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This research investigates the understandings of four teachers who teach history in primary and early childhood settings. Data were gathered from participants through semi-structured interviews. The participants were experienced teachers who were in the process of curriculum change – from teachers of studies of society and environment to teachers of history, under the auspices of the Australian Curriculum: History. The focus of the study was on their understandings of content knowledge and the pedagogies involved in classroom teaching, using a pedagogical framework, which sought to identify and categorise the nature of their knowledge base in the implementation phase of the Australian Curriculum: History. The study used narrative inquiry to show how temporality, sociality, and place play out in the lives of these teachers of history. The findings from this study indicate the challenges and opportunities for teachers’ professional knowledge landscapes in times of curriculum reform. Whilst there are a small number of participants in this study, their stories provide insight into how teachers responded to the challenges and opportunities of teaching history and how these teachers have shaped the implementation of the history curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How self-evident is a colonial rationality today? This paper begins by tracing a ‘text trajectory’ about nineteenth century imperialism and colonialism through several educational spaces: curricular guidelines, textbook, teachers’ reflections on history education, material discursive classroom interactions and pupils’ communication about the topic. In a first step, we observe how entrenched and common sensical a great-power discourse about imperialism and colonialism is in current educational practices. We suggest that pupils ‘hyperstate’ a discursive position on colonialism which appears shocking when stated explicitly, but which is already subtly entextualised in curricular and media discourse. However, in a second step, the analysis orients to the molecular lines and foldings, the unexpected intra-connections and unplanned ‘lines of flight’. In this way, the apparent stability of the colonial rationality begins to wobble (just slightly). The memory practices enacted by pupils, curricula, teachers, authors and the material affordances of textbooks repeat entrenched colonial hierarchies and racisms, ‘and also’ exceed any overly simple understanding of how colonial rationality plays out in contemporary discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This historical study reflects on history curriculum debates over the last 20 years in Taiwan. To open up possibilities for contemporary Taiwanese to rethink themselves in terms of national culture and subjectivity, this paper explores the construction of Taiwanese subjectivity in the past. It focuses on the history of Taiwan under Japanese occupation as a key issue in history curriculum debates. Particularly, it examines language issues in the 1920s, an important theme in the histories of the formation of Taiwanese consciousness, ideology, and cultural nationalism during the Japanese colonial period. Rather than addressing issues of identity (national or cultural), identifying who Taiwanese really were, or looking for Chinese or Taiwanese consciousness, this study explores how meanings of “Taiwanese” in the 1920s under Japanese occupation were constructed in the discourse of language reform for civilisation. The analysis of the New Culture Movement discourse suggests that the classical Chinese language ofHànwénas a valuable cultural resource and flexible linguistic instrument played an essential role in constituting Taiwanese subjectivities that shaped Taiwanese practices of the self for distinctive civilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A literary criticism of the book "Geschiedenis schrijven! Wegwijzer voor histori," by Jeannette Kamp, Susan Legêne, Matthias van Rossum en Sebas Rümke is presented. Topics discussed include academic history education, professional knowledge of historians, history of labor market and curriculum of history course. An overview of the book is also given.

Teaching medieval history in school is difficult. Time is short and establishing significance is a complex challenge when an era is concerned that is often dismissed as 'Dark Ages'. This article examines the potential of medieval topics for developing historical thinking in the classroom. First, the concept of historical thinking is described and applied to medieval themes. German history curricula are competence-based. Historical learning is defined as a process of historical orientation based on other competencies (e.g. of inquiring, of applying historical methods). Second, German school curricula in history are analysed to point out common medieval topics, their aims and significance. Conceptual change (or elaboration) theories help to define the process of historical thinking about medieval societies. Third, three examples are discussed that might help students to question their prejudices against medieval societies and develop their historical skills and metacognitive reflection. These examples show how important the dialogue between history teachers and university lecturers in medieval history and history didactics is to enhance historical thinking in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The federal report A Nation at Risk, edited by the federal government of the United States of America (1983), alarmed the country by pointing out a education deep crisis. That document pointed to many problems in state curricula and programs, therefore accused of becoming too generalist, uninstructive. Among scholars and politicians, became powerful the idea of designing national standards for all of the school subjects of the USA, which should be seen as guidelines for teachers and students towards excellence. So, the present article analyzes the attempts to design national History curricula in the United States of America between the 1980s and 1990s, such as Building a History Curriculum (1988) and National Standards for History (1996), emphasizing the way the political discourses engendered in the United States of America had crucial impacts on the recommendations in regards to the teaching of history -- from patriotism to multiculturalism, as in a pendulum movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines and discusses the ways in which hegemonic and subaltern discourses alternatively evoke different, and sometimes competing, notions ofthe nationand how they might productively coexist within the history curriculum. More precisely, using Homi Bhabha's conceptual tools of pedagogic and performative narratives of the nation, the article examines history curriculum as permeable to alternative and endless reinventions of the nation and as intrinsically linked to a fixed, stable, and officialized narrative. The study, based on the analysis of the construction of the Catalan nationhood in school textbooks and teachers' and museums' resources in Catalonia (Spain), suggests complex dynamics between hegemonic and subaltern discourses, rather than fixed conceptualizations. Whereas revolutionary discursive depictions of the nation incorporated in the curriculum have a tendency to be officialized, institutionalized, and domesticated through their mediation in educational texts, the article suggests possibilities for more effectively building the subaltern voice within the school curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article addresses the problem of how to best design authentic writing assessments in history that support learners in demonstrating the types of higher order thinking skills needed for effective citizenship. Recent research has primarily focused on curriculum interventions intended to build disciplinary literacies through various types of document-based essay tasks. The authors argue for increased use of “hybrid” tasks that not only emphasize historical thinking, but also require ethical reasoning and decision-making as students consider enduring societal issues connected to the history curriculum. They offer recommendations for creating this type of task based on an in-depth analysis of an assessment implemented with tenth grade history students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an interpretational analysis of the 2014-15 history-teaching curricula both for Jewish secular and Jewish religious high schools in Israel, this research aimed at revealing whether a change in a rhetoric of a manifested educational policy in Israel was followed by a real change in an educational ideology. The findings revealed that although in the year 2000, the Israeli Ministry of Education has finally adopted a multicultural policy, as replacement to the assimilation policy, formal multicultural intentions were not always translated directly to compatible contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including education of history teachers, curricula of history in Israel and taxonomy of history lessons.

