introduction to history of education

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Education: A Very Short Introduction (1st edn)

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Education: A Very Short Introduction explores how and why education has evolved throughout history and explains the way in which schools work, noting how curricula are remarkably consistent around the world. Few people know how the schools that exist today came to their current state. Little is known about the intellectual traditions that have shaped education. There is a gap in awareness and understanding about what education is and how it has developed. As a result there is a dearth of creativity about how to improve it. There are always going to be strong opinions on how best to educate. What is the difference between progressive and formal education? How might education develop in the future?

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Introduction to the History of Education Review Special IssueEducation for all? Access, equity and exclusivity in the history of education

History of Education Review

ISSN : 0819-8691

Article publication date: 1 June 2015

Moore, K. (2015), "Introduction to the History of Education Review Special IssueEducation for all? Access, equity and exclusivity in the history of education", History of Education Review , Vol. 44 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-01-2015-0002

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Introduction to the History of Education Review Special Issue: Education for all? Access, equity and exclusivity in the history of education

Article Type: Guest editorial From: History of Education Review, Volume 44, Issue 1

This Special Issue of the History of Education Review draws from papers presented at the Australian and New Zealand History of Education Society conference held at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in December 2013. Dr Keith Moore, assisted by QUT colleague, Dr Tony Brady, convened the conference. As part of the broad theme “Education for all? Access, Equity and Exclusivity in the History of Education”, sub-themes included historiography; the inclusive and exclusive practices of systems of education; inclusive and exclusive practices of educational institutions; faith-based educational institutions and the problem of access; gendering institutions and systems; the problem of advantaging access for members of groups; historically under-represented populations in educational institutions; intelligence, giftedness, and talents and the problem of access; technologies of inclusion and exclusion (including streaming, setting, testing, etc.); curricula, texts and textbooks for all or some with a focus on special interests and democratic discourse; policies that determine access: institutional and systemic, national and international; useful methodologies: researching the voices of the included and excluded; and finally another “useful methodologies”: researching the voices of the includers and excluders.

This Special Issue features eight papers from the Brisbane conference.

In the first paper, Sianan Healy investigates the implementation of the State government of Victoria’s assimilation policy in its schools via the text and pictures in the School Paper . Healy explains that the monthly paper, utilised as a reader in schools, failed to portray Aboriginal children in modern school settings. This contrasted with the depiction of non-Indigenous Australians. Healy argues that between 1945 and 1968, the Victorian Government indoctrinated both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children with understandings that Aboriginal culture was primitive and non-Aboriginal culture, superior.

The second paper, “Prophet or fool?” looks inward, to the conditions of employment for historians of education. Sherman Dorn examines the “professional dilemmas” of history of education academics in the USA, the marginalisation of the history of education within teacher education and the absence of permanent academic employment for many who are qualified in the area. He discusses the employment circumstances of numbers of well-known history of education academics. Although emphasising that there was no “golden age” for historians of education in American universities, the writer addresses the current dearth of tenured positions. He advises that history of education academics “cross borders” and seek employment in aligned fields.

The third paper, by Kay Whitehead, titled “Teaching ‘other people’s children’” utilises Lisa Delpit’s work on the mismatch of white middle class teachers and their black and minority group students in the USA to examine the relationship between south Australian teachers and their working class students. Whitehead argues that “Other people’s children” historically and in the present remain on the margins of Australian education, while the children of society’s more “well to do” receive greater benefits. The paper shows how teachers and educational administrators have historically fostered privilege, discriminating against the disadvantaged. Whitehead also discusses the Karmel report of the 1970s, and its approach to bring disadvantaged children from the margins to the centre of the policy agenda.

Craig Campbell’s paper is the fourth in this special conference edition. It investigates a hitherto neglected, but no doubt emerging area of educational history: exploring the social theory and historiography of the Australian middle class and its relationship with schooling. He argues that schools play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the middle class. Campbell explains that parents from middle class backgrounds are often vitally concerned about school funding, choice between schools, the status of schools and the developing association of these concerns with developing models of good citizenship and responsible parenthood. These parents often ensure that their children receive advantages in schooling by demanding that governments direct their funding towards schools that most successfully meet middle-class expectations. Campbell argues that with the decline in the working class, the middle class have unprecedented political strength.

Thesis supervisors and students are aware of a paucity of scholarly articles that address the methodology of research and writing in the history of education. In the fifth paper, Janice Garaty, Lesley Hughes and Megan Brock address this issue, based on their experience of investigating the educational work of Catholic Religious sisters in Australia. The authors outline the methodological strategies that they implemented. Other researchers will find their insights useful. Their projects included historical investigations of an Irish teaching order, a history of a girls’ school, a narrative history of Sisters teaching in remote areas and Sisters’ social welfare work.

The impact of the curriculum and the ethos of privileged schooling for the life of an Australian literary identity, Arthur Wesley Wheen, the translator of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front , is a focus of John Ramsland’s paper. Largely employing a biographical method, Ramsland examines how the influences of war and theology influenced Wheen and how education shaped his scholarly endeavours and imaginative, sensitive, writing style. Ramsland investigates the influences of various teachers and headmasters. Being the centenary of Australia’s involvement in the Great War, it is a timely contribution as Ramsland has interwoven Wheen’s First World War experiences with the development of his scholarly interests.

In the sixth paper, John Pardy and Lesley Preston examine the restructuring of the Victorian Education Department towards the end of the twentieth century. They focus on the abolition of the dual system of secondary schooling and argue that the closure of technical schools limited access and equity to children best suited to receiving such an education. They also point to the failures of Labour politicians who ignored the lessons of their more insightful predecessors. Pardy and Preston emphasise that “ministerialization”, whereby power is passed from the professional bureaucracy to the minister, played a pivotal role in the destruction of Victoria’s technical schools. They argue that the loss was a tragedy.

The final paper by John Hughes examines the workings of progressive education in a particular school in the 1930s. He finds that the Enmore Activity School in New South Wales offered a “hybrid” progressive curriculum consisting of a conventional curriculum “leavened with a little of the progressive yeast”. Among the objectives was the prevention of boys from the poorer industrial inner western Sydney suburbs from becoming “educational misfits”. Hughes discusses theories that advocated that schools prepare students for futures as reliable employees and law-abiding citizens. The research for the paper includes an evaluation of Harold Wyndham’s central role in the initial operation of this school. The author explains: “in Australia, we remain largely ignorant as to how the progressive education curriculum was understood, accepted, or rejected at the local level”.

These papers offer valuable insights into aspects of the ANZHES Brisbane conference/ HER special edition theme and/or subthemes. The papers by Dorn, Whitehead and Campbell were keynote addresses at the conference, and they retain some of the characteristics of this form of presentation. All of the papers published here have been peer-reviewed. Additional papers from the conference are likely to appear in future issues of the History of Education Review .

About the Guest Editor

Dr Keith Moore is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Queensland, University of Technology. He co-ordinates the History Discipline and lectures in Modern European and Australian History. He is a former ANZHES President. Dr Keith Moore can be contacted at: mailto:[email protected]

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From 1871 to 2021: A Short History of Education in the United States

In 1600s and 1700s America, prior to the first and second Industrial Revolutions, educational opportunity varied widely depending on region, race, gender, and social class.

Public education, common in New England, was class-based, and the working class received few benefits, if any. Instructional styles and the nature of the curriculum were locally determined. Teachers themselves were expected to be models of strict moral behavior.

By the mid-1800s, most states had accepted three basic assumptions governing public education: that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that children should be required to attend school.

The term “normal school” is based on the French école normale, a sixteenth-century model school with model classrooms where model teaching practices were taught to teacher candidates. In the United States, normal schools were developed and built primarily to train elementary-level teachers for the public schools.

