Teaching World History K-12

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Comment by Jeff Williams on October 21, 2009 at 10:27am

Thanks David, I love Niall Ferguson. I wonder if Niall contributed to one of the "What if?" series of alternate history books? Thanks again for the tip!

Comment by David Hilton on October 20, 2009 at 4:31pm

If you're looking for some excellent examples of counterfactual history can I recommend you take a look at the work of Niall Ferguson? He's been quite a pioneer in those types of questions and I think they make his work quite fascinating.
Good luck with your project!

Comment by Jeff Williams on October 20, 2009 at 2:38pm

I am going to start a new project next week entitled: "What if...?" The project will have the students analyzing historical events and then imagining some of the major effects if those events turned out DIFFERENTLY. It's going to be intense and a lot of work and, to be honest, I'm not quite sure if my kids are up to it, but we'll find out. We'll use a Ning in the class for collaboration and probably a website (Wordpress) for presentation... along with the usual multimedia products made by the students.
It should be fun! Any ideas on how to make this project better?

Comment by Michael Hutchison on September 16, 2009 at 6:32pm

Hi, Kerry,

Last year was my rookie year in NHD. I started small (and continue to be that way) with my "dual credit" students. What I do is require them to create a NHD project as a research component of their coursework.

Last year was a learning experience. We had all sorts of issues with student projects, with exhibits being too large, to problems with bibliographies and process statements. We hosted a district contest at my school, with my students being the only school competing.

That said, I still found it worthwhile, and we'll do it again in 2010. I think it's probably like a lot of things in teaching, you learn and adapt as you gain experience in whatever you are trying to do.

I did have a chance, however, to attend the Indiana state NHD competition, and learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn't. I basically spent my day around the exhibit hall as well as the multimedia projects. It was interesting to see what great work is being done, even on the elementary level. We have a long way to go, but I think we can get there.

Michael H.

Comment by Carla on September 15, 2009 at 1:44pm

What are you doing for Constitution Day?

Comment by Justin Reich on September 15, 2009 at 10:32am

Hi Kerry,

My experience with research is that a critical difference from other class activities is that the possibility of failure and difficulty is much higher than with other kinds of tasks. Ask kids to memorize ten dates, and they know about how long that will take. But the research process is much more variable- a diligent, hard working kid can spend hours barking up the wrong tree with nothing to show for it. And, of course, life is a lot more like doing research than like memorizing dates.

I agree with Lisa that these kinds of research activities are essential for young history students, and so we and our students need to be courageous about approaching them. But we also need to let our students know that it's unpredictably difficult, and if people feel like they are getting stuck, we're here to help them out. Finding mentors is a fabulous idea. I also recommend that you make sure that they make their research process as transparent as possible. If you have some technological fluency, have students record their research on a blog or wiki so you can look at it regularly. The low tech solution is to check their research journals early and often. With lots of formative assessment, you can catch the students who are floundering before it's too late.

And remind students that while real work is hard; it can also be tremendously rewarding. When they are done, they'll know more about their topic than most people on Earth!

Post here more if you run into specific issues... there has been some good discussion on this forum in the past year. And have fun!

Best,
Justin

Comment by Lisa Adeli on September 15, 2009 at 10:08am

I have done National History Day for 7 years (This is my 8th.). 6 of those years, I worked almost exclusively with sophomores. NHD is REALLY worth it - a life-changing experience for some of the students.
I have some materials that I've developed. If you want to email me (adeli@email.arizona.edu), I can send them to you. Also, I found that the key - and the fun thing about it - is working along with the students, helping them to find sources, taking them to research libraries and teaching them how to use them, practicing with documenting their research fully and in the correct format. I also encourage students to find a university mentor in their area of research that can direct them to important sources (just as graduate student researchers have mentors). Be sure to let me know if students need a mentor on a topic involving the Middle East or the Balkans.
Anyway, let me know if I can help in any way.

Comment by Kerry Gallagher on September 14, 2009 at 9:45pm

Are any of you running a National History Day with your students? My sophomores are about ankle deep (although they feel like they are already up to their eyeballs) and already a bit overwhelmed. This is my virgin voyage into NHD as well. Any tips for guiding them to success without overwhelming them?

Comment by Carla on September 7, 2009 at 6:01pm

Thematic vs. chronological. Do I follow the outline of my textbook (which my district curriculm outline says to do) or do I approach the curriculum with a more thematic point of view?

Comment by Lisa Adeli on August 22, 2009 at 4:03pm

AFTER discussing the conflict, I use the section (1/2 hour or so) from the "Children in War" video about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It shows how children on both sides have suffered greatly - and how children on both sides have become militant. It really helps teenagers realize how difficult the search for peace is and get them past the condescending "They should just get along" attitude.

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