Simulation and Role-Playing in the Teaching of East Asian History
Noel R. Miner
The History Teacher, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Feb., 1977), pp. 221-228

Readers' Theatre as a History Teaching Tool
Sandra D. Harmon, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, Susan Westbury
The History Teacher, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Aug., 1999), pp. 525-545

Discovery Science Ancient Chinese Inventions

The First Emperor The Man Who Made China

Angkor Wat BBC Documentary Description Video Siem Reip

47 ronin reader’s theatre

HISTORY WRITTEN WITH LIGHTNING

A Guide to Using Popular Film as a Tool for Historical and Cultural Investigation

INTRODUCTION

Film is one of our most accessible and familiar media. We attend the movies for diversion and entertainment, as our parents and grandparents have before us. Think of the many ways that movies have affected us both as individuals and collectively, as a society. Richard Sklar, a leading scholar in the field, points out that "throughout their history the movies have served as a primary source of information about society and human behavior for large masses of people." 7 We only have to look around to see evidence of a hit film's pervasive popularity: the bed sheets and lunch boxes, the figurines of characters packed into fast food meals, the story line repeated in comic books and video games and perhaps continued in a sequel, a spin-off television series, or a series of books.

Film also has a tremendous cultural impact. People repeat catch phrases and quote movie dialogue. Movies are so much part of the social fabric that people are frequently unaware of the origin of some familiar expressions. Have you ever watched an old picture and exclaimed, "So that's where that phrase came from!"? Fashion may imitate a look introduced in a film. The soundtrack may become popular, some themes frequently used to evoke certain moods and memories. Film stars or the characters they portray become powerful role models that influence the behavior of millions. How much interest in the study and profession of archaeology has Indiana Jones stimulated? The impact of film extends far beyond theater walls. "The movies are such a powerful and compelling form of popular communication," writes a scholar of cinema, "that even those not directly part of the mass movie experience have been subtly affected by them." 8

Film often has unpredictable or unintended effects on audiences. "Whatever final rationale was on the producers' minds," cultural historian Lawrence Levine observes, "these images, once released, became the property of the viewers, who could do with them what they willed, make of them what their lives and experiences prepared them to make of them." 9 In 1954, a group of young men saw the film The Wild One. "There were about fifty of us, " one later related. "We could all see ourselves right there on the screen. We were all Marlon Brando." Shortly after, the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club was born—surely not the intention of the makers of the film. 10

We don't often think of movies as literature, but they are exactly that. As Alexandre Astruc has observed, "The filmmaker/author writes with his camera as a writer writes with his pen." 11 The old conversation opener, "Read any good books lately?", has been supplemented or replaced by discussion about that great movie that everybody has seen. Far more people—tens of millions—see the film version of a book than will ever read it. As we discuss the profound affect that print has had on the history of civilization, we must recognize that the visual literature of our modern age—the film—has had perhaps an even greater impact on more people around the world. One man upon seeing a film for the first time in the early 1900s may have proclaimed a great modern truth when he exclaimed, "The universal language has been found!"

On Films and History
Because we are so accustomed to the moving image, we sometimes become indifferent to the hidden messages, social content, and meaning of what we watch. In other words, we do not view from a critical perspective. To some degree this attitude has been encouraged by movies. Critics may cry for quality films that challenge the audience, but for the most part people prefer light, entertaining fare. The largest part of film releases and commercial television cater to that demand. However, as historian Randy Roberts warns, "Only by critically thinking about what you read and see will you be able to move beyond passive consumption to active engagement with the subject and the issue it raises." 12

Our subject is history, and we are interested in how film has portrayed it. Film is an invaluable resource in the study of history, but one that must be used carefully. We should remain alert to the simple but important fact that film is a popular enterprise. "No earlier art," writes Daniel Boorstin, "was so widely and so complexly collaborative, so dependent on the marriage of art and technology, or on the pleasure of the community....The art of film would be vastly public, and have the public as its patron." 13 Filmmakers must juggle their artistic sensibilities and desire for historical accuracy with the requirements of the marketplace, the expectations and values of the audience, and legal and social realities. In the 1950s, when the best-selling novel From Here to Eternity was translated to the screen, the hero's love interest was changed from a prostitute to a dance-hall hostess. Today such a move would invite ridicule, but was necessary then for the film to be made and exhibited.
Even as a film and its characters reflect the time when it was made, we are reinterpreting the film from our own perspective. So, the film artifact presents us with history as filtered through the prism of a filmmaker producing a product for the mass audience of his or her own time. "Every movie is a cultural artifact," writes Andrew Bergman, "and as such reflects the fears, values, myths, and assumptions of the culture that produces it." 14 Given these complexities we might very well ask, why use films to gain insight to history? Why not just stick to the material made for the classroom, the history books and scholastic and documentary films?
First, history is an exercise of the imagination. In most other disciplines, we can observe our subjects in the here and now, but history can only be summoned through surviving documents and images. We often enliven our study with speculation and reconstruction. Movies have the power of "making us walk more confidently on the precarious ground of imagination." 15

Second, film captures the sweep and movement of history, by definition the story of people, their (and our) failures and accomplishments. Film gives us insight to the lives that have built the present on the rock of the past. Historian R. J. Raack believes that only film can provide an adequate "emphatic reconstruction to convey how historical people witnessed, understood, and lived their lives." 16

Third, history is movement through time, and no other medium can manipulate time in as kinetic a fashion as film. We are all familiar, for example, with the device known as flashback, which shifts the narrative back and forth through time. Flitting across the screen, films give us the dramatic highlights of a life or an era.
Finally, the very popularity of film is itself of interest. We are looking at an interpretation of history that has gained widespread acceptance. "It is precisely because such films are made for entertainment that they have value for the historian. They tell us what made people of other decades laugh or cry, what made them forget their troubles, and what they believed about their past." 17

Many people get what they consider to be accurate pictures of history from such popular cultural sources as movies, which are the most accessible and require the least effort. Filmmakers often feel that despite some factual deviations they have effectively and honestly captured the spirit of history. In the early days of the new art form, filmmaking pioneer D. W. Griffith asserted that the new medium would present history with complete fidelity: "You will actually see what happened. There will be no opinions expressed. You will merely be present at the making of history." 18

One wide-eyed reviewer consequently greeted Griffith's Civil War epic, The Birth of a Nation (1915), with these words: "History repeats itself upon the screen with a realism that is maddening." 19 The film certainly is maddening to today's scholars and general audiences, who see a product riddled with inaccuracies and pervaded by archaic attitudes—a work that illustrates the power the medium to convey historical information in very convincing fashion.
Griffith confidently predicted that "in less than ten years...the children in the public schools will be taught practically everything by moving pictures. Certainly they will never be obliged to read history again." 20 History remains an integral part of the curriculum, but the majority of people probably obtain most of their historical information and impressions through popular culture. "Today the chief source of historical knowledge for the bulk of the population," writes historian Robert Rosenstone, "must surely be the visual media." 21

Film is an artificially created model of reality. It is our task to train the eye and mind to translate these entertaining images into data for comparative and critical analysis. The purpose of History Written with Lightning is to provide you with the tools to examine films from a critical perspective. As college students, you are learning the analytical skills that enable you to view what is being communicated, to whom, in what fashion, and why the subject was selected. You should not simply watch a film, but "read" it as a text. As you do when reviewing books and articles, you should actively make connections.
In the pages that follow, there are a series of questions you can ask the material as you dig behind the scenes in hopes of arriving at an enhanced vision of historical truth. The results can only benefit the participant in today's society, in which "visual literacy is an important craft of survival and intellectual growth." 22


What to Look for in Historical Films
The film is a text. What does this mean? How does one 'read' it? This pamphlet outlines a model for the content analysis of film texts. In this section are questions you should ask and points you should observe as you are examine a film text.

1. The History
• Is it accurate?
• Are events presented realistically?
• Is the chronology correct?
Review of history texts will provide you with basic information about the period for comparison. Check to see if the events are ordered properly and if they unfolded in the manner presented in the film. When the film version deviates from historical accounts, consider why, especially since the film's creators had access to source material just as you do. Why and how has history been altered to meet the needs of studios, governments, and audiences?

