum in history education, with the goal to offer a curriculum that is more inclusive and committed to antiracism. It notes that history students were surveyed. Additional topics mentioned include allowing for academic freedom, revising scholarly literature, considering the function of history education, and implementing the changes.

The article presents an introduction to the model for student instruction known as "Historiography-Based Inquiry (HBI)". The goal of HBI is to allow students to work through the similar processes that historians do when constructing historical knowledge. The article also presents a sample HBI structure framed around an investigation into the role that victim accounts and survivor testimonies have on developing the history of the Holocaust. The sample framing essay provides resources for teachers and students to help them engage with Holocaust history.

Amsterdam's National Holocaust Museum is due to open in March 2024. It is the first and only museum to tell the story of the attempt by the Nazis to eradicate Jews from the Netherlands, a history of segregation, persecution, and murder. Yet the story is also one of rescue, survival, and solidarity. One of the museum's main goals is to engage visitors by involving them in a learning experience, in particular, to encourage young people to study and to develop the skills they need to be able to understand the past, to see how this impacts the present, and to recognize and challenge discrimination and antisemitism today. This article begins by sketching the presentation in the new museum and examines how the museum's educational facilities (presentation and programs) encourage audiences to think about what they can do to combat discrimination in general, and antisemitism in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the history education research that addresses controversial issues suggests that disputes arising in the history classroom are rooted in students’ diverse identities that relate differently to history. Therefore, a history education that wants to ease tensions must try both to make these different identities and their relations to history visible and to enable an understanding of different relations to history based on identity. Starting with Gadamer’s concept of historically effected consciousness, this article outlines a model consisting of ontological third-order concepts and historical empathy in the history education as a suggestion to enable and corroborate constructive deliberative discussions in the history classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using historical thinking for analyzing the teaching and learning of secondary school history, this paper contributes to literature and debates on the pedagogical potential of museums in this endeavor. Despite the existence of museums and expansive literature on their historical significance in various world settings, there has not been much effort to connect history teaching and learning to this institution. Drawing our arguments from literature on historical thinking and museum studies, we explore the value of museums in the teaching and learning of secondary school history. We commend the inherent value in museums if their educational programs are packaged effectively for this purpose. Apart from connecting learners to cognitive activities as well as fostering an understanding and application of its disciplinary competencies, museums also engage with elements of historical thinking. Disciplinary competencies of history include critical thinking, extrapolation, evaluation of sources and detection of bias. Elements of historical thinking which makes museums stand out as potentially significant in secondary school pedagogy are empathy, historical significance, primary source evidence, cause and consequence and continuity and change. However, despite their esteemed pedagogical value, operationalizing teaching and learning of history using various museums facilities comes with several challenges which include high cost of organizing lessons, a strain on the school timetable, complexities associated with logistical and legal demands of out of school visits. Nonetheless, several innovations can be used to deal with such challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this baseline study is to determine the significant problems confronting history education in secondary school. The researchers employed qualitative research methods and case study design. The techniques that were employed to acquire credible data were document analysis, interviews, and classroom observation. Six experienced history education teachers and eight top-ten students from Sebeta town public secondary school were interviewed, and academic achievement statistics of 174 students in history education were analyzed. In addition eight lesson observations were carried out to validate the information gleaned from the interviews and document analysis. The study's findings show that the primary challenges influencing history education in Sebeta town public secondary schools were teaching strategy, a lack of awareness about implementing participatory teaching methods, a lack of comprehensiveness of the contents of history education teaching materials, and the issue of the bulkiness and scope of history education texts being covered on time. The findings also indicate the significance of training history education teachers to use participatory teaching tactics, as well as the need for curriculum experts to better coordinate the range of history education content and teaching strategies. The findings of this study will help teachers, practitioners, scholars, policymakers, and educational professionals find solutions to significant problems in secondary school history education, as well as develop effective techniques for teaching history education in secondary schools that involve twenty-first century skills and abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital history-based project-based learning (PjBL) in history learning is a learning medium that can provide a special attraction for students who can improve historical concept skills and historical awareness. However, there are still many teachers who have not used it, so it is very important to study it. This research aims to analyze the influence of the digital history based PJBL model in improving historical concept skills and historical awareness. The method used is quasi-experimental with two classes, experimental and control. The population used class XI high school students in Lampung, Indonesia and the sample size was 213. Cluster random sampling was used to determine sampling, while data collection was in the form of test instruments. The test instrument questions were analyzed using the gain score and Kruskal-Walli's test to determine the increase in historical concept skills and historical awareness with the help of statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 26. The research results confirmed that digital history based PjBL was effective in increasing historical concept skills and historical awareness with a high score, making it the best choice to overcome obstacles in history learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative is fundamental to human thought, yet in many classrooms, expository texts are commonly used to support learning in content‐based subjects, such as history. Given the importance of narrative, it might be harnessed as a powerful tool to support learning. This research compares the impact of narrative nonfiction (NNF) and expository text (ET) on the development and retention of conceptual understanding relating to World War I (WWI). In an experiment involving 78 participants (mean age = 10.2 years, standard deviation = 0.29), pupils were placed into one of two conditions: in one, information about WWI was conveyed primarily through NNF texts, and in the other, through ETs. Participants completed written pre‐, post‐ and delayed post‐assessments to assess development and retention of conceptual understanding. It was found that participants in the NNF condition showed greater chronological and causal thinking skills. In addition, participants in the NNF condition retained significantly more conceptual understanding at delayed post‐assessments than those in the ET condition. Overall, these findings suggest that narrative texts have the potential to be powerful learning tools. Implications for how texts are selected and utilised to support learning in the primary, history classroom are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout Turkey's geography, migration has been an immutable reality and an essential part of its presence. Anatolia, the geography of civilizations shaped by migration, has not only been the destination of migration but also the path of migration. It has contributed along with the push and pull factors for migration movements at different times. The concepts of migration have become more prominent in academic literature, especially after the Syrian Civil War outbreak in March 2011. The prerequisite for living in peace with millions of refugees, who were supposed to be guests at first, but now seems permanent in our country, is to eliminate xenophobia. Xenophobia can only be combated with an essential humanistic attitude, which politics must support. Education is the most important means of achieving this humanistic attitude, and teaching history is one of the most appropriate subjects for eliminating xenophobia in education, which can help build a culture of coexistence. Therefore, the historicity of migration that is equated equating the historicity of migration with the history of humanity and representing migration with an emphasis on the humanistic side of it in history textbooks could be constructive ways to combat xenophobia and promote a healthy community life through education. The aim of this study is to analyze the level of representation of migration and relevant concepts in 2018 and 2019 compulsory high school history textbooks published by the MoNE (The Turkish Ministry of National Education). Based on this study's findings, it is recommended to improve the quality and quantity of the representation of migration and relevant concepts in the history textbooks for the youth to develop a sense of empathy with migrants on the threshold of adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on promoting tolerance values and multiculturalism in religiously homogeneous schools like Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 1 Bogor. The study highlights the importance and the potential of integrating tolerance values in history, learning to enhance cultural diversity and understanding. The data were analyzed using qualitative methods, including observation, interviews, and documentation. The results show that students were aware of the diverse religious landscape in Indonesia. The research findings provide valuable insights into the attitudes and beliefs of students toward religious tolerance, which could be used to develop a meaningful history-learning method that promotes harmony and understanding of others in a multicultural society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on providing teaching and assessment ideas for students and teachers preparing for the 2024 National History Challenge with the theme 'Crisis and Response'. It emphasizes the importance of understanding historical context, identifying responses to crises, assessing their impact, and recognizing the limitations of evidence.