The Normal School The term “normal school” is based on the French  école normale , a sixteenth-century model school with model classrooms where model teaching practices were taught to teacher candidates. This was a laboratory school where children on both the primary or secondary levels were taught, and where their teachers, and the instructors of those teachers, learned together in the same building. This model was employed from the inception of the Buffalo Normal School , where the “School of Practice” inhabited the first floors of the teacher preparation academy. In testament to its effectiveness, the Campus School continued in the same tradition after the college was incorporated and relocated on the Elmwood campus.

Earlier normal schools were reserved for men in Europe for many years, as men were thought to have greater intellectual capacity for scholarship than women. This changed (fortunately) during the nineteenth century, when women were more successful as private tutors than were men.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, newly industrialized European economies needed a reliable, reproducible, and uniform work force. The preparation of teachers to accomplish this goal became ever more important. The process of instilling in future citizens the norms of moral behavior led to the creation of the first uniform, formalized national educational curriculum. Thus, “normal” schools were tasked with developing this new curriculum and the techniques through which teachers would communicate and model these ideas, behaviors, and values for students who, it was hoped, through formal education, might desire and seek a better quality of life.

In the United States, normal schools were developed and built primarily to train elementary-level teachers for the public schools. In 1823, Reverend Samuel Read Hall  founded the first private normal school in the United States, the Columbian School in Concord, Vermont. The first public normal school in the United States was founded shortly thereafter in 1839 in Lexington, Massachusetts. Both public and private “normals” initially offered a two-year course beyond the secondary level, but by the twentieth century, teacher-training programs required a minimum of four years. By the 1930s most normal schools had become “teachers colleges,” and by the 1950s they had evolved into distinct academic departments or schools of education within universities.

The Buffalo Normal School Buffalo State was founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School. It changed its name more often than it changed its building. It has been called the State Normal and Training School (1888–1927), the State Teachers College at Buffalo (1928–1946), the New York State College for Teachers at Buffalo (1946–1950), SUNY, New York State College for Teachers (1950–1951), the State University College for Teachers at Buffalo (1951–1959), the State University College of Education at Buffalo (1960–1961), and finally the State University College at Buffalo in 1962, or as we know it more succinctly, SUNY Buffalo State College.

As early as the 1800s, visionary teachers explored teaching people with disabilities. Thomas Galludet developed a method to educate the deaf and hearing impaired. Dr. Samuel Howe focused on teaching the visually impaired, creating books with large, raised letters to assist people with sight impairments to “read” with their fingers.

What Goes Around, Comes Around: What Is Good Teaching? Throughout most of post-Renaissance history, teachers were most often male scholars or clergymen who were the elite literates who had no formal training in “how” to teach the content in which they were most well-versed. Many accepted the tenet that “teachers were born , not made .” It was not until “pedagogy,” the “art and science of teaching,” attained a theoretical respectability that the training of educated individuals in the science of teaching was considered important.

While scholars of other natural and social sciences still debate the scholarship behind the “science” of teaching, even those who accept pedagogy as a science admit that there is reason to support one theory that people can be “born” with the predisposition to be a good teacher. Even today, while teacher education programs are held accountable by accreditors for “what” they teach teachers, the “dispositions of teaching” are widely debated, yet considered essential to assess the suitability of a teacher candidate to the complexities of the profession. Since the nineteenth century, however, pedagogy has attempted to define the minimal characteristics needed to qualify a person as a teacher. These have remained fairly constant as the bases for educator preparation programs across the country: knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of teaching methods, and practical experience in applying both are still the norm. The establishment of the “norms” of pedagogy and curriculum, hence the original name of “normal school” for teacher training institutions, recognized the social benefit and moral value of ensuring a quality education for all.

As with so many innovations and trends that swept the post-industrial world in the twentieth century, education, too, has experienced many changes. The names of the great educational theorists and reformers of the Progressive Era in education are known to all who know even a little about teaching and learning: Jean Piaget , Benjamin Bloom , Maria Montessori , Horace Mann , and John Dewey to name only a few.

As early as the 1800s, visionary teachers explored teaching people with disabilities. Thomas Galludet developed a method to educate the deaf and hearing impaired. He opened the Hartford School for the Deaf in Connecticut in 1817. Dr. Samuel Howe focused on teaching the visually impaired, creating books with large, raised letters to assist people with sight impairments to “read” with their fingers. Howe led the Perkins Institute, a school for the blind, in Boston. Such schools were usually boarding schools for students with disabilities. There are still residential schools such as St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo, but as pedagogy for all children moved into the twentieth century, inclusive practice where children with disabilities were educated in classrooms with non-disabled peers yielded excellent results. This is the predominant pedagogy taught by our Exceptional Education faculty today.

As the reform movements in education throughout the twentieth century introduced ideas of equality, child-centered learning, assessment of learner achievement as a measure of good teaching, and other revolutionary ideas such as inquiry-based practice, educating the whole person, and assuring educational opportunities for all persons, so did the greater emphasis on preparing teachers to serve the children of the public, not just those of the elite.

This abridged version of events that affected teacher education throughout the twentieth century mirrors the incredible history of the country from WWI’s post-industrial explosion to the turbulent 1960s, when the civil rights movement and the women’s rights movement dominated the political scene and schools became the proving ground for integration and Title IX enforcement of equality of opportunity. Segregation in schools went to the Supreme Court in 1954 with  Brown vs. Board of Education.  Following this monumental decision, schools began the slow process of desegregating schools, a process that, sadly, is still not yet achieved.

As schools became more and more essential to the post-industrial economy and the promotion of human rights for all, teaching became more and more regulated. By the end of the twentieth century, licensing requirements had stiffened considerably in public education, and salary and advancement often depended on the earning of advanced degrees and professional development in school-based settings.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the Sputnik generation’s worship of science gave rise to similarities in terminology between the preparation of teachers and the preparation of doctors. “Lab schools” and quantitative research using experimental and quasi-experimental designs to test reading and math programs and other curricular innovations were reminiscent of the experimental designs used in medical research. Student teaching was considered an “internship,” akin to the stages of practice doctors followed. Such terminology and parallels to medicine, however, fell out of vogue with a general disenchantment with science and positivism in the latter decades of the twentieth century.  Interestingly, these parallels have resurfaced today as we refer to our model of educating teachers in “clinically rich settings.” We have even returned to “residency” programs, where teacher candidates are prepared entirely in the schools where they will eventually teach.

As schools became more and more essential to the post-industrial economy and the promotion of human rights for all, teaching became more and more regulated. By the end of the twentieth century, licensing requirements had stiffened considerably in public education, and salary and advancement often depended on the earning of advanced degrees and professional development in school-based settings. Even today, all programs in colleges and universities that prepare teachers must follow extensive and detailed guidelines established by the New York State Education Department that determine what must be included in such programs. Additions such as teaching to students with disabilities and teaching to English language learners are requirements that reflect the changing needs of classrooms.

As the world changed, so did the preparation of teachers. The assimilation of the normal school into colleges and universities marked the evolution of teaching as a profession, a steady recognition over the last 150 years that has allowed the teacher as scientist to explore how teaching and learning work in tandem and to suggest that pedagogy is dynamic and interactive with sociopolitical forces and that schools play a critical role in the democratic promotion of social justice.

Campus Schools and Alternative Classroom Organization During the ’60s and ’70s, new concepts of schooling such as multigrade classrooms and open-concept spaces, where students followed their own curiosity through project-based learning, were played out right here at Buffalo State in what was then the College Learning Lab (Campus School). Campus School shared many of the college’s resources and served as the clinical site for the preparation of teachers. School administration and teachers held joint appointments at the college and in the lab. Classrooms were visible through one-way glass, where teacher candidates could observe and review what they saw with the lab school teacher afterward. Participation in these classrooms was a requirement during the junior year. (I myself did my junior participation in a 5/6 open class there.)