2. Setting, Details, and Design
• Are locations, costumes, and sets accurate?
• Do buildings look realistic?
• Does the overall look of the film reflect the period?
• Has the filmmaker included details that enhance the historical atmosphere and viewing experience?
Compare the film's visual look with period art and historical drawings that you can find in texts covering the period. See if the period's architecture and costumes are rendered faithfully. Studies such as social histories provide a means to check the details depicted by the film.

3. Behavior
• Do the characters speak and act as people in their time, situation and class did?
• Are gender relationships accurately rendered?
Beware of one of film's greatest—at least to the historian—sins: presentism. That means having characters act and speak in the manner of people at the time the film was made, rather than of the time in which the film is set. This is common in comedy, where such a device might be a large part of what makes the film funny. Presentism is a serious flaw in any film that seriously aspires to present a believable picture of the past.
It's extremely difficult to echo the speech of the past without subtitles, but the formalities can be observed. Similarly, the differences among classes should be honestly presented. Hence, peasants would not have the niceties of speech that the nobility would possess, and servants would be properly respectful.
Of particular interest are relationships between the sexes. Modern notions of romantic love and equality were beyond the imagination of most societies throughout history. While people have usually observed rigid codes of behavior, women in particular have often been relegated to subservient and secondary positions in society. To portray medieval women, for example, as having a high level of independence and being forthright and assertive pleases our present-day sensibilities but does a disservice to history and belittles the hard-won accomplishments of women in our own time.

4. Agenda, Values, Effects
• What values underlie the film?
• What does the filmmaker do to influence feelings and emotions?
• What sort of heroic and villainous icons are presented and supported in the film?
• What messages did the filmmakers wish to convey?
• Does the film succeed in producing the desired effect?
Those most heavily involved in shaping a film—producer, screenwriter, director, actors—often have an agenda beyond commercial considerations. They may use a battlefield tale to make an antiwar statement, or a historical drama to comment on contemporary politics. Films often comment on social and cultural values.
The vocabulary of film is so rich that there are numerous means to communicate messages in subtle ways. Characters are frequently played by stars with established personas (see Glossary): "their roles are sometimes tailored to showcase their personal charm." 23 Filmmakers achieve quick connection with an audience that is familiar with the personalities and public images of the actors. "The audience is encouraged to identify with their values and goals." 24

Camera angles, lighting, music, and editing all are utilized to support the mood and message of the film. Even while the definitive element of film is movement (recognized around 1912 when "movies" entered the language for moving pictures), the arrangement of people and objects from scene to scene is no less important than it is in painting. For example, imagine a scene in which a young American soldier dies heroically under a majestically flying flag. The visual package of how elements are arranged and photographed, called mise-en-scene in film terminology, are carefully assembled to influence the viewer's sympathies. The strains of a familiar patriotic melody sounding mournfully in the background underscores the moment and evokes emotions.
Types are an ancient shorthand in theater and film has helped establish them more widely than ever. "B" Western movies that filled the matinee cards and the back end of double features in the pre-television era simply put black hats on the bad guys and white on the good, a convention that is established in the American imagination. A certain look, a laugh, a few actions, and we can quickly identify who the heroes and villains are in many films.
But who is good and bad? Police men and women, for example, could be the heroic defenders of order in one film, and soulless uniformed thugs in another. Elizabeth (1998) presents Queen Elizabeth I as a young monarch struggling to do right, while Mary Queen of Scots (1971) portrays the same person as a scheming tyrant. The viewer cheers the heroic British of the imperial era in Zulu (1964) but is despises them in Breaker Morant (1980). How does the filmmaker position good vs. bad, and what are the reasons for the portrayal?
Films are often used to treat in metaphorical or symbolic ways subjects too hot to be tackled directly. The controversies surrounding the search for domestic Communist spies and saboteurs in 1950s America were the subtext in the Western film High Noon (1952) and the urban drama On the Waterfront (1954). The war in Vietnam was too hot to handle, but commentary about it can be detected the Korean War comedy M*A*S*H (1970) and in several Westerns such as The Wild Bunch (1969) and Ulzana's Raid (1972). It's always fascinating and worthwhile to try to discern the subtle messages filmmakers bury in the subtext of their work.
Some releases strike a responsive chord in viewers so that they have great impact on audiences. Films have had great on fashion, behavior, and speech. Annie Hall (1977) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) inspired fashion fads. The Godfather (1972) stimulated the sale of white-walled tires for automobiles. The Blackboard Jungle (1955) helped introduce the new music of rock and roll to audiences and linked it to rebellious behavior.

Where to Get Films
Now you are ready to engage a film text from a critical perspective. There are a variety of sources for the raw material of your viewing adventure. Your favorite video rental outlet might be of help. From a local shop to the national franchise outlet, suppliers will have some gems among the flood of current releases and popular old chestnuts.
Often your best opportunity is at your local library. Many systems now have excellent collections, particularly of classic, silent, and foreign films that commercial services may ignore. Librarians will help you locate and obtain hard-to-get videos.
Excellent films often turn up on cable channels such as Turner Broadcasting (TBS), Arts & Entertainment (A&E), and American Movie Classics (AMC). Television provides virtually the most consistent and promising opportunity to view films not readily available on a video format.

Conclusion
Film is an industry, sometimes producing dazzling profits. "American movies have always been commercial products made to appeal to the desires and tastes of a mass audience." 25 Yet, while the vast majority of films have been no more noteworthy or memorable than the bulk of today's television programs, many attempt to reach a mass audience while simultaneously communicating the kind of important cultural visions that we commonly associate with an artistic statement. They have provided a meeting ground for America and all of modern civilization, a focal point from which to discuss the values of our time. A pioneering study on the importance of the film offered this definitive statement: "The films of a nation reflect its mentality in a more direct way than other artistic media." 26 You are investigating a rich and deep resource, and the rewards will be great.
Most of all, have fun! You're working with the most exciting medium of our time. Even as you sharpen your analytical skills, remember that these films are made to be enjoyed.

Glossary
Casting against type: A director seeking to challenge an audience might cast a famous actor outside the expected norms. While such reversals often are played for comic effect, sometimes they are effective in capturing an audience's attention and keeping it off-balance.
Convention: Essentially, an agreement between artist and audience to accept certain aspects of a presentation as real and normal. Example: in musicals, characters break into song while dancing down a street. Genre films contain many conventions.
Genre: A recognizable type of movie, characterized by conformity to preestablished conventions. Some common genres are musicals, westerns, thrillers, science fiction, and many genres of comedies. There are literally hundreds of them; sometimes they are defined in retrospect.
Mise-en-scene: The arrangement of visual elements within a given space—in film, a frame. This also includes the way the scene is photographed: angle, lighting, shadow, distance, etc.
Persona: An actor's public image, based on his/her previous roles, and often incorporating elements from their actual personalities as well. It can be used effectively as a form of pre-characterization, so that an audience immediately assigns certain values and attributes to any character played by a star with a highly defined persona. Examples: one expects Arnold Schwartzenegger to be a man of extraordinary strength, courage, and toughness; Woody Allen is predictably intelligent, urbane, and neurotic.
Revisionism: Conventions are reversed, often ironically. Example: in films such as Little Big Man (1970) and Dances with Wolves (1990), the conquering whites exhibit the characteristics of savagery traditionally identified with Indians while Native Americans display what we usually identify as civilized values—spirituality, compassion, honor, integrity.
Schools of cinema: Film scholar Louis Giannetti identifies two basic schools and their synthesis:
• Realistic: Close correspondence of images to everyday reality. Tends to deal with people from lower social echelons, implicitly ideological. Often includes details that don't necessarily forward the plot, but heighten authenticity.
• Expressionistic: High degree of manipulation in narrative materials, stylized visual presentation. Expressionist films tend to deal with extraordinary characters and events and excel in dealing with ideas—political, religious, and philosophical. When Josef von Sternberg was asked why he preferred to work with studio sets rather than authentic historic locations, he replied, "Because I am a poet." 27 For an outstanding example of his work, see The Scarlet Empress (1934), a visually arresting biography of Catherine the Great.
The synthesis:
• Classical: The middle ground between the two schools, combining elements of both. Plot, characters, setting are focal points. High premium placed on entertainment values of story, which is often shaped to conform to conventions of a popular genre, such as western, war, private eye, road, buddy, etc. Most popular American films are of this type.