The article focuses on the concept of totalitarianism, tracing its origins from Giovanni Amendola's critique of Mussolini's regime to its contemporary relevance and criticism. It examines totalitarianism through the lens of historiography, highlighting how political climates have influenced its application, and through political theory, evaluating its utility as a conceptual framework for understanding authoritarian regimes like those of Hitler and Stalin.

The article focuses on the discovery of a unique ancient Roman gold coin, which has led to a reevaluation of a pivotal event in Roman history: the transition from the republic to the principate of Augustus. This coin, unearthed over thirty years ago and now displayed in the British Museum, provided crucial evidence that challenged previous interpretations of Caesar's dealings with the Senate, shedding new light on historical timelines and potentially dispelling doubts about its authenticity.

The article focuses on the inclusion of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten in the NSW Stage 6 Ancient History Syllabus, particularly under the topic of 'Personalities and their Times', due to the historical significance of the Amarna Period. It highlights challenges in teaching resources regarding the examination of key features like foreign policy, suggesting a re-evaluation through the study of artifacts like the Karnak talatat to provide a more nuanced understanding for educators.

"A Pragmatist Philosophy of History" by Marnie Binder is a book that fills a gap in the study of pragmatist philosophy by exploring its potential contributions to the study of history. The author argues that pragmatism offers a unique perspective on historical inquiry by questioning the acceptance of presumed facts and understanding the relevance and meaning of historical details. The book examines the works of classical pragmatists such as William James, John Dewey, F. C. S. Schiller, Charles Sanders Peirce, George Herbert Mead, and Jane Addams, and synthesizes their insights to develop a pragmatist philosophy of history. The author addresses objections to the project and concludes that pragmatism should be understood as a method rather than a theory. Overall, the book is an original and persuasive exploration of the relationship between pragmatism and history. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on utilizing historical fiction to engage young learners in meaningful explorations of history while incorporating anti-bias and anti-racist perspectives. Topics include challenges in teaching social studies, embracing anti-bias and anti-racist pedagogies, and the relevance of historical fiction in making history meaningful for children.