However, as the SUNY colleges became less and less supported by New York State budgetary allocations, the Campus School was soon too expensive to staff and to maintain. The baby boom was over, and the population was shrinking. Job opportunities for the graduates of Buffalo State were rare. A 10-year cycle of teacher shortage and teacher over-supply continues to be a trend.

Standards and Norms In the 1980s, education in America once again turned to “norming,” but now the norms were not measuring one child against others; rather, each child was assessed as he or she approached the “national standards” that theoretically defined the knowledge and skills necessary for all to achieve.  

Fearing America’s loss of stature as the technologically superior leader of the free world, A Nation at Risk , published in 1983, cast a dark shadow over teaching and schools for many years to come until its premises were largely disrupted. During the time after this report, however, being a teacher was not a popular career choice, and teaching as a profession was called into question.

By 1998, almost every state had defined or implemented academic standards for math and reading. Principals and teachers were judged; students were promoted or retained, and legislation was passed so that high school students would graduate or be denied a diploma based on whether or not they had met the standards, usually as measured by a criterion-referenced test.

In the 1980s, education in America once again turned to “norming,” but now the norms were not measuring one child against others; rather, each child was assessed as he or she approached the “national standards” that theoretically defined the knowledge and skills necessary for all to achieve.

The pressure to teach to a standards-based curriculum, to test all students in an effort to ensure equal education for all, led to some famous named policies of presidents and secretaries of education in the later twentieth century. National panels and political pundits returned to the roots of the “normal school” movement, urging colleges of teacher education to acquaint teacher candidates with the national educational standards known as Goals 2000 . The George H. W. Bush administration kicked off an education summit with the purpose of “righting the ship” since the shock of A Nation at Risk .  Standards-based curriculum became a “teacher proof” system of ensuring that all children—no matter what their socioeconomic privilege—would be taught the same material.  This “curriculum first” focus for school planning persisted through the Clinton administration with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the George W. Bush administration with No Child Left Behind , and the Obama administration with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the accompanying federal funding called Race to the Top .  Such packaged standards-based curriculum movements once again turned the public eye to a need to conform, achieve, and compete.

For teachers, the most important development from this pressure to teach to the standards was the controversial Common Core , a nationalized curriculum based on standards of education that were designed to give all students common experiences within a carefully constructed framework that would transcend race, gender, economics, region, and aptitude. So focused were the materials published on the Common Core that schools began to issue scripted materials to their teachers to ensure the same language was used in every classroom. Teacher autonomy was suppressed, and time for language arts and mathematics began to eclipse the study of science, social studies, art, music.

Now What? That takes us almost to today’s schools, where teachers are still accountable for helping student achieve the Common Core standards or more currently the National Standards. Enter the COVID pandemic. Full stop.

Curriculum, testing, conformity, and standards are out the window. The American parent can now “see into” the classroom and the teacher can likewise “see into” the American home. Two-dimensional, computer-assisted instruction replaced the dynamic interactive classroom where learning is socially constructed and facilitated by teachers who are skilled at classroom management, social-emotional learning, and project-based group work. Teacher candidates must now rely on their status as digital natives to engage and even entertain their students who now come to them as a collective of individuals framed on a computer screen rather than in a classroom of active bodies who engage with each other in myriad ways. Last year’s pedagogical challenges involved mastery of the 20-minute attention span, the teacher as entertainer added to the teacher as facilitator . Many of our teacher candidates learned more about themselves than they did about their students. Yet, predominately, stories of creativity, extraordinary uses of technology, and old-fashioned persistence and ingenuity were the new “norm” for the old Buffalo State Normal School.

There has been nothing “normal” about these last two years as the world learns to cope with a silent enemy. There will be no post-war recovery, no post-industrial reforms, no equity of opportunity in schools around the world. But there will be teaching. And there will be learning. And the Buffalo State Normal School will continue to prepare the highest quality practitioners whose bags of tricks grow ever-more flexible, driven by a world where all that is known doubles in just a few days. Pedagogy is still a science. Teaching is a science, but it is also a craft practiced by master craftsmen and women and learned by apprentices.

Teaching has been called the noblest profession. From our earliest roots as the Buffalo Normal School to the current challenges of post-COVID America, we have never changed our dedication to that conviction.

Ultimately, however, as even the earliest teacher educators knew, the art of teaching is that ephemeral quality that we cannot teach, but which we know when we see it at work, that makes the great teacher excel far beyond the competent teacher.

Teaching has been called the noblest profession. From our earliest roots as the Buffalo Normal School to the current challenges of post-COVID America, we have never changed our dedication to that conviction. We are still doing what the words of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai encourage us to do: “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” That was and always will be the mission of Buffalo State, “the Teachers College.”

This article was contributed as part of a guest author series observing the 150th anniversary celebration of Buffalo State College. Campus authors who are interested in submitting articles or story ideas pertaining to the sesquicentennial are encouraged to contact the editor .

Wendy Paterson, ’75, ’76, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, is an internationally recognized scholar in the areas of early literacy and reading, developmental and educational technology, and single parenting. She received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 1996.

Read other stories in the 150th anniversary guest author series:

Pomp, Pageantry Seize the Day in 1869 Normal School Cornerstone Laying

Transforming Lives for 150 Years: Memoir of a 1914 Graduate

Buffalo Normal School Held Opening Ceremony 150 Years Ago Today

New Buffalo Normal School Replaces Outgrown Original

The Grover Cleveland–E. H. Butler Letters at Buffalo State

Test Your College Knowledge with a Buffalo State Crossword Puzzle

Photo: Staff of the Record student newspaper, 1913 .

References:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/education-reforms/

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_school

https://britannica.com/topic/normal-school

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1216495.pdf

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Normal_school

http://reformmovements1800s.weebly.com/education.html

http://www.leaderinme.org/blog/history-of-education-the-united-states-in-a-nutshell/

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An Introduction to the History of Education (Studies in Teaching and Learning) Paperback

• Print length 188 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
• ISBN-10 0340262931
• ISBN-13 978-0340262931
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Product details

• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 188 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0340262931
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0340262931
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces

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Richard aldrich.

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History of Education

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Introduction to Education (BETA)

(8 reviews)

Jennifer Beasley, University of Arkansas

Myra Haulmark, University of Arkansas

Copyright Year: 2021

Publisher: University of Arkansas

Language: English

Formats Available

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Reviewed by Jessica Urbaniak, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Superior on 10/30/23

Nearly all content is included in the textbook. Here were some areas that I thought there could be some improvement: It does not go in-depth on the history of education, which other textbooks do. The textbook has an effective table of contents. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Nearly all content is included in the textbook. Here were some areas that I thought there could be some improvement: It does not go in-depth on the history of education, which other textbooks do.

The textbook has an effective table of contents.

Content Accuracy rating: 1

Problematic language portrays bias: "Alcohol can cause mental retardation, slower physical development, severe learning, and cognitive disabilities." Sadly, the use of the r-word in a current textbook makes this unacceptable to ask students to read.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

In almost all cases except the use of the r-word. There is person-first language in other areas of the book. I'm not sure how this slipped through. This, in my view, makes the test obsolete.

Clarity rating: 3

There are links to videos where it may be more helpful for the reader if they were embedded.

Consistency rating: 5

I did not see any inconsistencies.

Modularity rating: 4

The book is cleanly organized into sections and subsections. Some pages were very long and could have been divided into two chapters (ethics chapter in particular - there could have been a different chapter on laws).

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The topics are presented in a clear, logical fashion.