The Songbird will not sing.
What should we do?
Kill it, says Nobunaga.
Make it want to sing, says Hideyoshi.
Just wait, says Tokugawa.

An old Japanese school rhyme

tenka mochi (victor's rice cake)

The tenka mochi was a rice cake that was proverbially "kneaded by Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), pounded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) and eaten by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616)." The metaphor described how Ieyasu finally unified Japan and founded the Tokugawa Shogunate after Nobunaga and Hideyoshi laid the groundwork.

A wide variety of projects were designed. For example, for a unit on the 1920s in a United States history course, students created newspapers in the muckraking style using Publisher. In the same course, they found photographs online of trench warfare during World War I, and then they used the photograph analysis worksheets available from the National Archives to evaluate the pictures. They also completed a WebQuest on imperialism. In a world history course, students at another school constructed their own web pages on Ancient Greece

Declamation contest Nehru’s speeches
Gandhi’s encounter with race prejudice role play
Gandhi movie / Gandhi quotes / Gandhi biography selections
Sakuntala play performance
Social history of India Jigsaw method Ancient India Virginia Schomp
Lives and Times primary document analysis
Selections from Freedom at Midnight
Kushwant Singh Train to Pakistan
Debate about Kashmir
The bulk of what is known about the Maurya Empire comes from inscriptions on these monuments. It is assumed that the inscriptions convey factual information about the Empire. It is difficult to determine whether certain events ever happened, but the stone etchings convey clearly how Ashoka wanted to be seen and remembered.
Ashoks inscriptions document analysis
Ghandi video clips from Ghandi movie
Ghandi ancient indian religious concept of Ahimsa demonstrated in the movie Ghandi by Richard Attenburough

Rome Engineerina an Empire History Channel


World History Document Assignment Chapter 27
In groups of 4, students will read the document assigned to their group. Since there are four different readings, just use a class set of the readings to have the groups read and answer the following questions. After about 20 minutes, have the spokesperson of each group share their responses with the class.
Here is a suggested sample document analysis. Some general questions to ask as you read and examine any historical document in this course.
1. Who wrote the document? Until you know this, you really know very little about the document. Sometimes you can figure out the author from the document itself. Was the author a political or private individual? Was he educated or not? Was it a joint author? Was there no single author, but is the document something that evolved over time?
2. Who was the intended audience? This will tell you about the author's use of any specific language or concepts and the knowledge that he assumed on the part of the audience. It is no revelation that a document intended for a five-year-old child will be different than something intended for a mature adult.
3. What is the story line? What is going on in the document? What is the information in the document?
4. Why was the document written? Everything is written for a reason. Is the document just a random note, or a scholarly thesis?
5. What type of document is this, or what is its purpose? A phone book is different than a diary, and both are different than an inscription on a grave. Thus, one can expect to extract different kinds of information from different kinds of documents.
6. What are the basic assumptions made by the author? For example, did the author assume that the reader could understand certain foreign or engineering terms in the language?
7. Can you believe this document? Is it reliable? Is the information likely or reliable?
8. What can you learn about the society that produced this document? This is what you will be concentrating on in this class. All documents reveal information about the people who produced them. It is embedded in the language and assumptions of the text. Your task in this course will be to learn how to "read," or analyze, a document to extract information about a society. You might wish to analyze each document in terms of various aspects of a society (economic, political, religion, social structure, culture, etc.). This is not something that comes easily, but with practice you will be able to uncover what is really in a document.
9. Finally, What does this document mean to you? You might also consider this as the "so what does it mean to me" question, but it still requires an answer even if the answer is going to be a resounding, "who cares.".



Thus, the NINE questions of analyzing a historical document are:
1. Who wrote the document?
2. Who was the intended audience?
3. What was the story line?
4. Why was the document written?
5. What type of document was it, or what was its purpose?
6. What were the basic assumptions made by the author?
7. Can I believe this document?
8. What can I learn about the society that produced this document?
9. What does this document mean to me?

Please proceed to the sample document analysis of Hammurabi's code of laws (next).



Suggested steps to analyze the Hammurabi document
1. Read the background information on Hammurabi.
2. Scan the entire Hammurabi document.
3. Review any specific questions to consider on Hammurabi noted by your instructor.
4. Review the document analysis questions from above and focus on the question: What can I learn about the society that produced this document?



My sample analysis of the Hammurabi sample document


First, I'll answer some of the specific questions.
1. Who was Hammurabi? This is a factual answer. Hammurabi (d. 1750 bce) was a ruler of Old Babylon from 1792 to 1750 bce. His principal achievement was the unification of Mesopotamia through control of the Euphrates River.
2. Why did he create a law code? This is an interpretive answer. The code was a compendium of earlier laws, and he probably created it because he was the ruler, and a uniform code that applied to everyone helped him rule. He probably also created it because of confusion over the use of earlier laws, i.e., which one was the valid law. One could also say that he created a law code because he needed one. (Now it might seem simple to say that, but one does not create a law against falling into the sun unless that is happening with some frequency and unless you consider it to be a problem.) One should therefore assume that these particular laws became laws to deal with crimes/situations that occurred with some frequency in Babylonian society and that were regarded by someone (at the very least, the king) as dangerous to that society.
3. Is this particular law code "fair?" This is an evaluative answer. Implied is a comparison of Hammurabi's code with your awareness of current law codes. Yes, it is fair. There are numerous provisions in the code to attest to the honesty of judges and witnesses.
4. Why is the code so detailed? This is an interpretive answer. Because justice is not simple. There are always exceptions to a law or extenuating circumstances. If one is going to have a criminal code, then it must cover everything. Look at current criminal codes and how complicated they are.
5. Does the code provide any insight about the administration of justice? This is an analytical answer, requiring you to analyze parts of the code to reach a decision. Very little.

Second, I'll tackle the more difficult question, "What can you learn about the society that produced this document?" (Looking only at the first six articles of the code, for example.)

1. If a man weaves a spell and puts a ban upon another man and has not justified himself, he that wove the spell upon him shall be put to death.
Notice that almost all the laws use "man" not "woman" as the active subject. This indicates something about the nature of gender relations in Mesopotamia. The fact that any man could "weave a spell" also tells something about the nature of religion, that there was a level at which all could participate, but also that there were defined rules to follow. This law indicates that "weaving a spell" could be a very serious offense that could lead to death if the spell was applied improperly. This particular law does not say how you prove this, but that is contained in the next article! This is very impressive and shows how various eventualities had to be completely pre-thought for this law code, a very complex task).

2. If a man has put a spell upon another man and has not justified himself, he upon whom the spell is laid shall go to the holy river. He shall plunge into the holy river, and if the holy river overcomes him, he who wove the spell upon him shall take to himself his house. If the holy river makes that man to be innocent, and has saved him, he who laid the spell upon him shall be put to death. He who plunged into the holy river shall take to himself the house of him who wove the spell upon him.
This reminds one of the trial by ordeal (usually fire or water) procedures used by the church during the Middle Ages.

3. If a man, in a case pending judgment, has uttered threats against the witnesses, or has not justified the word that he has spoken, if that case be a capital suit, that man shall be put to death.
Indicates that there was a system in place to protect witness. This is only a very recent innovation in modern law codes.

4. If he has offered corn or money to the witnesses, he shall himself bear the sentence of that case.
No bribery allowed.

5. If a judge has judged a judgment, decided a decision, granted a sealed sentence, and afterwards has altered his judgment, that judge, for the alteration of the judgment that he judged, shall be put him to account, and he shall pay twelvefold the penalty which was in the said judgment, and in the assembly one shall expel him from his judgment seat, and he shall not return, and with the judges at a judgment he shall not take his seat.
Judges have to follow the rules and can not take arbitrary action. Obviously this happened quite frequently.

6. If a man has stolen the goods of a temple or palace, that man shall be killed, and he who has received the stolen thing from his hand shall be put to death.
It was a very serious matter to "mess with" the priests who enjoyed a protected, and lucrative, status in Mesopotamian society. Obviously the priests had wealth, and they wanted to make sure that it was protected by the king. (It was never a good idea for a king not to protect his religious leaders, because they could always call down the wrath of a god or gods upon the king, making the people lose faith in the king).