The theory of epistemic beliefs has proven valuable in advancing history education through inquiry-based learning. This study uses mixed methods to examine teachers’ epistemic beliefs in the History+ project. New analytical terms are proposed to differentiate the depth and situatedness of epistemic beliefs in order to address the discrepancies between the theory and the new findings, and a set of hypotheses is put forward to enhance the theory

The Batujaya site is one of the relics that reveal the historical heritage of Indonesia in the Hindu-Buddhist era. The objectives of this study are to; 1) Analyzing the study of historical concepts (Bernard Lewis in the case at the Batujaya Site and 2) Reviewing evidence of historical findings) at the Batujaya Site through the philosophy of structuralism (meaning of symbols in the temple area. This research uses qualitative methods (case study approach) through observation, interviews, and excavation reports. The results of the study stated that in the historical concept of Bernard Lewis related to the history of rediscovered has a connection with the discovery at the Batujaya Site which reveals lost history, and can be found by being reconstructed by historians through archaeological reports that have contributed to the collective memory of the Indonesian nation. In addition, the discovery at the Batujaya Site has structuralism meaning as evidenced by the existence of a temple stupa or Vivote Table symbolically about the beliefs of Buddhism.

The article discusses the challenges of teaching the history of ocean science to students who have little experience with the ocean. The author describes a course they taught called "Knowing the Oceans: A History of Human Understanding of the Ocean Environment" and the creative methods they used to help students grasp the uncertainties and challenges faced by naturalists in studying the deep sea. The author built a model ocean using a cardboard box and had students propose and conduct their own expeditions, using fishing weights and yardsticks to measure and interpret data. The exercise helped students understand the immensity and uncertainties of ocean data gathering and analysis, and connected them to the past in useful ways. [Extracted from the article]

The article suggests the effectiveness of incorporating digital video projects into retelling of local historical narratives to facilitate student learning of history in the U.S. Topics include the importance of considering the local history of a certain narrative before constructing a comprehensive retelling of any particular national history, and a background on the development of the Satchel & the Yastrzemskis digital video project to retell America's black baseball history.

The author shares her approach to teaching food history to a college-level class using Instagram and the cooking of historical recipes while recording the process in photographs or videos to encourage students to integrate their knowledge of history into their daily lived experiences. Topics include the fun and excitement of teaching food history, a variety of digital resources on teaching food history, and the responses of the students to the use of Instagram in their history class.

The article describes the development and refinement of historical reenactments on Twitter since 2009. Topics include a discussion of the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) version of reenacting the 1932 birth of the first polar bear cub Zero born in a North American zoo, how the students prepared for the MPM project, a background on historical Twitter reenactments that began at MPM in 2015, and an explanation of historical Twitter reenactments and its inclusion in history classes in the 2010s.

The article discusses a study which examined the impact of an authentic digital assessment on student engagement with the history of higher education in the U.S. Topics include the number of Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) programs in the U.S. that included a course on the history of higher education, the importance of an authentic learning assessment in history education, and the indicators of engagement of students who participated in the study such as hard work.

