ERIC Number: EJ765190
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Feb
Pages: 15
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2745
EISSN: N/A
Digging into History: Authentic Learning through Archeology
Glendinning, Matt
History Teacher, v38 n2 p209-223 Feb 2005
Facts, or skills? Content, or process? Teachers of history and social studies teachers often lock horns over these questions, trying to define the nature of their field and its role in secondary education. Teachers of history often focus on content, presenting the past as a series of important people and events, an accumulated cultural lore that should be mastered by all students. Teachers of social studies, on the other hand, tend to approach the past more thematically, drawing on students' own experiences in order to promote social awareness, multicultural perspectives, and academic skills. As a fairly traditional teacher, the author had always been solidly in the "history-as-content" camp, until a recent experience teaching archaeology at the secondary level changed his outlook and methods dramatically. Initially, as he planned the course at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, he had no idea that archaeology would spark such enthusiasm among students, or be such an ideal pedagogical subject. Real archaeology is a branch of anthropology that uses physical remains to investigate the human past. Archaeology, by nature, is a hands-on discipline, and offers many opportunities for experiential and constructive learning. In this article, the author describes simulated excavation exercises that can easily be replicated in a variety of school settings. He also offers some suggestions for those who would like to replicate the excavation activity. (Contains 6 figures.)
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Archaeology, Social Studies, History Instruction, Secondary Education, Experiential Learning, Simulation, Parochial Schools
Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.thehistoryteacher.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A