Interface rating: 5

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors spotted.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Some of the language used doesn't portray any nuance to situations which some may find problematic. Here is an example: "Homeless students are battered psychologically and emotionally"

Reviewed by Joanna Koch, Assistant Teaching Professor, North Carolina State University on 8/29/23

Overall, the Introduction to Education textbook provides a solid introduction to the major themes in the field of education. This textbook would serve as a resource for an introductory education course because the topics, terms, and issues are... read more

Overall, the Introduction to Education textbook provides a solid introduction to the major themes in the field of education. This textbook would serve as a resource for an introductory education course because the topics, terms, and issues are relevant and necessary to discuss with pre-service teachers. One of the strengths of the textbook is having essential questions at the beginning of each chapter. Then, throughout the chapter, the content provides answers to those essential questions. Also, the textbook provides different "scenarios" for students to apply their understanding in situations they may encounter in their future careers. An area for consideration would be providing more information through visual aids, diagrams, or charts throughout the different chapters. For instance, Chapter 2 would benefit from a table noting the differences between elementary, middle, and high school, which would serve as a quick reference and a representation of the differences between those types of schools. Altogether, the textbook provides the reader with an overview of the education field.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Generally, most of the book’s content is accurate. However, I would agree with previous reviewers' comments concerning inaccuracies. Additionally, Chapter 6 opens with a question of “excellence or equity - is one more important than the other?”. In reflecting on this chapter’s title, I would suggest changing the chapter to “Equality vs. Equity – What is the difference?” because this is a common question discussed in education courses. Furthermore, pre-service teachers will encounter situations of inequity and inequality and need to understand the differences in order to respond effectively.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The arrangement of the text is relevant. In particular, I appreciate how the chapters build upon each other to make the text relevant to teaching experiences both in the past and present. One suggestion is to update the websites to make sure the websites reflect data that is current, such as the teacher pay in chapter one. Understandably, websites can change over time, so it might be necessary to have more inquiry-based questions for students to explore the web. For instance, the chapter text could have the reader explore the web for their state’s curriculum standards and have reflection questions that guide the students in exploring the state education standards. In doing so, the websites in the text would not need to be continuously updated.

Clarity rating: 4

When reviewing the textbook, the text was a straightforward read that included student-friendly vocabulary. I appreciate when an introduction textbook provides students with clearly worded terms that students can understand and apply in appropriate contexts. One suggestion is to make sure all vocabulary terms are bolded in the text for easy reference. Bolding the vocabulary terms can assist students in applying them during assignments and studying them for assessments.

The chapters flowed well together and the text was very consistent in the format. One of the text's strengths was including an essential question at the beginning of the chapter that is answered throughout the chapter. In doing so, the book modeled effective teaching practices. I appreciate how the textbook's format was consistent in its framework and layout.

In reflecting upon the textbook holistically, it would be helpful if the "Philosophy", "History", and "Effective Teachers" chapters were earlier in the textbook. Introduction to Education courses typically teach this content during the early to middle part of the semester in order to set up the foundation of education for their students. Also, these chapters can be referenced back to when discussing more current policies and practices. Additionally, the "Classroom Management" chapter was a detailed chapter, which makes me wonder if some of the earlier, shorter chapters could include more information and content.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The text's organization flows well with the chapters having similar setups. In other words, the text's format was organized with a familiar layout for each chapter, so readers will feel comfortable using and referencing the text. As mentioned previously, some of the philosophical and historical chapters could be discussed earlier and then referenced in the curriculum chapter later in the book.

Interface rating: 4

Overall, there were no major issues with the text regarding navigating to different chapters. Additionally, the text's features would not be confusing for the reader. However, some of the images/charts were distorted or cut-off. It would be helpful to update the text to ensure the images/charts were on one page.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

As mentioned by previous reviewers, the book would benefit from another round of proofreading to ensure there are no words missing from the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

When updating the text, it would be beneficial to include a variety of individuals in the images, such as on page 26, “Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development”. It had the same individual in visual. Furthermore, it would be helpful if the textbook was updated with more representation of teachers and students from a variety of cultures.

The Introduction to Education text will provide the reader with an introduction to the field of education by exploring relevant topics, concepts, and issues.

Reviewed by Roberta Freeman, Instructor, Minnesota State Community and Technical College on 3/9/23

Beasley and Haulmark's Introduction to Education: Becoming a Professional covers similar content to other education texts I have examined and/or adopted. While most of the chapters are thorough, I did note a few that could have been expanded upon.... read more

Beasley and Haulmark's Introduction to Education: Becoming a Professional covers similar content to other education texts I have examined and/or adopted. While most of the chapters are thorough, I did note a few that could have been expanded upon. For example, adding a brief overview of the history of schools may provide more depth when discussing the purpose of schools in Chapter 2. Further, addressing current education reform may offer a broader perspective about what a new teacher can expect in Chapter 11. Finally, since some Introduction to Education courses require students to complete a certain number of field experience hours in K-12 classrooms and compile a portfolio, brief tips or questions could be added to the "What do you think?" sections at the end of the chapter.

Overall, the content is accurate. I noted a minor error at the end of Chapter 3. The information following "Who are today's students?" (p. 33 of downloaded text) seemed to be related to the first chapter.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The arrangement of the text makes it easy to update information or videos. I appreciated the relevant content the authors included, such as using movement and considering furniture choices to manage the learning environment.

Clarity rating: 5

I found this text to be conversational, engaging, easy to digest, and honest. Without mention of the current teacher shortage, the authors clearly explain the demands of teaching while also reflecting on the rewards of the profession.

Chapters in the text follow a similar organizational structure, making it consistent and predictable. However, the use of a variety of videos, links, and assignments keeps each chapter fresh and interesting.

Modularity rating: 5

The two sections of the text makes it easy to realign topics and chapters. For example, when teaching Introduction to Education, I often discuss educational philosophy before the midterm exam, so I would most likely assign Chapter 9 earlier on the syllabus without being disruptive to students.

The overall organization of the text was clear although some of the content in the shorter chapters could be integrated into another chapter. For example, some information about educational philosophy in Chapter 9, which is a brief chapter, could be incorporated into Chapter 5 about what is taught. The same could be true about Chapter 10 on excellence or equity.

Although some charts were small and difficult to read, the visual images were aptly chosen. Being able to enlarge them could be helpful to students.

The book contains a few minor errors, such as omitting an occasional word. For example, on p. 98 of the downloaded text, the word "be" should appear in this sentence: "...others may ruminating about...(p. 98).

Although the text includes chapters about today's students and social issues, I prefer a stronger focus on and examples of inclusiveness within each chapter, particularly with the increasing diversity and variety of students in our classrooms and a decreasing variety of teachers.

Reviewed by Jessica Fortner, Curriculum & Program Improvement Coordinator, Hutchinson Community College on 3/4/22

This book is comprehensive in that it covers many of the most current view of the daily life of a teacher while braiding in the historical background of education in the United States and theories of child development and teaching and learning. ... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is comprehensive in that it covers many of the most current view of the daily life of a teacher while braiding in the historical background of education in the United States and theories of child development and teaching and learning. The textbook covers what it means to teach and finishes with useful tools on ethics, curriculum and instruction, and classroom environment.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is up to date and sources of information are cited throughout each chapter. A comprehensive list of sources is found at the end of the book. At the end of the chapter students have the option to "dig deeper" into the content and learn more from sources or with searchable terms like "Individuals with Disabilities Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400 (200)". I would suggest in the spirit of sharing current terms in education that the authors may want to mention the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in chapter 4 under the the heading "Homelessness".

The authors cover relevant topics like Special Education law, Maslow's Heirarchy of Need, differentiated instruction, and socio-economic status. Each of these relevant topics are explained in adequate detail along with a connection to its impact on the daily life of a teacher. The presentation of information is broken up so that revisions and updates can be made without impacting the flow of information. Chapter 9 does discuss Danielsen's framework of teaching which is used in some states. Some states, however, measure teacher effectiveness using different measurements. I would say similarities can be found that are transferrable.