The article focuses on the history of laboratory in the U.S. higher education. It mentions about the efforts of professor Althea Stoeckel of the Ball State University in reinstituting some inventive history classes, and her efforts in looking for innovation and creativity in the classroom as well as faculty publication.

Using an analytical framework based on the concept of historical distance, this article explores how Dutch history teachers and educators navigate between the past and the present when making curriculum decisions on the sensitive topic of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. Four history teachers and 2 museum educators were selected on the criteria of ethnicity, professional context, and student audience. They were interviewed twice, using open questions and a task-based design directed at 14–15-year-old students of various cultural backgrounds. Two conclusions are drawn: (1) the curriculum decisions of the selected participants can be interpreted as configurations of historical distance, which are the result of interactions between various types of knowledge, values, and beliefs. Some participants make a distinction between their own personal distancing and the curriculum decisions they take, while others do not or are unsure about deciding, and (2) curriculum decisions are difficult to predict. Some teachers and educators have a preference for certain distancing approaches but do not always follow it, depending on the historical sources they are dealing with. The conclusion discusses how research on history teaching can be facilitated by a deeper comprehension of the decisions teachers and educators make as navigators of historical distance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Is it possible to separate geography from history and what role do place names play in positioning the things they name politically? These are two of the many questions raised by the exploration of naming, histories and geographies that we address in Public History Weekly this month, through a series of articles that explore how the histories and identities of the nations located in an archipelago on the Atlantic coast of Europe present themselves and each other through their school history curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased interest in basing teaching on disciplinary thinking has had a profound impact on the syllabus for history in Sweden. Within this context, we examine how students demonstrate one aspect of disciplinary thinking in history, namely reasoning about historical sources. The material used is written answers to an assignment about historical sources in the national test in history for year 6. The analysis shows that many students are able to show at least some aspects of disciplinary thinking about sources, though the vast majority has problems with contextualising the source in the assignment. One explanation put forth is that the syllabus is not yet fully enacted in teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Engaging with historical events, people and places encourages students to envision history as a dynamic process where individual, group, and national identities are reproduced. These types of educational interventions can foster recognition that history--both past events and our records about them--result from a process of authorship. The recent surge of interest amongst history educators and within recent publications of provincial curricula that focus on historical thinking concepts--historical significance, primary source evidence, continuity and change, cause and consequence, historical perspectives, and the ethical dimension of historical interpretations--encourages educators to consider ways to integrate these concepts within their teaching practice. Our case study of the narrative account of the allumettières (matchworkers) of Hull, Quebec is an example of one type of classroom inquiry into local places of remembering that could be taken up in the context of recent developments in, and aspirations for, the history curriculum. Our project invites readers to engage in the historical process of understanding the past within contemporary classrooms by drawing upon a range of interdisciplinary approaches including web-based exhibits and artefacts, visits to historic sites, published accounts and dramatic representations to meet these curriculum expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about the purpose and content of history education in schools have been prevalent in most Westernised democratic nations over the last 30 years. Under discussion are essential questions concerning national identity/ies, competing narratives and the aims of history education. The impact of ‘history wars’ has been felt within both Australia and England, as conservative commentators – including politicians and historians – have raised concerns about the depth and effectiveness of history education and have sought to make significant changes to the history curriculum for schools. This analysis examines the history wars in Australia and England, exploring the view that history education has been in danger and/or crisis and examining the curricular implications of a move toward greater recognition of national narratives. It raises some essential tensions that remain regarding two aspects of history teaching in both nations: (1) historiography and (2) chronological understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on the use of music in history teaching to refocus the discipline on human experience and struggle for a better society. Topics discussed include relationship between music education, history teaching, and democratic engagement; offering a way to connect to variety of academic lessons; and demonization of social justice and history of public education reform.