Chandragupta readers theatre and interview
The class was divided into groups, with each group taking charge of a script. The suburban students were studying the Indian and Persian Empires. We wanted to make Chandragupta and the Golden Age of India come alive for the students, and so the setting of our scripts included a talk show where the various rulers of ancient India and Persia were interviewed and a news report with on-the-scene reporters bringing the latest news from ancient India.

47 ronin
Julius ceaser
Constantine
sakuntala

German Grammar
Teaching German
Christmas Traditions “Kristkindelmarkt”
Silent night
Martin Luther and orgins of Christmas tree tradition
Selections from Here I Stand by Bainton
Declamation of Martin Luther Speech Diet of Wormse
Lutheran theology Reformation
Jews in German Society – the holocaust – Hitler (German Culture)
Cooking making German Christmas food
German food
Learning German vocabulary in pairs
The Wall (video)
Goegraphy of Germany Austria Switzerland
Translation class with professor
A taste of Austria, Germany, Swizerland read recipe learn how to cook share with class
Role play.
German webquest
German contest video
Share my experience in Austria Graz Haider Austrian political system German Swis
Reports on food present to class
German news slowly daily
German letter
Translation




Why I should be hired
Cross Cultural experience
German achievement in college
Training in education
Experience in the classroom
Understand german and am confident of my abilities

Why I want to work
Because get experience teaching at the age level I am interested in
Sharpen language skills

Stalin using movies to teach about Russia under Stalin 3 moviesThe Inner Circle Burnt By The Sun & Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears Animal Farm Allegory
Why Study Stalin? The purges and deportations and famine worse than the holocaust. Caused the cold war/

The Jungle muckrakers Sinclair Lewis Rockefeller and Oil Theodore Roosevelt

Create historical newspapers. Challenge students to create a newspaper about a period of time they are studying. If students are studying U.S. history, they might include stories such as "Pilgrims and Indians Gather for Feast" and "Lincoln Wins Election." The stories relate the facts as students have researched them. Students should include each of the five Ws in their first paragraphs.

News-mapping. Post a map (a community, state, U.S., or world map, depending on the focus of your current events curriculum) on a bulletin board. Post stories around the map and string yarn from each story to the location on the map where the story takes place.

There are endless opportunities for bringing any subject to life through drama. Historical scenes may be enacted. Or let us say the class is studying poetry. In pairs, one student might be a news reporter and the other a poet. The reporter might be interviewing Maya Angelou, or Carl Sandburg, or Emily Dickinson. Both students would need to know about the period and place in which the poets lived, both would need to know about the poet's life, and both would need to be familiar with a number of poems. The benefit of such study is that it requires much deeper reading and understanding than from just writing a report or answering questions on a test. Even more important, when a student has actually "been" a poet or a character from Chaucer, there is greater interest, motivation, and understanding involved.

It is also possible for creative dramatics to be an important element in other kinds of active learning. Let us say that the topic is a historical event, such as the American Civil War. What motivation might we use to interest students in this topic? Perhaps a discussion of a current war within factions of a country such as Afghanistan? A snippet of a movie about the Civil War? A song? A poem? The lesson itself might be a presentation using slides or Power Point, along with assigned reading with questions to guide the reading. The review might be in the form of an enactment of some event, or students discussing key issues in pairs or groups of people who might have lived at that time and are discussing the war in someone's home. Or it might be in the form of a group creating concept maps or flow charts showing connections between events, or letters written home by an imagined soldier or officer. Notice that active review not only consolidates the learning, but also is a way of evaluating if students have really understood. Following the review, students might then have an opportunity to apply the learning by teaching it to someone else or another class, by writing a story or report, or by writing and performing a play or song.

Does it take more time to teach in this way? Yes, but the learning stays learned! Exploring topics to be learned in depth pays great dividends in terms of developing interest and motivation, as well as giving students opportunities to learn in ways that accommodate individual strengths and abilities.
Goals seek out opportunities to continue with German
to coach soccer
to talk with and observe history teachers

I have always found the past fascinating naturally drawn to it majored in history in college.
Also interested in current events want to understand reasons for what is going on behind the news.
Follow the news consistently since young age.
I read this summer about third culture kids change my thinking
Can use my past experiences traveling and living abroad as a teacher
Can use my education in history
Can communicate my enthusiasm for the subject
To be a history teacher
I have this disturbed feeling everytime I hear anyone, both young and old, tell me that history is boring and useless. This disturbed feeling is even further intensified when someone tells me that only recent history is important and events and societies of long ago are no longer important or relevant. I had a brief conversation with a teacher this week who told me that too much time is spent studying the World Wars and that too much importance is assigned to them than they actually deserve. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. Those who speak this way do so because they do not understand history and ultimately, cannot understand the world that they live it.
While I could go on and on here, let me get to the point - history is boring because it is not understood. This is likely due to the fact that history is often taught in a boring way. The most important part about history is that it is about people and stories, not just names and dates. Also, it is not solely based on textual data. There are plenty of audio and video that contain excellent primary source data that are left underutilized. History is fun when the narrative is not separated from the “facts”. Teaching the facts in history is like teaching science without the lab investigations or teaching a novel in English where the story itself is stripped away and all that is focused in lessons are the names of the characters and the events that happened in the story. Science and English are generally not taught that way - History shouldn’t be taught that way either!
While I could go on and on here, let me get to the point - history is boring because it is not understood. This is likely due to the fact that history is often taught in a boring way. The most important part about history is that it is about people and stories, not just names and dates. Also, it is not solely based on textual data. There are plenty of audio and video that contain excellent primary source data that are left underutilized. History is fun when the narrative is not separated from the “facts”. Teaching the facts in history is like teaching science without the lab investigations or teaching a novel in English where the story itself is stripped away and all that is focused in lessons are the names of the characters and the events that happened in the story. Science and English are generally not taught that way - History shouldn’t be taught that way either

To what degree does the pressure to teach the basic “facts” come into tension with your goals of having either a broad “understanding” of historical processes or a sense of how history connects to their own lives? Do current textbooks support or interfere these goals of understanding and personal connection?
I don’t think understanding and facts are exclusive. You cannot understand without knowing something. For instance, we do M. L. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” It is something that has to be taken in context of the period. The students need to know about Brown v Topeka; Little Rock; Montgomery—etc. Moreover, they need to know who Bull Connor was because King had stages a protest in Georgia where the police were actually very gentle. The protest didn’t succeed. They went to Birmingham and Connor turned the hoses on the protesters and unleashed the dogs. It was said that Bull Connor was the greatest ally to the Civil Rights movement because he made great TV. People were outraged. King says in his piece, that injustice anywhere must be opposed. It is a great moral argument but who can understand it without knowing the facts?
Textbooks are just dull right now. We need narrative histories that tell a story. They take fascinating topics and reduce them to a sentence or two and take the life out of history. They’re ok for reference but we need better materials. Part of the problem is that they try to be all things to all people and they have to cover too much time. World History is the worst. How do you cover the entire history of human civilization in less than 1,000 pages?
What are the most effective assignments that you use in the U.S. Survey course? What is good about them?
I do a very good historic letters project where the students write each other as if they were living in the turn-of-the-century. It is good because it requires students to research, write, and to role play. It also shows them the value of letter writing in general and the idea that common people do make history. Letters are a valuable source to the historian even when written by non-famous people. My 1960 computer simulation is a true highlight. The students get excited about politics and history and they see what is what like to have an election decided by only a few votes. They come away with the understanding that voting counts and that in a democracy, it is one of the most important responsibilities of a citizen.
Could you say more about your simulations? What kind of preparation do you and the students need to do for a recreation of the trial of John Brown? What do you think the students get from an exercise like that?
I do a lot of different type of simulations he idea is to recreate a historical event or time period by having the students role-play various parts. In the case of John Brown, the students are given profile sheets, which describe a person who was involved in the case. They are then required to do additional research and the attorneys will depose each figure and then question them in the trial. Before the trial, the students are given historical background and reading to do. What they get out it is, first, an understanding that history is real and secondly, an understanding of the key issues of the period. In this case, the passions concerning slavery and how the North and South truly no longer understood each other in 1859.
In what formats do you teach the US History Survey?
I try to vary my instruction. You can’t just lecture every day although I do lecture from time to time—actually fairly regularly. Lecture has gotten a bad name today and I think that is unjust. I also do lots of historical simulations where students stage presidential elections, debate great issues confronting the Greeks, prepare Islamic/Mid-Eastern festival projects, recreate the trial of John Brown, etc. We also do several researched-based assignments on the Internet. Reading is a major component and I try to make sure the students have good outside readings that make history come alive. We do just about everything. It is different every year. That’s what I like about teaching.