The textbook is written with the mindset of a true introduction. Information is shared in a conversational pattern which makes it easy to read. Any technical vocabulary is defined in understandable terms within the text. I do think bolding the key terms would be useful for readers.

Each chapter begins with a question that is answered throughout the chapter. Key terms and objectives are presented prominently following and introductory paragraph. Information progress with headings, videos, charts, images, videos, and links to further information. Each chapter ends by summarizing the answer to the chapter question, key term interactive flashcards, and the "dig deeper" section.

The textbook is broken into logical and appropriate lengths by chapters and headings. The presentation of information can easily broken into parts for instructors to mold and use alongside their own syllabus.

Each chapter follows a predictable pattern. The organizational pattern makes it easy to read and navigate.

Overall the text is easily navigated. I found the charts titled "Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development" and Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs in chapter 3 hard to see. It would be nice if they were larger or if you could click on them and they would be magnified so you can read the fine print. White text on colored background can be hard for some readers. It may also be useful to bold the titles and headings.

The textbook was free of grammatical errors from my observation.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The authors have presented information on diversity and culture differences in a unbiased and positive way. Again, they reference the changes that the educational system has undergone through the last several years which includes creating inclusive environments.

In my personal opinion, this textbook is a great introductory text. This approach allows the reader to make connections and reflect on new information in a way that is productive and positive about education. In order to be a teacher today, it is essential for new teachers to have a wholistic view of education that makes sense at an introductory level. This will help them know what is ahead.

Reviewed by Teri Eckhoff, Academic Advisor with part time teaching responsibilities, Hutchinson Community College on 3/1/22

For students considering majoring in education the book is comprehensive, covering a myriad of topics they should consider as they decide, "Do I want to be a teacher?" The book begins by asking "Why Teach?" asking the students to examine their... read more

For students considering majoring in education the book is comprehensive, covering a myriad of topics they should consider as they decide, "Do I want to be a teacher?" The book begins by asking "Why Teach?" asking the students to examine their motives for teaching. After the students read through the following chapters they are presented with a final chapter on "What can the new teacher expect?" By the time they cover the content of the book that discusses many of the areas they probably haven't considered they should be able to make an informed decision about pursuing a career in education. In addition, the authors provide additional resources at the end of each chapter to allow students to "dig deeper."

Students are presented with relevant and timely content based on best practices in education including differentiated instruction, classroom management strategies, the importance of the school environment, connecting with families, etc. In addition, background knowledge students should have, but may not possess, is shared such as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Erikson's Eight States of Psychosocial Development.

The information in the textbook is up-to-date and informs the students not only about foundational topics in education but more recent information such as the ethics of teaching and current practices in teaching that have proven beneficial for student learning. The linked resources are from within the last few years providing timely information. The information is presented in such a manner that when updates are needed they can be done with relative ease.

The content of the textbook is presented in a way that students should understand it. Each chapter title is presented as a question and a very brief overview is given at the beginning of the chapter. In addition, the chapter objectives and key terms are given to the students within a framed window making them very clear to the students. While the key terms are identified within the colored window at the beginning of the chapter, they are not highlighted throughout the text of the chapter. In some cases, when doing a search, the term wasn't found within the text of the chapter. An example of this is in the chapter "How do social issues affect students?" the key terms "at-risk" and "socioeconomic status" were not found within the text of the chapter. However, each key term for the chapter is found in interactive flashcards at the end of the chapter. The text clarifies difficult to understand information by explaining it in terms students can understand.

Each chapter of the book is consistent in presenting the same format for students, so there are no surprises mid-way through the textbook. Students first encounter the ideas of the chapter in a question form with the title presented as a question. Then they read a short introduction followed by the chapter objectives and key terms and another paragraph or two on the topic after which they are asked the question, "What do you think?" After pondering their thoughts they dive into each concept within the chapter. Occasionally there is a link to an outside source or a video for them to watch, and/or an interactive activity for them to engage in. Once they read through the content they may encounter a summary or conclusion followed by the heading "Thoughts" in which they are given an idea to ponder. The end of the chapter also contains the interactive flashcards of the key terms.

Overall, the textbook is divided into two sections which can be seen in the sidebar menu. Each of the main sections has a drop down menu allowing students to see and access the specific chapters within the section. The sequence of the material is logical. The students have access to additional information via links that are provided which access additional articles about the topics being covered. In addition, the textbook chapters are segmented in ways making them accessible and allowing students to easily find sections to read if they are not assigned an entire chapter.

The textbook is divided into two sections: Foundations of Schools and Their Students and Teachers and the Profession. This organization allows the student to learn foundational information about education first and then follow that with more teacher-centric information. In order for students to gain an understanding of the "Teacher and the Profession" information having the foundational knowledge will be beneficial.

When working my way through the textbook, I didn't not experience any problems with the interface. All of the links were working, the images, charts, etc. were not distorted in any way and the interactive components worked effectively. I was able to navigate chapters non-sequentially by using the menu in the side-bar. After navigating my way through the textbook, I would not anticipate that the students would have any problems.

The text contained no grammatical errors and was easy to read and follow.

Students who read this textbook will gain an understanding of the importance of diversity, inclusiveness, and equity in education. The information provided is presented in a manner in which students are able to "digest" the information and it's relevance to education. The book also represents different cultures in the images and videos students will see.

I am confident if I used this OER Introduction to Education textbook the students would gain a valuable understanding of the concepts and be able to apply the relevant information to past educational experiences allowing them to move forward with their studies in education with a solid base of knowledge regarding key points in education.

Reviewed by Connie Phelps, Professor, Emporia State University on 1/5/22

Beasley and Haulmark provide a comprehensive introduction to P-12 education with 11 chapters in 2 parts: Foundations of Schools (Chapters 1-6) and Teachers and the Profession (Chapters 7-11). Each chapter includes objectives and keywords on key... read more

Beasley and Haulmark provide a comprehensive introduction to P-12 education with 11 chapters in 2 parts: Foundations of Schools (Chapters 1-6) and Teachers and the Profession (Chapters 7-11). Each chapter includes objectives and keywords on key topics in the field with links to Wikibooks, videos, and other relevant sources. A concluding reference section includes all sources in a chapter by chapter listing.

The authors present material from credible sources that exemplify inclusiveness, equity, and diversity in chapter narratives and linked material. External sources include primary and secondary materials relevant to today's schools, students, and teachers. The authors include special education law and prepares teachers to work effectively in Arkansas as well as schools nationally. The course highlights knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to begin a teaching career successfully.

By constructing the course in two distinct parts related to schools/students and teachers, the authors can update chapters easily as laws and protocols change. The chapters introduce topics clearly and and engage participants in short activities that provide immediate reinforcement of concepts and terms. Each chapter includes key terminology as flashcards for review and reinforcement. All chapters provide additional reading for a deeper dive, and some chapters include short quizzes or questionnaires to engage learners in relevant topics.

The authors use an appropriate level of terminology and phrasing with illustrations, photos, and documents to reinforce learning. Mini-quizzes with key points and flashcard vocabulary provide short exercises to ensure learners acquire needed knowledge, skills, and dispositions for each topic. Some chapters include case studies written conversationally for more depth on topics.

The authors organize chapters consistently with primary and secondary headings, thought-provoking quotations, and adequate white space between sections. All chapter titles pose relevant questions that orient the learner to its purpose. Common features in chapters include Objectives and Key Terms, What do you think? exercises, Test Your Vocabulary Skills, Dig Deeper, and credits and citations.

