This four-part volume identifies the problems and issues in late 20th and early 21st-century history education, working towards an understanding of this evolving field. It aims to give both students and teachers insights into the best way of developing historical understanding in pupils.

A look at how to teach history in the age of easily accessible—but not always reliable—information. Let’s start with two truths about our era that are so inescapable as to have become clichés: We are surrounded by more readily available information than ever before. And a huge percent of it is inaccurate. Some of the bad info is well-meaning but ignorant. Some of it is deliberately deceptive. All of it is pernicious. With the Internet at our fingertips, what’s a teacher of history to do? In Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone), professor Sam Wineburg has the answers, beginning with this: We can’t stick to the same old read-the-chapter-answer-the-question snoozefest. If we want to educate citizens who can separate fact from fake, we have to equip them with new tools. Historical thinking, Wineburg shows, has nothing to do with the ability to memorize facts. Instead, it’s an orientation to the world that cultivates reasoned skepticism and counters our tendency to confirm our biases. Wineburg lays out a mine-filled landscape, but one that with care, attention, and awareness, we can learn to navigate. The future of the past may rest on our screens. But its fate rests in our hands. Praise for Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone) “If every K-12 teacher of history and social studies read just three chapters of this book—”Crazy for History,” “Changing History . . . One Classroom at a Time,” and “Why Google Can’t Save Us” —the ensuing transformation of our populace would save our democracy.” —James W. Lowen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Teaching What Really Happened “A sobering and urgent report from the leading expert on how American history is taught in the nation’s schools. . . . A bracing, edifying, and vital book.” —Jill Lepore, New Yorker staff writer and author of These Truths “Wineburg is a true innovator who has thought more deeply about the relevance of history to the Internet—and vice versa—than any other scholar I know. Anyone interested in the uses and abuses of history today has a duty to read this book.” —Niall Ferguson, senior fellow, Hoover Institution, and author of The Ascent of Money and Civilization

"Personalia and bibliography": p. 812-858.

Criticizes the way history is presented in current textbooks, and suggests a more accurate approach to teaching American history.

'An excellent companion to Learning to Teach in Secondary School ... full of good ideas and better advice ... Mentors will certainly want to use it, and so, I'm sure, will the rest of the history department ... Make sure they buy one, and keep your copy under lock and key.' – Michael Duffy, Times Educational Supplement 'A very well written and readable book. Overall, this is an excellent book and one which students and teachers outwith England would find a valuable addition to their library.' – Scottish Association of Teachers of History, Resources Review ‘This book is without question the standard text for the history PGCE market.’ – Dr Ian Davies, University of York, on the first edition. Learning to Teach History in the Secondary School provides an accessible introduction to teaching and learning history at secondary level. Underpinned by a theoretical perspective and backed up by the latest research, it encourages student teachers to develop a personal approach to teaching history. This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated for the new curriculum, with a brand new chapter on subject knowledge and a new section on action research to better support those reflecting on and developing their own practice. It provides an array of references and materials that give a sound theoretical foundation for the teaching of history, including weblinks to further resources, while a range of tasks will enable students to put their learning into practice in the classroom. Practical advice is combined with reference and access to a wide range of recent and relevant research in the field of history education, to support Masters Level research and aid reflective practice. Key issues covered include: The benefits of learning history Planning The use of language and strategies for teaching Inclusion Technology in history teaching Assessment Continuing professional development Offering comprehensive and accessible support to becoming a history teacher, this book remains an invaluable resource for all training and newly qualified history teachers.

In the field of history, the Web and other technologies have become important tools in research and teaching of the past. Yet the use of these tools is limited—many historians and history educators have resisted adopting them because they fail to see how digital tools supplement and even improve upon conventional tools (such as books). In Pastplay, a collection of essays by leading history and humanities researchers and teachers, editor Kevin Kee works to address these concerns head-on. How should we use technology? Playfully, Kee contends. Why? Because doing so helps us think about the past in new ways; through the act of creating technologies, our understanding of the past is re-imagined and developed. From the insights of numerous scholars and teachers, Pastplay argues that we should play with technology in history because doing so enables us to see the past in new ways by helping us understand how history is created; honoring the roots of research, teaching, and technology development; requiring us to model our thoughts; and then allowing us to build our own understanding.

“Should be in the hands of every history teacher in the country.”— Howard Zinn James Loewen has revised Teaching What Really Happened, the bestselling, go-to resource for social studies and history teachers wishing to break away from standard textbook retellings of the past. In addition to updating the scholarship and anecdotes throughout, the second edition features a timely new chapter entitled "Truth" that addresses how traditional and social media can distort current events and the historical record. Helping students understand what really happened in the past will empower them to use history as a tool to argue for better policies in the present. Our society needs engaged citizens now more than ever, and this book offers teachers concrete ideas for getting students excited about history while also teaching them to read critically. It will specifically help teachers and students tackle important content areas, including Eurocentrism, the American Indian experience, and slavery. Book Features: An up-to-date assessment of the potential and pitfalls of U.S. and world history education. Information to help teachers expect, and get, good performance from students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Strategies for incorporating project-oriented self-learning, having students conduct online historical research, and teaching historiography. Ideas from teachers across the country who are empowering students by teaching what really happened. Specific chapters dedicated to five content topics usually taught poorly in today’s schools.