Recalls the experiences of a group of high school social studies educators who traveled to Japan for an educational conference. Although impressed by the dedication and seriousness of the pupils, the group also was struck by the limited and outdated facilities. Includes many observations refuting stereotypical assumptions. (MJP)

Describes a high school civics course constructed almost solely around a close reading of the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and Gettysburg Address. Maintains that understanding these documents establishes the minimum essentials of civic literacy and frees classes from the burden of irrelevant and unreadable textbooks.…

Maintains that the explosion of communications technology represents both content and method for social studies courses. Praises the International Negotiation Project (INP) as an educational resource that incorporates both. The INP is a computer-assisted simulation of international negotiation and foreign policy decision making. (MJP)

Describes a high school U.S. history course where the students are completely responsible for instruction on the period from 1950-96. Small groups each take a decade from this period and prepare week-long presentations. The presentations cover economics, politics, foreign affairs, technology, sociocultural aspects, and other issues. (MJP)

Discusses a ninth grade, culturally diverse, interdisciplinary social studies class. Students pick a person from the class to study with whom they feel a connection and prepare a presentation about this connection, including a poster. Includes the four major themes of the class and a reading list. (MJP)

Recommends a broad application of experiential learning and community service projects as a means of reinvigorating social studies and making them relevant. Describes a number of projects from service learning to local history that illustrate this approach. Discusses this approach in terms of benefits, real life application, and assessment. (MJP)

Summarizes a research project conducted in the Netherlands that examined the effect studying women's history had on the gender identity of girls. The instruction increased girls' knowledge of equal opportunity issues and of the representation of women in history. Knowledge of the social construction of gender remained limited. (MJP)

Reports on current educational issues in Quebec (Canada). Briefly covers some of the major issues addressed in the Estates General, the commission study on the future of education in Quebec. A Montreal School commissioner challenged the government's numbers concerning dropouts. Decentralization, whole language learning, and school rankings also…

Presents a scathing review of supply-side economics and its effect on social programs. Argues that the Reagan administration purposefully incurred massive government debt in order to justify reducing social spending. Maintains that Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney followed a similar course. Includes trenchant criticism of Canada's public…

Explores the recent scandal concerning Canadian paratroopers' conduct during the United Nations relief and peacekeeping efforts. Three soldiers from an elite commando unit tortured and murdered an unarmed Somali teenager. Government investigation of this incident has focused on racist ideology, socialization of recruits, and chain-of-command…

Reiterates the appropriateness and validity of using student journals in social studies instruction. Differentiates between personal and content area journals, the latter focusing on responses to issues raised in the classroom and readings. Maintains that journal writing increases critical and metacognitive thinking. (MJP)

Comments upon the recent controversy concerning Canadian natives and their occupation of land surrounding Lake Gustafson. The Indians eventually surrendered to tribal authorities. General consensus among the media, the public, and local students was that Canadian authorities overreacted and used heavy-handed tactics during negotiations. (MJP)

Considers educational and philosophical responses to social and economic change. Offers an insightful review of four major educational philosophies that have emerged from within the North American teaching tradition: perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, and reconstructivism. (MJP)

Considers the ubiquitous use of textbooks in social studies classrooms and recommends constructing critical-thinking exercises revealing textual bias. Suggested exercises concern issues of emotional or ambiguous language, geographic and cultural inclusion/exclusion, and accuracy of data. Includes several examples of critical-thinking activities.…

Discusses the design, implementation, and rationale for an international education component in Botswanan secondary schools. Maintains that sustained development requires that students learn the interconnection of cultural, economic, political, and technological systems. Includes a breakdown of main topics with corresponding notes and comments.…