Learners easily access the Contents as a sidebar on the left side of the page. The two course sections function with separate dropdown menus for each chapter that show or hide contents, as the learner prefers. Each chapter narrative scrolls down easily with chapter sections clearly indicated by primary and secondary headings. Hot links for supplemental information keep the chapter narrative uncluttered and focused. Each chapter seems manageable individually and clearly distinguished as an integral part of its respective section and context.

The course begins with the broader context of the school/student, then focuses on the teacher/profession. Within these two parts, chapter titles pose a short essential question to orient the learner. The foundations part avoids overlap of content by addressing a rationale for teaching (Ch. 1), purpose of schools (Ch. 2), today's students (Ch. 3), social issues (Ch. 4), education philosophy (Ch. 5), and excellence and equity (Ch. 6). The second part applies foundational understanding to ethics and legal issues (Ch. 7), elementary and secondary curricula (Ch. 8), effective teaching (Ch. 9), classroom environment (Ch. 10), and expectations of new teachers (Ch. 11). The course organizes these topics logically, clearly, and relevantly for persons entering the field of education.

Given 10 or more hot links in each chapter, only one in Chapter 7 (Michigan.gov) failed to open. When I requested access to a Google Document, the author sent the direct link within hours of the request. In Chapter 3, clearer images of the Erikson and Maslow models--or hot links--would reduce distortion. A limitation imposed by the New York Times prevent access to content in Chapter 6. In Chapter 9, I wondered if learners type in responses for their respective definitions of effective teachers. In Chapter 10, the chapter quiz link appeared missing. The Chapter 11 quiz seemed to indicate one response, yet all response selections applied. The references for each chapter help learners further study important topics.

The authors write clearly connecting narrative without grammatical errors. In some cases, current APA style and formatting might update citations and references.

The text narrative seems learner-friendly and engaging for diverse learners, and the authors provide relevant resources that promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for today's schools, classrooms, and teachers. The course provides an excellent orientation to dispositions needed for beginning elementary and secondary teachers to succeed in their chosen profession.

The collaboration of two seasoned educators contributes to the tone, content, and practice provided in the course. Each author contributes their unique perspective and background as a Director of Teacher Education (Beasley) and Director of Teacher Licensure (Haulmark). The blending of their respective roles contributes to a readable and engaging course to prepare teacher candidates for today's diverse primary and secondary schools.

Reviewed by Rachael Hoffert, Professor of Education, Grace College on 11/15/21

This textbook presented a thorough review of the teaching profession to students considering the field of education. Each chapter is organized by guiding questions regarding the purpose of school, student demographics, qualities of an effective... read more

This textbook presented a thorough review of the teaching profession to students considering the field of education. Each chapter is organized by guiding questions regarding the purpose of school, student demographics, qualities of an effective teachers, and issues facing educators in today’s society. The textbook provides opportunities for students to reflect on chapter content with interactive multiple-choice questions. Upon completion of the textbook, students will gain a better understanding of the demands and rewards of the teaching profession.

The textbook presented an accurate representation of the role of a teacher in today’s educational field. High leverage practices were incorporated throughout the textbook. These practices included student- centered instruction such as learning centers, choice boards, and explicit instruction. The importance of differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners was described. The practices and theories explained in this textbook are implemented in schools and classrooms throughout today’s society.

The content in this textbook is up to date and directly relates to today’s teaching profession. However, the content could easily be altered as the teaching profession continues to change to meet the needs of today’s learners. The content presented in this textbook answers big questions about education and the teaching profession. Due to this unique organization, the textbook could easily be updated to change instructional strategies, add technology teaching components or revise information regarding standards or student demographics.

The textbook language was concise and applies directly to the audience of preservice teachers. Each chapter begins with a relevant question and continues with student friendly objectives. Key terms are also presented in the beginning of each chapter allowing readers to preview important concepts. The chapter text is organized in paragraphs and contains bullets and charts for a variety of learners. Presentation of content is not overwhelming. An interactive vocabulary activity is available at the end of each chapter to review learning.

Students will appreciate the simplistic and expected format of each textbook chapter. Each chapter has a guiding question, objectives, terms, explanations and thinking prompts. In addition, each chapter provided students an opportunity to check their understanding of key concepts. Practical examples were also provided throughout the textbook.

This book could easily be divided into syllabus course topics and assigned readings. The textbook provides an overall view of the field of education. However, each topic is thoroughly explained regarding the role of an effective teacher, curriculum development, today's students.

Topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion making content accessible to grasp. The textbook begins with a broad understanding of education and moves to specific roles of teachers along with characteristics of today's students. In addition, the textbook presents ethical issues within the profession and how to develop a personal philosophy of education. Textbook organization moves from basic understanding to application.

I had no interface or navigation issues when reviewing this textbook. I was able to navigate easily through the chapter and all text features displayed properly. The interactive questions and vocabulary reviews were easy to use in order to review textbook content. The interface was not confusing.

The text contained no grammatical errors and was written in a way that was easy to understand and comprehend. There was varied sentence structure and relevant examples to ensure the readers' attention. I have no suggestions for grammatical edits.

I appreciated how the text addressed diversity regarding today's students. Family structure, cultural, language, socioeconomic status were examples of diversity included throughout the textbook in an inclusive and sensitive manner. The importance of equity and inclusiveness in the classroom was a priority.

This textbook provides a strong introduction to the field of education!

Reviewed by Jennifer Richardson, Assistant Professor of Reading, Pittsburg State University on 10/22/21

I think it is quite difficult to present an exhaustive view of teaching. I think the text was quite comprehensive, given it's an introduction. Other books are more narrow in scope. The First Days of School, by Wong and Wong, is generally... read more

I think it is quite difficult to present an exhaustive view of teaching. I think the text was quite comprehensive, given it's an introduction. Other books are more narrow in scope. The First Days of School, by Wong and Wong, is generally considered the gold standard for new teachers, but this is a good first look at teaching, in general.

I found no evidence of inaccuracy in the text. There were places I didn't agree with whole-heartedly, as I retired from 25 years of public school teaching, all in Title I schools. I have dealt with a lot of the topics they mention regarding poverty. I wouldn't say the authors' information is inaccurate, just different than my view.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The world of education has changed a great deal in a short period of time. Prospective teachers must also be masters of the Zoom parent-teacher conference, communicate via text message, and open their classrooms to scrutiny, like never before. That said, this text does cover teaching fairly comprehensively. I appreciated the references to Linda Darling-Hammond, to Hirsch, but was surprised that Wiggins and McTighe weren't mentioned. Most new teachers will have some accountability for backwards design, especially if their schools have adopted project-based learning and STEAM. I also missed the mention of Multi-Tiered Support Systems, having evolved from the simpler Response to Intervention model. Most new teachers will also be accountable for MTSS or RTI with the added behavior interventions. It's a new world in education. I believe with a few revisions to reflect the major changes, this text will be an excellent resource for pre-program teaching candidates to decide whether a teaching career is right for them.

The text appears to be written for a pre-program teacher candidate, possibly a high school senior. While there were some specific vocabulary that might be challenging for someone who is not a teacher, there were explanations and additional resources to add to the reader's growing understanding of teaching.

The book was arranged helpfully with initial objectives for reading and follow-up thinking prompts. Each chapter followed a predictable structure.

I prefer a book that can be easily segmented. This text has solid, stand-alone chapters yet supportive of the central message.

For the most part, this text is organized in a clear fashion. Chapter 6: What Makes an Effective Teacher, might be useful if directly following Chapter 1, Why Teach? The two chapters build very well on one another. Because each chapter is a fairly good stand-alone, however, this isn't a huge issue as a reader.

Interface rating: 3

There were some readability issues with graphs and charts. For instance, the t-chart on page 14 was cut off, and on page 74 I could not see the Fixed Mindset portion of the chart.