What are your favorite courses to teach?
I have taught a great variety of global and U.S. courses ranging from “Colonial America” and “Afro-American Studies” to “Comparative World Religions” and “Middle Eastern Studies.” Some of the favorite courses included the ones that I got to team teach. Two teachers in the room are preferable for many reasons. Favorite courses were courses on “Law and Drama” and “Ethnic America, ” both were team taught with English teachers.
What are the biggest themes that you try to convey? How do you organize your survey course?
I teach a class on “Major Topics in U.S. History” and have students grapple with major themes from the colonial period (issues of independence and revolution) through the period of slavery (issues of racism, economic exploitation) through issues of immigration. A special focus was immigration to NYC and my students conducted interviews and took photos. I am currently teaching Middle East Studies and couldn’t have found a more timely topic. My students are full of bewilderment and questions about the current [post-September 11] situation. In general, I try to relate the lessons of history to today’s realities.
What are the most effective assignments that you use in the U.S. survey course?
I like to get students to think critically about the world around them, about issues that they will have to face in their lives currently and after high school.
I like project work involving oral histories, neighborhood histories, “family stories.” Students do research on topics that make sense to them. They produce interesting projects, sometimes art-based, video-based, or just really effective written presentations.
What is your most memorable teaching experience?
Co-teaching a class on the Civil Rights movement, called “Eyes on the Prize.” We recreated the town of Money, Mississippi, with a “Freedom Bus” arriving in town and “Freedom Riders” visiting local shops and schools. The activity culminated in a town meeting. The students adopted roles as bus riders or bus drivers, shopkeepers, including a local barber shop, local restaurant with a waitress, a pastor and a teacher. I helped facilitate the entire role play.
There are numerous examples about what works well in world history education.26 First, I am a firm believer that effective world history lectures are transformed by the engaging use of presentation technology, especially Power-Point software. The reason is very simple. A world history teacher has to be something of a master in the use of maps and chronology. An overhead projection does no good; the image simply is not large enough. A wall map is fine but there are times when you need physical maps, times when you need political maps and times when you need to show a rapid succession of changes over time in the same location. I have found that texts and atlases are good sources for these specific images and scanning them into Power-Point slides gives me the most flexibility. The world history lecture by its very nature is highly conceptual and must traverse time and space with facility. Visual aids help to keep the concepts more firmly fixed and ordered in students' minds and my premise has been born out by better essay grades on exams based on Power-Point lectures as opposed to those based on lectures that did not employ presentation technology.
In addition, the highly conceptual lecture often needs a strong hook at the beginning to establish the thesis and get the lecture rolling and I can introduce this effectively with a quotation, a speech, an image, or a rhetorical question on a slide and then move into the remaining lecture. I keep each Power-Point lecture to no more than twenty-five minutes with a college audience and use no more than nine slides for this length of time. Experience has shown me that this is the saturation point. Creating a Power-Point presentation also forces me to stay on concept and helps my students to take better notes, a concern in recent years. I encourage students to use the Cornell note-taking method and I keep my verbal prompts on the screen to the one word or short phrase that would appear in the left hand margin of the Cornell method. Presently, I am experimenting with short five-to-seven minute DVD clips embedded in the Power-Point presentation either as a hook or as an illustration of a concept. As a methods teacher, I discourage teachers from the practice of using long hours of DVD or video in the classroom and instead encourage editing and incorporating into a lecture or daily lesson the brief (five to twelve minute) video clip that crucially illustrates a concept or poses a question. Therefore, I practice what I preach in the undergraduate classroom and the Power-Point technology is most conducive to this technique.
Another method well known to history teachers that has a world history variation is the jigsaw. Jigsaw is an effective way to summarize a good deal of information in a short period of time and use texts or informational handouts efficiently. Students in a group concentrate on one aspect of a problem, become expert, and then re-form into groups where they teach other students their information and receive the other students' expert information in turn. Unfortunately, the jigsaw is too often used as a dry, low-level informational exercise. Teachers like to use the exercise in social history, for example, in teaching the accomplishments of Ming China. When jigsaw is combined with a conceptual narrative that uses a composite area studies approach as described in the previous section, it becomes particularly dreary and ineffective in world history. A world history jigsaw needs two very important elements—a direct comparison of the social histories of civilizations or societies in a series of distinct categories and a culminating question that asks students to use the comparative information they have gained, preferably in a written assignment. An example of this would be an exercise comparing the four cultural centers of Afro-Eurasia in 1250 C.E.—Mediterranean Europe, the Islamic Caliphates, India and China—in terms of technology, science and art, family and religion, political superstructure, and market, agriculture and economy. The rhetorical proposition would be to predict what happens to each of these cultural centers in the wake of the Mongol Invasion. A similar exercise could be used to show the impact on Africa and Asia of the approach of European imperialism. In world history, it is most important to make social history dynamic by requiring students to make direct comparison in a snapshot of time and then using their comparative observations to tackle analytical problems.
Simulations have always been regarded as the ultimate in methods prowess. However, most simulations seem to get buried under their own conceptual weight and luxurious use of instructional time. At least I have found that they tend to bury the concept when they exceed forty minutes. In any case, a college professor, and frankly even a public school teacher, does not have the time for long simulations. In addition, simulations that try to duplicate large-scale processes in world history are subject to instructional breakdown because there are so many variables in any world history process that students become confused and lose the concepts essential to understanding the process. I recommend, and in my undergraduate course I use, a few simulations that are strictly limited to isolated cases of the effects of world history processes rather than the process itself. For example, I avoid colonialism simulations and instead select a more isolated phenomenon of neo-colonialism in the case of Peru and Great Britain in the mid-nineteenth century, using guano and British textiles as the exchange products. The game is built on a monopoly model and takes approximately forty minutes with debriefing, or summarization, of the neo-colonial concept. I use a similar brief game strategy built on Risk to illustrate absolutism among the six major powers of seventeenth-century Europe and a strategy game to demonstrate the dynamics of mutual assured destruction in the Cold War. In world history, the proper mix of simulation and concept is with the more discreet, case-oriented concept than it is with larger global processes. Another area where appropriate methods have to be tailored to world history needs is the method known as interactive slide or image lectures. This is primarily a hook strategy but can set the tone for larger processes at work in world history. The interactive slide lecture is a patented method used by a popular publisher of teacher-made curricula in California, known as Teachers' Curriculum Institute. While the method effectively requires students to analyze images closely to gather information about a culture's or society's attitudes and values, I feel that it needs to be revised somewhat to give it more of a world history edge. The way that I do this is to use two images produced before and after an important turning point or long process event. The comparison of characteristics that signify a change in values or beliefs from before to after helps students to better describe and understand the intervening phenomena. For example, I use artwork before and during the Renaissance to help students comprehend a critical intellectual shift of the Renaissance—the observation and study of man in the present rather than God and the hereafter. For this I use paintings by Giotto and Massaccio about a century apart. To comprehend the social and class impact of the Mexican Revolution, I use photos of the Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz and his cabinet taken in August 1910 and the leaders of the initial phase of the Mexican Revolution taken in November 1910. This same technique could be used effectively in comparisons of art in the eighteenth century in the Ottoman Empire, Qing Empire, Tokugawa Shogunate, Enlightenment Europe, and Mughal India. World historiography tends to emphasize economic and political history, but image analysis should be taken advantage of to flesh out the intellectual and cultural dynamics accompanying large structural changes.
Another area where world history has its own variation on a classic method is small group work on primary source documents. In the college classroom one may use up to twelve primary sources to illustrate a problem or question, though I recommend no more than six in the typical high school setting. Naturally a focus question anchors the investigation of the documents and it is essential to provide background reading for the question or phenomenon the class is investigating. There are generally three approaches. First, one may use primary documents to trace a phenomenon over time. In world history, a good case study is to use both charts and primary documents to explore the question, how did the Atlantic slave trade change over time and how did it affect African societies? A second example is comparing the same historical archetype or figure in different cultures, such as revolutionary heroes or leaders in time of war. This is best done with historical actors of about the same period of time and using documentation from the society or country that produced the individual. Sometimes the comparative work on these documents can be turned into a short debate on the merits—who was the greater leader or who advanced his/her country or civilization most effectively? Lastly, there is the two-sided problem approach using the same historical event. Classic cases in world history would be the encounter between western and non-western peoples or a decision to go to war, such as, Sulieman the Magnificent and the Habsburg monarchs, the Japanese and the Americans in WWII, or the Chinese and the British in the opium conflicts of the nineteenth century. My own conversations with other world history educators tells me that there is a wealth of observations and ideas about the specific needs and demands of world history pedagogy out there. Discussing and problem-solving these suggestions and observations is not an onerous task for the university professorship but rather a great pleasure that can serve as a stimulus to the discipline of world history.
Dear Professor Schefftz,