The goal of this study is to try to understand how history teachers in Arab high schools in Israel navigate their way between the official curriculum and their Palestinian-Arab identity. I examine how they broach learning material that contradicts their beliefs and their understanding of recent history in the region. To this end I used qualitative research based on interpretative phenomenological analysis. The participants included Arab teachers, both men and women, who we interviewed using in-depth open interviews. In the literature review and from the findings we can see that the state, through the education system in general and through history teaching in particular, tries to disconnect the Palestinian-Arabs from their history, their people, and their national identity. These practices fit the descriptions of settler-colonialists' behavior toward indigenous populations. The findings show that the teachers use one of three approaches to deal with the state's educational policy. One group of teachers focuses on achievement using the material they are given in order to stay out of trouble. Another group finds creative ways to cautiously expose the students to the Arab narrative. The third group faces the challenge head on, presenting the students with the Palestinian narrative in addition to the Jewish Zionist one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most literary and transdisciplinary cultural practices, speculative design has become one of the best mediums for discussing emerging technologies, the Anthropocene and the ecological crisis. When design history is merely perceived as established knowledge about the past and fails to engage in dialogue with reality or individual interaction, it often struggles to inspire students' agency in learning and willingness to deep involvement in research. Alternative design history, however, serves as a type and method of historiography that actively constructs history and alternatively imagines the past. It aims to situate historical knowledge as the context for design problem exploration rather than an end goal of education. This approach guides educators and learners to co‐speculate on historical design knowledge. By 'reversing' specific elements of historical experience, such as gender mentioned in this article, and employing alternative imagination to form what‐if scenarios and pose inquiries about existing historical facts, a distinct form of 'counterfactual history' emerges that diverges notably from traditional design history. Throughout speculation within 'counterfactual history', students can distinguish between historical facts and realities, which enables students to comprehend the construction of historical knowledge, the individuality of historical narratives, and the standpoint of historical discourse. In this way, it helps students cultivate a historical interest that 'starts from the self', guiding them to foster resilient historical thinking and a critical awareness of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a sample of the most commonly used textbooks and online teaching resources, we find that photos play a central but deeply problematic role in Holocaust education in the UK. The impact of photos on a generation of 'primarily visual learners' is significant. But an over-reliance on a set of problematic stock photos, inadequate or erroneous captioning, and a lack of prompts for a critical analysis of photos create problems. Their combined effect can adversely affect understandings of this difficult history, and limit the development of visual literacy skills required for tackling contemporary misinformation and visual indoctrination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how the 'historical policy' of the Law and Justice party influenced Holocaust education in Poland at the mandatory primary school level (7–14-year-olds). It analyzes the party's programs vis-à-vis the Holocaust and the representations of Holocaust protagonists – perpetrators, victims, and others – in the history core curriculum, history textbooks, and teaching practice as presented by teachers in interviews. The analysis shows that the representations of Holocaust protagonists in Polish primary school history education are considerably influenced by the nationalist approach originating from the ruling party's 'historical policy' and stressing the salvation of Jews from the Holocaust by Poles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major concern in religiously divided societies, is identity formation, as the different communities in such societies aim to pass their religion and culture on to the next generation. Research looking at the socialization function of education shows that history education plays a significant role in identity formation. For instance, [Korostelina, K. V. (2013). History Education in the Formation of Social Identity: Toward a Culture of Peace. Palgrave Macmillan] identifies three conceptions of national identity, an ethnic, a multicultural, and a civic one, and argues that these can be shaped through history education. Linking this back to divided societies, existing research shows that communities generally promote an ethnic or a civic identity through history education, but not a multicultural one. Lebanon is an example of a religiously divided society where the school system, which is mainly composed of private schools, is divided along sectarian lines. We draw on Korostelina's model to develop our own analytic framework, which we subsequently use to analyze history textbooks used in different Lebanese religious schools. We find that these textbooks generally promote sectarian identities corresponding to the three main religious communities, despite recent attempts to promote a civic identity in some Christian and Sunni private schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the teaching and learning of history have been transformed by the incorporation of active methodologies and digital tools. Virtual reality (VR) is one such tool that is being increasingly used in classrooms. It allows students to visit and experience spaces from other historical periods, even those that have been lost. However, due to its relatively slow adoption in formal educational settings, there is still a paucity of scientific references where this type of experience has been empirically tested to prove its potential benefits. Further research on this issue is therefore needed. This study presents a comparative analysis of the didactic use of historical heritage from the Roman period using two different methodological strategies: an educational visit to a museum and a virtual tour via electronic devices. The main objective is to compare the effectiveness of these two methods in terms of usability, learning outcomes, and emotional responses. The study was conducted with 51 primary school teachers in training. Data were collected using two ad hoc questionnaires, which were based on a previous one. A hybrid analysis methodology was adopted, with SPSS used for interpreting the quantitative data and Atlas Ti for the qualitative information. The results indicate that the two methodologies were perceived by future teachers as valuable resources for learning and teaching history. The emotions they evoked were primarily curiosity, joy, and motivation, with only minor occurrences of frustration, nervousness, or fear. The experience gained from this first application will make it possible to extend the study to other educational levels, to enrich the conclusions obtained and to evaluate the potential scope of using this combination of methods to develop historical competences and improve heritage education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a contribution to a panel discussion on Dana Logan's Awkward Rituals , this essay addresses the first chapter of the book, in which Logan discusses the rites of Freemasons in the early American republic. It considers the particular significance of Masonic ritual practice with respect to Logan's arguments about patterns of change in pre- and post-Revolutionary America; and reflects on the general theoretical import of this notion of ritual awkwardness, embodied by the Freemasons, considered as a form of purposive activity. It raises questions about the broader applicability in comparative religious studies of Logan's insights, both for studying history and for thinking about ritual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]