This paper reports on a study exploring ways in which five experienced teachers interpreted and responded to a curricular initiative in Alberta calling for teachers to help students see social studies through multiple perspective lenses representing Aboriginal (and Francophone) communities. Over the course of the study, which focused primarily on…

This paper compares two attempts by the author to teach two different grade 12 world history classes to think historically. Both classes were presented with a similar assignment that revolved around the conflicting historical accounts of Christopher Columbus. However, the second group of students was also provided with direct instruction about the…

In this essay, the author employs psychoanalytic inquiry (Britzman, 1998; Felman, 1992; Lacan, 1988) to think about the relationships between pedagogy, trauma, and crisis in the contexts of social studies and teacher education. The paper explores a potential space in social studies education that can acknowledge the psychic consequences of…

The current Alberta Social Studies curriculum places a strong emphasis on recognizing the importance of multiple perspectives in the interpretation of Canada's past. The three drawings that the author has created represent the progression from the overall arching grand narrative of Canadian history to the introduction and embedding of the multiple…

Content area reading remains a primary concern of history educators. In order to better prepare students for encounters with text, the authors propose the use of two image analysis strategies tied with a historical theme to heighten student interest in historical content and provide a basis for improved reading comprehension.

When Canadian students are asked their perceptions of Mexico, their answers are filled with stereotypes from the media. When they are asked about Darfur, they have no idea what or where Darfur is, or what has occurred there. When they are asked to list the names of famous Canadians they state the names of white men, primarily politicians. When…

Until the grand narrative is recognized as a product and process of power and privilege it can never do the transformational work that it can, and should, do in education. In this paper, I argue that concept learning can be a practical strategy for exploring and deconstructing power that is structured through the grand narrative and manifested in…

The field of civic education is one that encompasses an abundance of topics and issues. In an attempt to bring some much needed clarity to this field, this conceptual study will question the way different epistemological conceptions of citizenship and education influence the characteristics of civic education. Offering a new conceptual framework…

This autobiographical piece of collaborative discensus (Gershon, 2008; Gershon, Peel & Bilinovich, 2009) presents the authors' interwoven perspectives about the challenges they faced as they talked about race in a pre-service social studies class. Their work here serves two main purposes. First it is an opportunity for a teacher and two former…

Asserts that when people use the cliches "Remember" and "Never Again" in reference to the Holocaust, they must step back and realize that genocide has been perpetuated time and again since 1945. Provides activities that stress contemporary acts of genocide when studying the Holocaust in order to understand these terms. (CMK)

Summarizes the Quebec (Canada) province-wide survey conducted by the History Task Force in June 1998 that focused on the status of teaching in elementary social studies and secondary history within the anglophone educational community. Indicates that these teachers want a range of up-to-date classroom materials and are willing to attend…

Contends that students in social studies classes can utilize Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) as a presentation and collaborative tool by developing websites. Presents two activities where students submitted webpages for country case studies and created a timeline for the French Revolution. Describes how to use HTML by discussing the various tags.…

Contends that students should learn about the role of women in Canadian history through research-based projects that focus on the lives of unknown and famous unknown women and that emphasize primary sources and media as important resources. Provides a number of activities that can be adapted for elementary or secondary students. (CMK)

Criticizes the use of map coloring as an activity for teaching geography. Acknowledges that many teachers use it because it was how they were taught. Argues that children are inherently interested in geography and can be taught geographic skills in elementary school if the materials are presented well prepared. (DSK)

Continues a discussion of the state of secondary social studies in Saudi Arabia. Discusses the preparation of textbooks and their use by Saudi teachers. Notes problems with the texts and teachers' use of nontext materials in their teaching. Offers conclusions and recommendations for improving social studies education in Saudi Arabia. (DSK)