I am writing you because I am interested in applying as a graduate student to the History Department at Youngstown State University. I want to obtain an M.A. in history from this university, which is in the city of Youngstown, Ohio, where I live. My ultimate goal is to teach history at the high school or community/four year college level. I also like reading, writing, discussing, and researching history and am excited about being able to do that at the graduate level.

I have a particular interest in Asian history, especially Indian history. I recently read a book about Third Culture Kids people like me who are Americans who grew up abroad. This book mentioned that “TCKs can be particularly effective in cross cultural educational processes”, can be “effective teachers because they have many first hand stories to augment the facts recorded in the geography or social studies textbooks”, and that “whatever countries they have lived or traveled in they can bring their students fresh ways of looking at the world.” This really gave me the idea for how best I could use my skills and talents to be gainfully employed while doing something I enjoy. I grew up abroad in the country of Nepal as the son of protestant missionaries from the age of 2 to the age of 18. In college I studied German abroad in Graz, Austria for a year, and I taught English for two years in Bangkok, Thailand. I really do think I have a lot I can teach Americans about Asia and its history, and a little about Europe too.

In addition I have been taking education classes at YSU for the past 3 years. I have learned about how to motivate, plan lessons, and picked up a lot of ideas about how to teach that I can use to teach more effectively in the history classroom. I spent the summer taking notes on education and reading history at the Provincial Library of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. In the Philippines I also bought and have been reading a book called “How To Make The Teaching and Learning of History Interesting for Everyone”, copied a good book on creative writing assignments, and also saw a book in the library by Sayers called Constantine. This has got me thinking about different ways I could incorporate drama into the history classroom. I also read some monologues, declamations and speeches at the library and am interested in using some of them as a history teacher.

What am I doing in Youngstown, Ohio? And why do I want to study history at the graduate school at YSU? And until four years ago we never had a family home of our own. My parents both have Masters degrees in Teaching English as A Second Language and have been teaching English in Thailand then Japan for the past 7 years or so. They still have a few years to go before retirement age. They do not make a lot of money and really need to stay abroad to make money to survive. I am staying in Youngstown and watching over their home which is near the university. I just got married recently and want to live with my wife in the family home while watching over and maintaining the property. Also I recently had the opportunity to take notes for a special needs student in a history class by a professor Fred Veihe and was much impressed with his teaching. Also secondarily I am interested in German/Jewish history because one, my Christian family background, two my German heritage, and three I studied German for three years language in college. And there is a professor Helene Sinnerich who I have talked to who teaches the holocaust, German history, and eastern European history at the university. I am exploring with her how I can specialize in Indian history at the University.

I was a student at SUNY-Binghamton from 1998 to 2002. I took two courses from you. One was your lower level class on the twentieth century and the other was your seminar on World War Two. I did a paper on the holocaust looking at pogroms in Eastern Europe during 1941 for that seminar. I talked with you once after class about the holocaust. I, and I am being honest here, liked some aspects of your teaching style which was more conversational, anecdotal, and like sharing with a friend what you were learning, while trying to keep up with the latest history writing in the field. I remember more from your class than from some of the flashy; written out lectures in history I was given. I had a 3.4 GPA, was on deans list, and was elected to the International Foreign Language Honors Society for German while I was at Binghamton. I am applying for admission to the History Department and would appreciate it if you would be able to write for me a letter of recommendation that would enable me to continue my studies in history.

Sincerely,
Adam Seefeldt
Dear Professor Chaffee,

I am writing you because I am interested in applying as a graduate student to the History Department at Youngstown State University. I want to obtain an M.A. in history from this university, which is in the city of Youngstown, Ohio, where I live. My ultimate goal is to teach history at the high school or community/four year college level. I also like reading, writing, discussing, and researching history and am excited about being able to do that at the graduate level.

I have a particular interest in Asian history, especially Indian history. I recently read a book about Third Culture Kids people like me who are Americans who grew up abroad. This book mentioned that “TCKs can be particularly effective in cross cultural educational processes”, can be “effective teachers because they have many first hand stories to augment the facts recorded in the geography or social studies textbooks”, and that “whatever countries they have lived or traveled in they can bring their students fresh ways of looking at the world.” This really gave me the idea for how best I could use my skills and talents to be gainfully employed while doing something I enjoy. I grew up abroad in the country of Nepal as the son of protestant missionaries from the age of 2 to the age of 18. In college I studied German abroad in Graz, Austria for a year, and I taught English for two years in Bangkok, Thailand. I really do think I have a lot I can teach Americans about Asia and its history, and a little about Europe too.

In addition I have been taking education classes at YSU for the past 3 years. I have learned about how to motivate, plan lessons, and picked up a lot of ideas about how to teach that I can use to teach more effectively in the history classroom. I spent the summer taking notes on education and reading history at the Provincial Library of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. In the Philippines I also bought and have been reading a book called “How To Make The Teaching and Learning of History Interesting for Everyone”, copied a good book on creative writing assignments, and also saw a book in the library by Sayers called Constantine. This has got me thinking about different ways I could incorporate drama into the history classroom. I also read some monologues, declamations and speeches at the library and am interested in using some of them as a history teacher.

What am I doing in Youngstown, Ohio? And why do I want to study history at the graduate school at YSU? And until four years ago we never had a family home of our own. My parents both have Masters degrees in Teaching English as A Second Language and have been teaching English in Thailand then Japan for the past 7 years or so. They still have a few years to go before retirement age. They do not make a lot of money and really need to stay abroad to make money to survive. I am staying in Youngstown and watching over their home which is near the university. I just got married recently and want to live with my wife in the family home while watching over and maintaining the property. Also I recently had the opportunity to take notes for a special needs student in a history class by a professor Fred Veihe and was much impressed with his teaching. Also secondarily I am interested in German/Jewish history because one, my Christian family background, two my German heritage, and three I studied German for three years language in college. And there is a professor Helene Sinnerich who I have talked to who teaches the holocaust, German history, and eastern European history at the university. I am exploring with her how I can specialize in Indian history at the University.

I was a student at SUNY-Binghamton from 1998 to 2002. I took one course from you. It was a seminar on Chinese women and the Family throughout Chinese history. I reviewed a book by Jane Hunter called the Gospel of Gentility for that class. It was of considerable interest to me because of my parents own missionary work in Asia, and I was interested in obtaining an academic historian’s balanced perspective on the missionary native encounter. I enjoyed learning about another major Asian culture and it’s history which I think can fruitfully be compared with Indian history. I like social history, learning about how ordinary people lived in the past. That class was my first real encounter with social history. I also enjoyed reading about and discussing about gender and Chinese women’s history. In particular I liked the first hand narratives of the lives of Ning Lao Tai-Tai and Jung Chang. I had a 3.4 GPA, was on deans list, and was elected to the International Foreign Language Honors Society for German while I was at Binghamton. I am applying for spring admission to the History Department and would appreciate it if you would be able to write for me a letter of recommendation that would enable me to continue my studies in history.

