History unveiled
Transcript of History unveiled
LOEWEN MAULS HISTORY CURRICULUM
HISTORY UNVEILEDJames Loewen opens it up
ACCORDING TO LOEWEN, THERE ARE MANY THINGS WRONG WITH THE WAY HISTORY IS GENERALLY TAUGHT ...
HISTORY TEXTS ARE TOO FAT!
History textbooks and courses try to cover too much. There is a lot of breath, but not a lot of breadth in what students learn.
HISTORY IS BORING!History is more than a recitation of facts.
HISTORY IS NOT RELEVANTStudents don’t get the connection between all these facts and themselves.
HISTORY IS TAUGHT WITH AN AGENDA.
INSTEAD OF TEACHING HISTORY THE TRADITIONAL WAY, LOEWEN PROPOSES DIFFERENT TEACHING STRATEGIES …
MAKE HISTORY RELEVANT
RE-INTRODUCE THE DRAMA BACK INTO THE STUDY OF HISTORY
ADD DRAMA
• Introduce controversy
• Investigate diverging opinions
• Include more perspectives
• Create emotional connections
INTRODUCE STUDENT TO
THE PRACTICE OF HISTORY
STUDENTS PRACTICE HISTORY BY:
• Examining primary and secondary sources
• Arguing based on historical evidence
• Interviewing and investigating in their own communities
LOEWEN TO TEACHERS:
• Cover fewer topics and examine them thoroughly.
• Teach history backwards.• Delve into historical
controversy.
LOEWEN TO TEACHERS:• Allow students to disagree
with you.• Encourage students to
practice history.• Teach students how to deal
critically with historical sources, including their own textbook.
MY RESPONSE TO LOEWEN
HOW LOEWEN HAS INFLUENCED ME AS A TEACHER
• Make history relevant
• Use Multiple texts• Teach textual
criticism• Present multiple
contributions• Encourage student
historians
• Keep learning my self
FIVE HISTORICAL FACTS I LEARNED FROM JAMES LOEWEN
1. The Confederacy violated states rights (p. 168, 233).
FIVE HISTORICAL FACTS I LEARNED FROM JAMES LOEWEN
2. West Africans might have sailed to the Americas. (p. 63).
FIVE HISTORICAL FACTS I LEARNED FROM JAMES LOEWEN
3. “Eastern Indians had observed autumnal harvest Celebrations for centuries.” (p. 117)
FIVE HISTORICAL FACTS I LEARNED FROM JAMES LOEWEN
4. The first permanent non-Native settler in the Western Hemisphere were Africans. (p. 163)
FIVE HISTORICAL FACTS I LEARNED FROM JAMES LOEWEN
5. Woodrow Wilson was a racist who supported Jim Crow laws. (p. 40-44)
A SUMMARY OF MY THOUGHTS REGARDING THE BOOK
Great idea
A SUMMARY OF MY THOUGHTS REGARDING THE BOOK
Great idea
A SUMMARY OF MY THOUGHTS REGARDING THE BOOK
Great idea
Is history subjective?
MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY
The purpose of teaching American History is to:
• Help students understand the past and the present in relation to each other.
• Give students the skills to interpret past and present events critically and independently.
• It is the students choice how the decide to employ these skills.
MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY
In order to achieve these goals, American History teachers need to keep in mind:
• We have to connect students to History through authentic and relevant teaching.
• Historical drama and controversy need to be fostered, so that students have the opportunity to explore history themselves.
• We must introduce the critical study of primary and secondary documents and teach historical argumentation, in order to foster engaged amateur historians.
CHAPTERS READ
• Introduction• Ch. 1: Handicapped by History (The
Process of Hero Making)• Ch. 2: 1493 (The True Importance of
Christopher Columbus)• Ch. 3: The Truth about the First
Thanksgiving• Ch. 4: Red Eyes
CHAPTERS READ
• Ch. 5: Gone with the Wind (The Invisibility of Racism in American History Textbooks)
• Ch. 6: John Brown and Abraham Lincoln (They Invisibility of Antiracism in American History Textbooks
• Ch. 13: What is the Result of Teaching History Like This?
• Afterword: The Future Lies Ahead, and What to Do About Them