High School History Recap

#7 Teaching History the Stanford Way with Dr Joel Breakstone

William H Palk, Colin du Plessis and Dr Joel Breakstone Season 4 Episode 7

At the end of 2021, we are very fortunate to talk to Dr Joel Breakstone of the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) about their Reading Like a Historian lesson plans and Beyond the Bubble history skills assessments. We also find out more about SHEG's Civic Online Reasoning curriculum which will greatly benefit history learners in identifying misinformation.

What we discuss:

  • What does it mean to "read like a historian"?
  • We look at the research of Sam Wineburg and Abby Reisman.
  • How do we integrate source analysis with the conventional way of teaching history?
  • How should we define a historical fact?
  • What should be the starting point in the history classroom?
  • Where does context end and where does source analysis start?
  • How did learners react to SHEG lessons?
  • How does the history teacher balance the different types of assessments?
  • Can history assessment be meaningful and still allow learners to gain admission to university?
  • How does Beyond the Bubble assessments complement the Reading Like a Historian lessons?
  • How do we apply historical skills to fight misinformation?
  • Why are fact checkers better at identifying problematic websites?
  • What is lateral thinking?
  • Tips on how to fight misinformation in the history class.
  • Professional development courses offered by SHEG in 2022.
  • At which age can learners start Reading Like a Historian?
  • What projects are SHEG working on?

Create your free login account on SHEG's website here. Find Dr Joel Breakstone on Twitter @joelbreakstone.

Please share your questions and suggestions with us on Twitter @WilliamHPalk and @C_duPlessis.

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