Sincerely,
Adam Seefeldt
7. What are the most effective assignments that you use in the U.S. survey course? What is good about them?
The best assignments are those that actually show social dynamics to students and don’t just talk about them. Role-plays and simulations do this well. One of my role-plays about U.S. labor history puts the class in the position of being Industrial Workers of the World organizers during the 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts, textile strike and students need to work together to plan strike strategy. Another role-play uses a competition to make paper airplanes to demonstrate to students the principles of “scientific management” and how new work processes affected skilled workers and their families. A third looks at the origins of testing and tracking in the early years of the modern U.S. high school. I think this one is especially important because most U.S. history curricula don’t ask students to think critically about the origins of schools themselves. In this role-play, I portray a gung-ho new superintendent who wants to reform Central City high schools by introducing intelligence testing, and so-called ability grouping, and a more patriotic curriculum. Students portray Hungarian immigrants, members of the middle-class, wealthy executives, Black activists, and union members, and debate the superintendent’s proposals.
I don’t want to leave the impression that I think history classes should be exclusively role-play and simulation. I think the best classes are ones with lots of pedagogical diversity. But when teachers sit down to plan their classes, they ought to be asking themselves how they can bring social forces to life in the classroom—how they can give students classroom doses of real-world events. By all means, assign lots of reading—meaningful reading—and go ahead and lecture. But make sure that these are grounded in classroom experiences.
8. How has teaching changed over your career?
Teaching requires more than good intentions. It’s taken a lot of years to try to match my pedagogy to my values, to my vision of what schooling ought to be about. And I’ve still got an awfully long way to go.
The biggest revolution in my pedagogy happened during the five years that Linda Christensen and I taught together. Linda showed me the power of linking students' lives to the curriculum, largely through personal narrative and poetry. Also, it isn’t enough to *assign* writing, one has to *teach* it. I think I was like a lot of social studies teachers who expect English teachers to teach writing, and we’ll teach about history and the world. But what I’ve discovered is that the more rigorous I am in teaching writing, the more clarity and depth students will gain in whatever the content is that I’m trying to teach.
6. What are your most important goals in teaching this survey course?
Once again, and I know this sounds very basic, but I want my students to leave the class believing that history can be interesting, that it can be meaningful—that it can help them make sense of what’s going on in the world these days. James Loewen writes in his book Lies My Teacher Told Me (New York: 1995), that five out of six of all high school students will never take another U.S. history course after they leave high school. So at the least, it’s my responsibility to leave students with the sense that, "Maybe there are some things here that I should learn more about.”
Another important aim of my history teaching is to puncture the myth that a country is like a family. Too often, when textbooks talk about the United States they are filled with “we” did this, and “we” did that. But who really is the “we” that is being talked about? There is a coercive element to the language that is used in a history class—and in the media more generally, for that matter—that demands that students identify with the policies of the U.S. government and of U.S. elites: “We” went to war in Vietnam. “We” traveled west on the Oregon Trail. “We” need more oil. However, U.S. society has always been stratified based on race, class, nationality, language, gender—and it’s bad history, bad sociology to assume a common past. Some of “us” opposed the war in Vietnam. Some of “us”— Native Americans—were victimized by the Oregon Trail, and others of “us”—African Americans—were excluded from many Oregon Trail wagon trains. Many textbooks talk about slavery as being a ”shameful period“ in U.S. history. But did African Americans ever have any reason to be ”ashamed“ of slavery? Shame is something the perpetrators of crimes against humanity should experience, not those they victimized. So a term like ”shameful period" takes sides, even as it masks its side-taking. I want students to understand that U.S. society has always been experienced very differently depending on a variety of factors—and it still is. And connected to this is that how history is taught is also not neutral.
3. Which are your favorite courses to teach? Why?
Global studies is my favorite course to teach because it focuses on the burning global issues of the day. I don’t have to convince students it’s important, which sometimes happens with U.S. History. I’ve been on leave for two years, but the last time I taught global studies was the year of the Seattle WTO protests. Being so close, in Portland, exposed students to the teach-ins and publicity prior to the meetings and demonstrations. It lent a sense of urgency to what we were doing in the classroom—dealing with issues of global sweatshops, the effect of “free trade” on poor countries, global warming, the conflict between “development” and indigenous cultures, and the like. There were so many connections that students were making, and the enormous amount of attention being paid to these issues by activists and media said to students: This is really important stuff.
The other course that I taught for five years and enjoyed tremendously was Literature and U.S. History. It was a two-period-a-day class that I co-taught with Linda Christensen. We could blend more seamlessly literature with history, writing with role-plays. It taught me how silly it is to have the curriculum chopped up into these meaningless categories of “English” and “history”—as if you can think clearly about history, or anything else, without writing and reading—or as if you can have an ”English" class that simply lurches from novel to novel or from writing exercise to writing exercise.
4. What are the biggest themes that you try to convey?
The first thing I keep in mind is the Hippocratic oath: Do no harm. It works for teachers too. Most of the history classes I had in school were awful. They were filled with lectures and textbooks and little else. I don’t want to be that kind of teacher. So I begin from the standpoint that I want my students to come away from the class believing that studying history can be enjoyable and meaningful. In terms of broad themes what do I want them to learn? That history is not a series of dead facts. It’s made up of choices made by real people in real circumstances. I want them to think about the importance of race and racism. That from the moment Columbus arrived in the Americas and claimed a land he knew was occupied by other people, and announced that these people were intelligent, and hence would make good slaves, that racism would be an enormous factor in determining what went on here.
Similarly, I want them to think about the impact of social class and gender in explaining how America developed as it did. More recently, I’ve been “greening” my U.S. history curriculum, and looking at how the roots to today’s ecological crises can be found in cultural patterns that we can recognize from the very beginning of Europeans' presence here. I suppose that this is another overarching theme: History is not simply stories of the past, or a collection of facts—it’s about making explanations for the way things are today. It’s also about drawing inspiration from the past, recognizing that anything we appreciate today, anything about this country that is decent, got that way because people worked together to create it. I just finished listening to a radio series on the history of the Civil Rights Movement in five cities. And what comes across is how this was not just a movement of “great men” plus Rosa Parks. It was courage and sacrifice and ingenuity and determination, played out again and again all over the country, but especially in the South. U.S. society changed because in millions of big and small ways, people made it change.
5. How do you organize your U.S. history survey course?
I suppose you could say that I use a “modified chronological” approach. Although there is something appealing about organizing a course around large themes, it’s always seemed to make more sense to move through the decades in the order that things happened, looking for patterns as we go. That said, I also move back and forth from past to present. For example, if we look at Native American issues, I’ll pull that forward to look at the birth of the American Indian Movement, and aspects of what’s going on today. The other piece of this is that I play back and forth between history and students‘ lives. If we read excerpts from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, where he describes his fight with Mr. Covey, the “slave breaker” who Douglass’s master rented him to, I may have students write about a time when they somehow defied injustice, however small. I don’t want to equate students’ actions with the huge risks that Douglass confronted, but I do want students to touch that place in themselves that may help them to empathize with what Douglass encountered. More than that, I want our classroom to honor struggles for justice of all kinds, big and small.
One of the things I need to say here is that I don’t try to “cover” all of U.S. History. I’ve always wished that they’d call this class something else besides “U.S. History,” because the title is a lie—it always has been. How can we teach all of U.S. history in one year? It promises something that no teacher can deliver. To attempt it is to guarantee that the curriculum will be a mile wide and an inch deep. In my classes we use lots of role-plays and activities that take time. A teacher has to choose: either I’m going to explore some aspects of history, explore some time periods, in real depth, and in a way that can excite students—or I’m going to make sure that my students get through that entire 1,000 page textbook. I’m going to teach a fact-rich, idea-poor curriculum, but, by golly, students will get it all. It’s no secret which side I’m on. However, I should add that the fact-rich, idea-poor curriculum is the one that is rewarded by today’s high-stakes testing movement. Standardized social studies tests pressure teachers to pack in as many conventional facts as possible. In my opinion, this kind of testing promotes shallow, as well as conservative, teaching.
2. What is your favorite course to teach? Why?
U.S. History is my favorite course to teach; African American studies is my second favorite. I love U.S. history, and I have developed many programs and activities that are performance based and that get students really excited about history. I always start with a unit entitled “Social Studies skills.” The first thing I do is teach students how to write history—learning how to write history from analyzing photographs, documents, timelines, artifacts, and architecture. By the end of the unit, we would do a project where students learn to write their own history using primary sources. One year I had the students write a play comparing a teenage life in the 1950s and 1960s to teenage life in the 1980s and 1990s. The parents had to teach them dance-steps and show the clothing of the 1950s and 1960s. We performed the play in front of the parents, recreating their lives.
