In recent years, the commercial catalogues of businesses that produce teaching aids -- which, prompted by the spread of a pedagogical vision linked to activism, first appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century in parallel with the first production of school objects -- have acquired increasing importance as a research source in the field…

Drawing on the experiences of teaching Beloved in an elite, college preparatory context, the following research paper works towards alternative approaches to teaching trauma and difficult histories. After exploring some of the limitations and applications of the education as séance approach, this paper constructs a framework for teaching difficult…

English-medium state schools in New Zealand have been directed to begin implementing the new Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum content from 2023. In response to the draft version of the curriculum document, Bell & Russell (Bell and Russell, "New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies" 57:21-35, 2022) highlighted the…

The study of history as part of the social studies curriculum is an important component of K-12 education. Yet, past research suggests that students perceive history as less important than other subjects (Brophy et al., 1992; Schug et al., 1984), find it boring and without purpose (Zhao & Hoge, 2005), and are unable to articulate why they…

Science fiction literature and film are an underappreciated source for the teaching of history. Finding material that can excite a student's curiosity can be a key towards greater student engagement, especially among students who are taking history as a requirement, rather than from interest. The discovery that they can read or watch science…

Teaching disciplinary literacy in the elementary classroom provides rich potential for bridging the literacy-content divide, building background knowledge, extending learning, and deepening student thinking. This article explores how six elementary teachers tried and tested approaches to embedding literacy in three very different subjects:…

in this article, author Neil Shanks writes about a "people's economics" approach to teaching K-graduate economics, an approach he argues should replace the more traditional and pervasive neoclassical approach. Similar to the shift from 'great white men and wars' history to social and 'bottom up' history, Shanks believes a people's…

This case study of the Russian Empire, based on the analysis of more than 100 primary sources in the form of textbooks on domestic history (uchebniki otechestvennoi istorii) and archival documentation, is intended to help understand the evolution of the formation of domestic history as a school subject as an integral part of the imperialist…

In the third decade of the 21st century, the limitation of information has been replaced by the difficulty of selecting freely available information. Useful and irrelevant knowledge is available in enormous quantities on the online storage of increasingly growing server capacities. The world of education and history didactics are no exception…

Applying Arthur Chapman's conceptualization, this article explores Religious Zionist (RZ) Holocaust education and the way it has changed over the years. Beyond RZ's increasing influence within Israeli society, this examination provides a unique example of faith-based Holocaust education that adheres to rationalism while teaching God's power over…

Using historical thinking for analyzing the teaching and learning of secondary school history, this paper contributes to literature and debates on the pedagogical potential of museums in this endeavor. Despite the existence of museums and expansive literature on their historical significance in various world settings, there has not been much…

This research paper explores the effects of promoting empowerment in the key stage three history curriculum. For this research the term 'empowerment' relates to engaging pupils, enlightening them to the world around them and encouraging them to use their voices. Through applying an empowering approach to the history curriculum we can teach pupils…

Place-based learning encourages students to explore their local communities, learn about history, and develop critical thinking skills. This article focuses on six middle school students who participated in a History Club and entered the National History Day competition and discovered how history and place liberates learning.

In this essay, I ask what form of historical consciousness schools should nurture in students. The two criteria I set up in this regard are plausibility--is the account of history plausible--and practicality--does the form of historical consciousness help young people contribute to the betterment of society. The level of my analysis is that of…

The present article is a plea for the value and the obvious relevance of reading in the formation of every generation of students and teachers. Reading brings us knowledge and it usually comes as a pleasant surprise. It helps us and it guides us in our quest for knowledge, especially when we break open different kinds of texts -- scientific,…