A situated approach to historical thinking in the Australian Curriculum : History

This paper focuses on the importance of foregrounding an emphasis on the development of historical thinking in the implementation of the Australian Curriculum: History as a way of making the study of history meaningful for their students. In doing so, it argues that teachers need to take up the opportunity to situate the study of Asia as a significant component of the curriculum’s ‘Australia in a world history approach’. In the discussion on the significance of historical thinking, the paper specifically addresses those seven historical concepts articulated in the new history curriculum by drawing from the international scholarship in the field of history education on the ways in which children and adolescents think about historical content and concepts.

Thinking about Australia and its location in the modern world in the Australian Curriculum : history

The first national history curriculum is being implemented in Australia from 2013. As with the curriculums of other nations, this curriculum has evolved in response to a range of factors and its merits continue to be debated. In critiquing the sort of history education approach encapsulated in the new curriculum, I discuss some of the contextual factors and debates that have shaped the Australian Curriculum: History v0.3 (ACARA, 2012). In doing so, I also explore some of the recent international literature on how students think and learn about history in the classroom. In the third and final part of the paper, I raise some logistical issues and also question how students might engage with the notion of Australia as a nation in the modern world rapidly reshaped by the transformations occurring in Asia and share some concerns about the curriculum’s ‘world history approach’ for Year 10.

History in the Australian Curriculum F-10 : providing answers without asking questions

This paper examines the most recent version of the Australian Curriculum: History F-10. It does so in two ways. First, it explores some of the strengths and weaknesses of this curriculum with reference to the decision to frame aspects of Australian history within the context of a world history approach. Whilst the positioning of Indigenous Histories is applauded, the curriculum’s lack of attention to the significance of the recent history of Australia’s Asian neighbours, and Australia’s relationship with them, is critiqued. This part of the paper also emphasises the need for comparative approaches and calls for greater emphasis on providing students with opportunities to critique and contest the construction of narratives about the past. Second, the paper introduces four invited articles that examine different aspects of the Australian Curriculum: History. Collectively these papers reiterate the significance of the richness of integrated and child-centred approaches and the importance of developing historical thinking, empathy and the historical imagination in the classroom.

History in the Australian Curriculum F-10: Providing answers without asking questions

Thi paper writer examines the most recent version of the Australian Curriculum: History F-10. It does so in two ways. First, it explores some of the strengths and weaknesses of this curriculum with reference to the decision to frame aspects of Australian history within the context of a world history approach. Whilst the positioning of Indigenous Histories is applauded, the curriculum’s lack of attention to the significance of the recent history of Australia’s Asian neighbours, and Australia’s relationship with them, is critiqued. This part of the paper also emphasises the need for comparative approaches and calls for greater emphasis on providing students with opportunities to critique and contest the construction of narratives about the past. Second, the paper introduces four invited articles that examine different aspects of the Australian Curriculum: History. Collectively these papers reiterate the significance of the richness of integrated and child-centred approaches and the importance of developing historical thinking, empathy and the historical imagination in the classroom.

"Heroes" and "Villains" of World History across Cultures

Emergent properties of global political culture were examined using data from the World History Survey (WHS) involving 6,902 university students in 37 countries evaluating 40 figures from world history. Multidimensional scaling and factor analysis techniques found only limited forms of universality in evaluations across Western, Catholic/Orthodox, Muslim, and Asian country clusters. The highest consensus across cultures involved scientific innovators, with Einstein having the most positive evaluation overall. Peaceful humanitarians like Mother Theresa and Gandhi followed. There was much less cross-cultural consistency in the evaluation of negative figures, led by Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein. After more traditional empirical methods (e.g., factor analysis) failed to identify meaningful cross-cultural patterns, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify four global representational profiles: Secular and Religious Idealists were overwhelmingly prevalent in Christian countries, and Political Realists were common in Muslim and Asian countries. We discuss possible consequences and interpretations of these different representational profiles.

Cross-cultural dimensions of meaning in the evaluation of events in world history? Perceptions of historical calamities and progress in cross-cultural data from 30 societies

The universality versus culture specificity of quantitative evaluations (negative-positive) of 40 events in world history was addressed using World History Survey data collected from 5,800 university students in 30 countries/societies. Multidimensional scaling using generalized procrustean analysis indicated poor fit of data from the 30 countries to an overall mean configuration, indicating lack of universal agreement as to the associational meaning of events in world history. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified one Western and two non-Western country clusters for which adequate multidimensional fit was obtained after item deletions. A two-dimensional solution for the three country clusters was identified, where the primary dimension was historical calamities versus progress and a weak second dimension was modernity versus resistance to modernity. Factor analysis further reduced the item inventory to identify a single concept with structural equivalence across cultures, Historical Calamities, which included man-made and natural, intentional and unintentional, predominantly violent but also nonviolent calamities. Less robust factors were tentatively named as Historical Progress and Historical Resistance to Oppression. Historical Calamities and Historical Progress were at the individual level both significant and independent predictors of willingness to fight for one’s country in a hierarchical linear model that also identified significant country-level variation in these relationships. Consensus around calamity but disagreement as to what constitutes historical progress is discussed in relation to the political culture of nations and lay perceptions of history as catastrophe.

