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In the fall 2005 semester, the author designed a course in the history of America's modern wars hoping to encourage students to criticize and oppose the country's current aggressions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Surveys of student attitude change suggest that the course did promote criticism but did far less to facilitate student activism. The author concludes that instructors may need to model activism in addition to offering historical evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing concern throughout the UK and beyond about the lack of suitably qualified post-primary teachers in some subject areas, particularly mathematics, design and technology and the sciences. This paper reports on a survey of teacher qualifications in Northern Ireland which indicates that a significant percentage of teachers are unqualified in the areas of mathematics, physics, ICT, history and Irish, and that Key Stage 3 teachers tend to be less well-qualified than those at Key Stage 4 or post-16. Unqualified teachers are less likely to be found in the grammar sector than the non-grammar sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a study that concerns the way in which preservice teachers negotiate historical inquiry-based teaching and learning in relation to their preexisting conceptions of social studies as a discipline. Thoughts and opinion that form preservice teachers' historical understanding at the start of a semester were examined. Data gathered from the examination was compared with students' thoughts and opinions at the end of the semester. Students were asked to write in their journals on how they believe social studies should be taught in elementary classrooms to learn the preservice teachers' goals and perceptions of social studies pedagogy. A variety of instructional strategies that focus on history as an inquiry-based discipline was introduced.

Provides information on teaching elementary students interpret history. Significance of teaching and learning history in elementary school; Challenges to interpreting the past with children; Misconceptions about history as a way of knowing.