The article offers information on the history curriculum in Canada. Topics discussed include lack of knowledge of Canadian and world history; views of history educator Ken Osborne from the University of Manitoba on teaching history to increase knowledge of students; and policies of multiculturalism and student-centred education.

The author discusses the use of the exhibition of the Chinese terracotta army as a teaching tool. She mentions how the exhibition can be worked into the curriculum for the study of ancient history, suggestions for managing a student visit, and suggestions for investigation of the artifacts.

This article is about the hole of the Middle Ages in the school curriculum in Brazil. We considered the two versions of the National Basis of Common Curriculum: the one published in 2015 and the other one published in 2016. Considering that the historical learning can also happen by the strangeness of the past and also considering the medieval studies, we problematize the teaching of Middle Ages history in Brazil from some entrances. Entrances mean the opportunities to insert some themes in the school context: media discourse about Islam; differences between East and West and residuality. We got the conclusion that there is place for the Middle Ages in the Base, since the understanding of the history teaching is broaden to beyond the "usages du passé". We consider teaching medieval history as an important step of elementary school that it can favor critics and comprehension of the appropriations done from the medieval past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public and policy discourse about the content of history curricula is frequently contested, but the voice of history teachers is often absent from such debate. Drawing on a large-scale online survey of history teachers in England, this paper explores their responses to major curriculum reforms proposed by the Coalition government in February 2013. In particular, it examines teachers’ responses to government plans to prescribe a list of topics, events and individuals to be taught chronologically that all students would be expected to study. Nearly 550 teachers responded to the survey, and more than two-thirds of them provided additional written comments on the curriculum proposals. This paper examines these comments, with reference to a range of curriculum models. The study reveals a deep antagonism towards the proposals for various reasons, including concerns about the extent and nature of the substantive content proposed and the way in which it should be sequenced. Analysis of these reactions provides an illuminating insight into history teachers’ perspectives. Whilst the rationales that underpin their thinking seem to have connections to a variety of different theoretical models, the analysis suggests that more attention could usefully be devoted to the idea of developing frameworks of reference. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The implementation of comprehensive educational reforms which include adult education is taking place in Serbia. The bases for the reforms are new approaches to education and learning, because rapid changes in all spheres of life have opened up the need for lifelong learning and education. However, the moment when society recognized the need for an institutional and organized form of adult education was preceded by a long development path in the second half of the twentieth century. This paper will examine the role of history as a subject in primary education of adults within the Second Chance project. History as a subject is undeniably important for development of one's identity and understanding of the present in order to prepare to be a responsible part of society. Considering that Serbia has in the past been faced with the problem of illiteracy, there will be a brief overview of adult education in the second half of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Through historical thinking, history is a science that gives meaning to sources and events and raises historical awareness. Elementary school students' results in historical understanding are very low. The aim of this research was to design a formative assessment strategy to develop and assess the substantive and procedural concepts involved in historical thinking. The strategy was implemented in four teams made up of three students with different levels of knowledge. Feedback was provided using validated rubrics across five time periods, as provided by the history syllabus for the second year of junior high school. The results show a progression of ideas for each procedural concept while using the strategy, and therefore it is concluded that it was a useful tool for achieving the planned objective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of IBEROAMERICANA. América Latina - España - Portugal is the property of Vervuert Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article examines a mainstream curricular unit on the Haitian Revolution, centered on a culminating role-play activity. Cultural studies, subaltern studies, and hermeneutics are applied as theoretical frameworks to read the curriculum unit and its activities. These theoretical lenses sharpen an understanding of what it means to experience history in the classroom. These lenses are used to consider the political relations of power within the historical moment being studied and the political notions of power within the production of historical knowledge itself. The author conducts an analysis of the epistemological and hermeneutic problem spaces within this curriculum, with particular attention to how this curriculum unit might be translated into an urban school setting that accounts for marginalized student positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study regarding the Australian Curriculum for History examining the extent to which opposing paradigms in history education underlie the Review of the Australian Curriculum for History. It investigates fundamental differences in the views of history education in an effort to reframe such public debate on the issue. Other key issues concerning Australia's history and culture are highlighted.

History is the most contested of curricular subjects in all western democratic states. This article begins by setting out competing models of a history curriculum highlighting the shifting trends that have taken place in different types of schools in England in recent years. The different models of a history curriculum are critiqued from the dual perspectives that underpin social justice, namely, redistribution and recognition. In identifying different priorities in school history, this article draws from two small-scale empirical research projects which elicited the perspectives of different groups of teenage school students towards history, and included students based in multi-ethnic schools as well as those in largely white, homogenous, schools in more deprived areas. An inclusive, multi-perspective and dynamic approach towards history curriculum development is offered as a way forward for addressing issues of social justice within a history curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]