Making history : world history from 1914 to the present.

Este texto abarca todos los temas del mundo moderno exigidos para el examen del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Además, incluye una gran cantidad y variedad de documentos escritos y no escritos: cartas, memorias, fotografías, pinturas, carteles y dibujos, que constituyen los diferentes testimonios utilizadas por los historiadores para conocer la historia del siglo XX.

GCSE History : modern world history : the revision guide.

Proporciona consejos a los estudiantes que preparan los exámenes de historia para la obtención de varios certificados: el Oxford, Cambridge and the Royal Society of Arts (OCR) y el General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Son consejos para aprender a estudiar historia de forma eficiente y poder superar las pruebas que exigen los examinadores. Para esto, es necesario no solo el conocimiento y comprensión de hechos y fechas, sino, también, saber explicarlos y tener formada una opinión sobre ellos y, por último, saber manejar fuentes históricas.

GCSE History : modern world history : 20th century Britain. The revision guide.

Este texto guiado esta dividido en nueve secciones y abarca la historia de Gran Bretaña en el siglo XX. Al final de cada una de las secciones hay un repaso resumido y se formulan preguntas para ayudar a los alumnos a preparar en casa los exámenes del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) y del Oxford, Cambridge and the Royal Society of Arts (OCR), en dististos organismos.

Cracking the SAT. U.S. and World history subject tests.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) se trata de una prueba estandarizada usada frecuentemente para valorar los conocimientos adquiridos durante la enseñanza secundaria por los estudiantes que deseen acceder a una educación superior en EE.UU. Esta publicación proporciona la información y las estrategias necesarias para maximizar la puntuación de la prueba del SAT en historia. Enseña a pensar como los redactores de la prueba, y a practicar con la materia que se pondrá en el examen para poder estudiar con mayor eficacia. Se hace una revisión de las épocas históricas que van a aparecer en la prueba y facilita con explicaciones detalladas técnicas para aplicar los conocimientos aprendidos en resolver cuestiones específicas complicadas. Incluye cuatro ensayos prácticos con preguntas de opción múltiple de una hora de duración cada una: dos pruebas de historia de Estados Unidos desde la aprobación de la Constitución hasta la actualidad, y dos pruebas para historia universal.

GCSE History AQA B : modern world history.

Es un recurso para la preparación del examen del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE) que reúne una serie de características que ayudan a clarificar el contenido de las unidades temáticas. Estas características son: fuentes históricas; problemas historiográficos sobre el tema; y un apartado para expresar la opinión personal sobre importantes debates de un asunto histórico. También, se incluye otro recuadro que permite hacer averiguaciones propias sobre hechos históricos; y por último, un esquema con los principales temas y problemas de cada período con identificación de los puntos clave para su comprensión, y un resumen sobre un tema específico con argumentos a favor y en contra.

GCSE History AQA B : modern world history. Teacher guide.

Este recurso para el profesor sigue la estructura del libro del alumno, que prepara para el examen del General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Contiene notas para el docente, planificación de clases y hojas de trabajo diferenciadas pero que pueden personalizarse y adaptarse a cada clase. Se acompaña de un CD-ROM.

20th Century World History.

Se adapta a los contenidos y enfoques específicos del International Baccalaureate (IB). Incluye las materias y temas de la historia del siglo XX, ruta 2, de este programa de estudios y permita a los estudiantes comparar y contrastar acontecimientos y temas de distintos periodos y regiones. Ofrece, además, gran cantidad de fuentes primarias para el análisis y valoración de los testimonios históricos, así como actividades y puntos de discusión para desarrollar en los alumnos las habilidades de argumentación y redacción de trabajos e investigaciones.

GCSE Modern World History : Revision Guide.

Este libro prepara para los alumnos de historia cuyo objetivo es conseguir el General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Los orígenes de la Primera Guerra Mundial, la política de Hitler y los orígenes de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, los orígenes de la Guerra Fría, la crisis de la Guerra Fría, el comunismo, la dictadura de Stalin, la Alemania de Hitler, la evolución de los EEUU, la guerra del Vietnam, las crisis de Marruecos y sus efectos, son algunos de los temas tratados en el libro con ilustraciones y esquemas.