I found no significant areas for revision of grammar.

The text addresses topics that relate to culture, equity, and inclusion, however there have been significant changes in policy and norms. I'm wondering if these chapters should be moved up towards the beginning and double-checked for content.

Table of Contents

• 1. Why Teach?
• 2. What is the Purpose of School?
• 3. Who are Today's Students?
• 4. How Do Social Issues Affect Students?
• 5. What is Taught?
• 6. What Makes an Effective Teacher?
• 7. What is a Positive Classroom Environment?
• 8. What are the Ethical and Legal Issues in Schools?
• 9. What is an Educational Philosophy?
• 10. Excellence or Equity...Which is More Important?
• 11. What Can a New Teacher Expect?

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This book was written to provide students with an introduction to the field of education. The book is broken into chapters that focus on questions students may have about education in general. Although some chapters may go into more depth than others, this is created as an introductory text.

About the Contributors

Jennifer Beasley has more than 25 years of experience in education as an elementary school teacher, gifted facilitator, university professor, and education consultant. She is currently the Director of Teacher Education at the University of Arkansas and a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Beasley specializes in Gifted Education, Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design, Teacher Education, Professional Development, and the Integration of Technology in the Classroom.

Myra Haulmark began her 25 plus years in education as a speech pathologist and gifted programs coordinator in K-12 schools.  Myra is currently the Director of Teacher Licensure at the University of Arkansas and works with teacher candidates as they prepare for state licensure and provides training and support in the areas of reciprocity and teacher ethics to students during their educator preparation programs.

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Introduction: History Education in Theory, Practice, and the Space in Between

• First Online: 04 April 2020

Cite this chapter

• Theodore M. Christou 4 &
• Christopher W. Berg 5 , 6  

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1 Citations

It seems particularly au courant to refer to publications as timely in introductory chapters, such as this is. History education is always timely and in time, subject to the same politics, contexts, and ideologies that dictate political will. As long as we have a need to teach about the past, we will debate what ought to be taught. According to prevailing fashion, any given curriculum can look to content (e.g., “what happened?”) as the core and foundation of history education or, alternatively, to a way of understanding content, as well as the world we live in (e.g., “why do things happen?”).

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“Educational News,” The Canadian School Journal (November, 1933), p. 403.

Walter Lipmann, Drift and Mastery (New York: Macmillan, 1914), p. 196.

Peter Seixas, The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts (Toronto: Nelson, 2012).

“Inspector’s Report,” in The Annual Report of the Minister of Education to the Government of Ontario (1931), p. 96.

Robert Stamp, The Schools of Ontario, 1876–1976 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1982), p. 165.

C.C. Goldring, “The Work of a Principal,” Educational Courier (June 1933), p. 8.

Michael Fullan, “Are We on the Right Track,” Education Canada 38, no. 3 (2010): 4–7; and Roland Case, “Our Crude Handling of Educational Reforms: The Case of Curricular Integration,” Canadian Journal of Education 19, no. 1 (1994): 80–93, “Educational Reform in British Columbia: Bold Vision, Flawed Design,” Journal of Curriculum Studies 24, no. 4 (1992): 381–387. The metaphor perseveres transatlantic discourses; see, for instance, Bernard Barker, The Pendulum Swings: Transforming School Reform (London: Trentham, 2010); Kokichi Shimizu, “The Pendulum of Reform: Educational Change in Japan from the 1990s Onwards,” Journal of Educational Change 2, no. 3 (2001): 193–205; and Carl Kaestle, “Education Reform and the Swinging Pendulum,” Phi Delta Kappan 66, no. 6 (1985): 422–423.

Herbert Kliebard, The Struggle for the American Curriculum, 1893–1958 (New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2004).

Dan Lortie, Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975).

John Dewey, “The Relation of Theory to Practice in Education,” in M. L. Borrowman, ed., Teacher Education in America: A Documentary History (New York: Teachers College Press, 1965), p. 257.

Lee S. Shulman, “Theory, Practice, and the Education of Professionals,” The Elementary School Journal 98 , No. 5, Special Issue: John Dewey: The Chicago Years (May, 1998), pp. 511–526, p. 511.

Dewey, “The Relation of Theory to Practice in Education,” p. 266.

Ibid., 265.

Christopher W. Berg, “Why Study History?: An Examination of Undergraduate Students’ Notions and Perceptions about History,” Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education 6, no. 1 (2019), 54–71. http://hej.hermes-history.net

Christopher Berg and Theodore Christou, “History and the Public Good: American Historical Association Presidential Addresses and the Evolving Understanding of History Education,” Curriculum History 17, no. 1 (2017), 37–55.

For greater discussion within the US context, see Sam Wineburg, Why Learn History? (When it’s Already on Your Phone) (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2018) and James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything your American History Textbook Got Wrong (New York, NY: Touchstone, 2007).

See Catherine Duquette’s chapter in this Handbook.

See Joseph Smith’s chapter in this Handbook.

For more discussion on professional development and other national initiatives, such as the United States’ Teaching American History grant program, see, for example, Berg and Christou, “History and the Public Good,” 48–49; Rachel G. Ragland, “Sustaining Changes in History Teachers’ Core Instructional Practices: Impact of Teaching American History Ten Years Later,” The History Teacher 48, no. 4 (2015), 609–640. http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/pdfs/A15_Ragland.pdf

See, for example, Lendol Calder, “Uncoverage: Towards a Signature Pedagogy for the History Survey,” The Journal of American History 92, no. 4 (2006), 1358–1370.

See, for example, Berg and Christou, “History and the Public Good,” pp. 49–51; Robert J. Paxton, “The Influence of Author Visibility on High School Students Solving a Historical Problem,” Cognition and Instruction 20, no. 2 (2002), 197–248.

There is a paucity of research on the Maltese context; Yosanne Vella has undertaken most of the recent studies considered here. See, for example, Yosanne Vella “Heritage and national identity in Maltese schools” in Heritage and National Identity Bulletin Nr 12, Summer, 1999 (European Standing Conference of History Teachers’ Associations, EuroClio, 1999); Yosanne Vella “The gradual transformation of historical situations: understanding ‘change and continuity’ through colours and timelines” in Teaching History Issue 144 (England: The Historical Association, 2011); Yosanne Vella. “Some General Indications on Pupils’ Historical Thinking” in International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research 9, No. 2, (England: Heirnet, 2010).

See, for example, Peter Lee, “None of us was there,” Historiedidaktik I Norden 6, Historiemedvetandet—teori och praxis, ed. Sirkka Ahonen et al. (Institut for Humanistiske Fag, Danmarks Lærerhøjskole, 1996); Jörn Rüsen, “Functions of Historical Narration—Proposals of a Strategy of Legitimating History in School,” in Historiedidaktik I Norden 3 , ed. Nils Gruvberger et al. (Bergen Lærerhøgskole, 1987), 19–40.

A similar network in Australia is worth mentioning, the National Centre of History Education. See http://thenhier.ca/en/content/national-centre-history-education-australia.html

See Penney Clark and Ruth Sandwell’s chapter in this Handbook.

Clark and Sandwell, “Conclusion: The Legacy of THEN/HiER,” para. 4.

See David Limond in this Handbook.

See Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse in this Handbook.

Almost without exception, each chapter in this section discusses the move from traditional history to historical (disciplinary) thinking.

The term “historical revisionism” here is not the same term commonly used but here defined by David Limond within the Irish context in this collection, as “a re-evaluation of history and historiography that steered away from simplistic and divisive tropes and discourses, towards a more thoughtful, less overtly politicized, more measured and nuanced examination of Ireland’s past … by mapp[ing] out … ideas as to how Ireland’s history might be better written about in very general terms.”

See Jukka Rantala and Najat Ouakrim-Soivio in this Handbook.

Berg and Christou, “History and the Public Good.”

For further discussion, see Andrew Peterson, “Different Battlegrounds, Similar Concerns? The ‘History Wars’ and the Teaching of History in Australia and England,” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 46, no. 6 (2016), 861–881; Tony Taylor and Robert Guyver, eds. 2012. History Wars and the Classroom: Global Perspectives (Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing).

See, for example, Terrie Epstein and Carla L. Peck, eds. 2017. Teaching and Learning Difficult Histories in International Contexts: A Critical Sociocultural Approach (New York, NY: Routledge).

Robert B. Bain, “Into the Breach: Using Research and Theory to Shape History Instruction,” in Teaching, Learning, and Knowing History: National and International Perspectives, eds. Peter N. Stearns, Peter Seixas, and Samuel S. Wineburg (New York: New York University Press, 2000), 331–353.

G. Williamson McDiarmid and Peter Vinten-Johansen, “A Catwalk across the Great Divide: Redesigning the History Teaching Methods Course,” in Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History: National and International Perspectives , eds. Peter Stearns, Peter Seixas, and Sam Wineburg (New York: New York University Press, 2000), 156–177.

Peter N. Stearns, Peter Seixas, and Sam Wineburg, eds., 2000. Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History: National and International Perspectives . (New York, NY: New York University Press).

Lee S. Shulman, “Those Who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching,” Educational Researcher 15, no. 2 (1986), 1–14.

Lee S. Shulman, “Signature Pedagogies in the Professions,” Daedalus 134, no. 3 (2005), 52–59.

See, for example, Chauncey Monte-Sano and Christopher Budano, “Developing and Enacting Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching History: An Exploration of Two Novice Teachers’ Growth Over Three Years,” Journal of the Learning Sciences 22, no. 2 (2013): 171–211; Dave Powell, “Brother, Can You Paradigm? Toward a Theory of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Social Studies,” Journal of Teacher Education 69, no. 3 (2018), 252–262.

James V. Wertsch, “Specific Narratives and Schematic Narrative Templates,” in Theorizing Historical Consciousness , ed. Peter Seixas (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004), 49–62.

Lauren MacArthur Harris, “Making Connections for Themselves and Their Students: Examining Teachers’ Organization of World History,” Theory and Research in Social Education 42, no. 3 (2014), 336–374.

Joseph Smith’s previous publications have been featured in the United Kingdom’s Journal of Curriculum Studies , British Journal of Educational Studies and The Curriculum Journal as well as Australia’s Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education.

Most of Karl Hammarlund’s extant publication record, via his ResearchGate.net profile, is in non-English, Scandinavian, and German publication outlets.

Brian Girard and Lauren MacArthur Harris, “Considering World History as a Space for Developing Global Citizenship Competencies,” The Educational Forum 77 (2013), 438.

Louis Gottshalk, “A Professor of History in a Quandary,” The American Historical Review 59, no. 2 (1954), 273–286.

Alfred North Whitehead, The Aim of Education, and other Essays (New York, NY: Macmillan Co., 1929), 42, 58.

Bibliography

Bain, Robert B. 2000. Into the Breach: Using Research and Theory to Shape History Instruction. In Teaching, Learning, and Knowing History: National and International Perspectives , ed. Peter N. Stearns, Peter Seixas, and Samuel S. Wineburg, 331–353. New York: New York University Press.

Google Scholar  

Barker, Bernard. 2010. The Pendulum Swings: Transforming School Reform . London: Trentham.

Berg, Christopher W. 2019. Why Study History?: An Examination of Undergraduate Students’ Notions and Perceptions About History. Historical Encounters: A Journal of Historical Consciousness, Historical Cultures, and History Education 6 (1): 54–71. http://hej.hermes-history.net

Berg, Christopher, and Theodore Christou. 2017. History and the Public Good: American Historical Association Presidential Addresses and the Evolving Understanding of History Education. Curriculum History 17 (1): 37–55.

Calder, Lendol. 2006. Uncoverage: Towards a Signature Pedagogy for the History Survey. The Journal of American History 92 (4): 1358–1370.

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Case, Roland. 1992. Educational Reform in British Columbia: Bold Vision, Flawed Design. Journal of Curriculum Studies 24 (4): 381–387.

———. 1994. Our Crude Handling of Educational Reforms: The Case of Curricular Integration. Canadian Journal of Education 19 (1): 80–93.

Dewey, John. 1965. The Relation of Theory to Practice in Education. In Teacher Education in America: A Documentary History , ed. M.L. Borrowman. New York: Teachers College Press.

Educational News. 1933. The Canadian School Journal , November.

Epstein, Terrie, and Carla L. Peck, eds. 2017. Teaching and Learning Difficult Histories in International Contexts: A Critical Sociocultural Approach . New York: Routledge.

Fullan, Michael. 2010. Are We on the Right Track. Education Canada 38 (3): 4–7.

Girard, Brian, and Lauren MacArthur Harris. 2013. Considering World History as a Space for Developing Global Citizenship Competencies. The Educational Forum 77: 438.

Goldring, C.C. 1933. The Work of a Principal. Educational Courier , June.

Gottshalk, Louis. 1954. A Professor of History in a Quandary. The American Historical Review 59 (2): 273–286.

Harris, Lauren MacArthur. 2014. Making Connections for Themselves and Their Students: Examining Teachers’ Organization of World History. Theory and Research in Social Education 42 (3): 336–374.

Inspector’s Report. 1931. The Annual Report of the Minister of Education to the Government of Ontario .

Kaestle, Carl. 1985. Education Reform and the Swinging Pendulum. Phi Delta Kappan 66 (6): 422–423.

Kliebard, Herbert. 2004. The Struggle for the American Curriculum, 1893–1958 . New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

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Lee, Peter. 1996. None of Us Was There. In Historiedidaktik I Norden 6, Historiemedvetandet – teori och praxis , ed. Sirkka Ahonen et al. Danmarks Lærerhøjskole: Institut for Humanistiske Fag.

Lipmann, Walter. 1914. Drift and Mastery . New York: Macmillan.

Loewen, James W. 2007. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong . New York: Touchstone.

Lortie, Dan. 1975. Schoolteacher: A Sociological Study . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

McDiarmid, G. Williamson, and Peter Vinten-Johansen. 2000. A Catwalk Across the Great Divide: Redesigning the History Teaching Methods Course. In Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History: National and International Perspectives , ed. Peter Stearns, Peter Seixas, and Sam Wineburg, 156–177. New York: New York University Press.

Monte-Sano, Chauncey, and Christopher Budano. 2013. Developing and Enacting Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching History: An Exploration of Two Novice Teachers’ Growth Over Three Years. Journal of the Learning Sciences 22 (2): 171–211.

Paxton, Robert J. 2002. The Influence of Author Visibility on High School Students Solving a Historical Problem. Cognition and Instruction 20 (2): 197–248.

Peterson, Andrew. 2016. Different Battlegrounds, Similar Concerns? The ‘History Wars’ and the Teaching of History in Australia and England. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 46 (6): 861–881.

Powell, Dave. 2018. Brother, Can You Paradigm? Toward a Theory of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Social Studies. Journal of Teacher Education 69 (3): 252–262.

Ragland, Rachel G. 2015. Sustaining Changes in History Teachers’ Core Instructional Practices: Impact of Teaching American History Ten Years Later. The History Teacher 48 (4): 609–640.

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Theodore M. Christou

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Christopher W. Berg

The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA

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Christou, T.M., Berg, C.W. (2020). Introduction: History Education in Theory, Practice, and the Space in Between. In: Berg, C.W., Christou, T.M. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of History and Social Studies Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37210-1_1

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