After learning how to write history, we would go directly to the units of American history. For example, I have taught a unit called “How To Become Rich in a Capitalistic Society. ” Students had to design business plans that would make them rich in 20 years. The next unit would be on “Depression America”—I always hated that part of history, Depression America, the New Deal, alphabet soup, so I tried to find a way that I could enjoy teaching that unit. I believe that if you don’t enjoy what you teach, you don’t really do a good job.
Without defining the concept of Depression, we discussed the economic problems in Washington, DC. I had my students get together in groups and asked them to find solutions to the problems—poverty, unemployment, overproduction and so forth—and then they did a comparative analysis between their solutions and FDR’s solutions. We found there were some striking similarities between what they came up with and what FDR came up with. This made them feel good—they designed the New Deal. I also asked them to perform soliloquies about individuals suffering from the Great Depression.
The units on “The Rise of Big Business,” including the Gilded Age and “Becoming Rich in a Capitalistic Society” worked well, too. Instead of giving students information on John D. Rockefeller and the robber barons, their task was to look at these individuals to see how they became wealthy and how they would reproduce the same effort, do it themselves. So, instead of just giving them a boring assignment, they were actually studying Rockefeller and figuring out what he did and how he did it. We looked at the principles such as finding out the societies' wants and needs, locating the capital, eliminating the middle man, etc. One young woman came up with a drug she named “cramps to be gone. ” Another person came up with the idea of fingernail polish that changed with the outfit that one was wearing. Students came up with a lot of interesting ideas, such as using a conveyor belt to solve DC traffic problems.
3. What are your most important goals in teaching the survey course?
I always tell my students that I don’t care if they remember everything, but they had to know how to locate information, know how to think, and had to be organized. I feel that as long as they know how to get information, it doesn’t really matter whether they memorize a lot of stuff. I want to give students the ability to become informed decision makers and problem solvers.
In a test, for example, I would make them Mayor of Washington, DC, give them five social problems, and ask them to figure out a strategy to solve these problems. History, in this way, becomes more meaningful and is connected to their lives. History is not just about what happened and when it happened, but also about why it happened, and how you can apply that knowledge. In addition, I think it is important that students learn how to WRITE effectively and learn to love writing and to “DO” history and not merely to study it.
4. How do you organize your survey course?
I organize my U.S. History course thematically, after the initial unit on writing history, using the following headings:
The Closing of the American Frontier (Whose Land Is It Anyway?)
The Rise of Big Business (How To Become Rich in a Capitalistic Society)
Depression (It’s a Hard Knock Life)
Immigration (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)
Bigotry (A Method of Control)
American Foreign Policy (Conspiracy Theory)
War (What Is It Good For?)
Post War America (Issues and Answers)
Political Corruption (Does The System Work?)
5. What are the most effective assignments you have used?
What happens when you are a teacher is that teachers become like parents. And after a while, kids turn off parents. You tell them certain things, you ask them to do certain things, and they don’t give you their best efforts. However, when you start doing things that other people have to look at and evaluate, when you go outside the classroom, then they are willing to work harder. Towards the end of my teaching, I began to do more things that other people would look at, this is why I call it authentic. At the end of the year, each student teaches a 45 minute lesson. The students select topics that they would like to teach, such as Watergate, Irangate, Japanese Internment, Civil Rights.
A very successful assignment was the anthology “Encounters with Bigotry, ” a collection of poems and stories relating personal experiences of African American and Hispanic kids to the Holocaust. The book was published with the assistance of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that is being used at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, to this day. When students turned in a piece of writing that did not meet the rubric and the standard, it wasn’t accepted. Once students began to realize that this was really important, they did a good job and started putting in extra effort. After we put the anthology together, my students went to the Holocaust Museum and lectured about the process and we had a book signing.
We participated in a lot of contests – one contest was called “Kids Write Through It” where students wrote about how they overcame adversity in their lives. I made all my students submit stories and four of my students got published in that book. One of my students won the contest and received got $1,000. Afterwards my students realized that writing can earn you money.
I also began having competitive assignments between classes. Giving final exams was always a pain, and I remember one year I had a contest where I put the information that we were reviewing for a final exam in a game-show format. I had each class select five students to represent their class. Each class had to quiz their team and get them ready for a competition against my other classes. The reward —whichever team won wouldn’t have to take a final exam. This assignment was great because the class actually had to select their contestants, five participants, and they also had to get the kids ready for the contest. So they had to design review questions and quiz the contestants. I divided the class into groups of five and each group was supposed to take a particular concept and quiz the contestants on that theme. Each contestant then rotated from group to group. Then they would call each other at home in order to prepare. They actually developed study groups. When we held the competition, it turned out to be a big event. Some of my former students came to watch. The team that won, of course, was elated, because they didn’t have to take that final. The team that lost was upset and they wanted to beat the kid up who lost. But when the test came, the team was ready and the lowest grades were in the C range. This was, again, a case when other people had to evaluate them, something that required an authentic assessment.
6. How has your teaching experience changed over time?
We are lifelong learners. I think as I began to observe other teachers, I learned how to do things better and this is invigorating for me. If you have been teaching for many years, things get stale. I don’t see how teachers can sit down and do the same thing over and over again, for years and years. That would bore me to death. So I was constantly looking for new things.
I remember watching a TV program, it was 60 Minutes or something, on education in China. I never forgot it. It showed a math class and on the first day of class, the teacher divided the kids into groups. He gave them a complicated problem, with no instruction, and asked them to solve it. The kids sat down and worked and worked, and the teacher sat down behind his desk and didn’t do anything but observe. The students put their heads together to solve the problem and it took them a week to actually solve it.
I thought it was kind of dangerous because the teacher provided so little guidance, but I tried it. This is where my idea for the depression project came from. Pose a problem, put it on the board, assign groups, and ask students to solve it. It didn’t take a week, but maybe three or four days. I would float around. And it was fantastic because it worked. It forced me to be a facilitator as opposed to an upfront teacher. The more I began to look, the more I began to alter my teaching. I used to be a straight up front teacher, stand in front of the class: “You know this is what we are going to do—do it and learn! ” More and more, I have become a facilitator.
I also began to get into multiple intelligences and I began to alter a lot of my activities — to include more poetry, more art. I’ll never forget a class I taught with 53 students, including a group of physically challenged students, several English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students, a group of athletes. The students were always segregating themselves, and there were all these different groups. I’ll never forget one student in a wheelchair who couldn’t read. He was in a program where you don’t get a grade, you get a certificate of attendance. He always asked for the textbook, but he never gave me any work to evaluate. One day I met him in the hallway and asked him: How am I supposed to evaluate you, you never say anything and you never give me work. And he said: “I remember anything you said. ” Then I asked him some questions and it turned out this kid had a phenomenal memory. He remembered everything I said, and I felt bad because in a large group of 53 students, it’s really hard to give students individualized instruction. I felt badly because I looked at this kid and I thought: “I have not been dealing with him in the way he learns.” And as I began to read more about multiple intelligences, I began to incorporate more activities for multiple learning styles — poetry, collages, drawings — all of these activities are elements of society that you can integrate in your teaching
2. What are the biggest themes that you try to convey? How do you organize your survey course?
I choose different themes, but I always make sure to include themes that organize history differently. For example, one unit might emphasize political history, another economic, still another social, and another intellectual. Of course these overlap, but I want my students to understand that historians use many lenses to construct interpretations and analyses of our past.
I organize my world history courses chronologically because I find that this approach is helpful to students in trying to make sense of the past. We don’t become slaves to chronology, however; we use it as a framework. I do not use an area studies approach but rather use one that looks at connections across political boundaries.
3. What are your most important goals in teaching the survey course?
As with any course that I teach, I want to help my students love learning, use their curiosity to engage in historical inquiry, be open to new ways of constructing knowledge, and function as historians.
4. What are the most effective assignments that you use in the U.S. survey course?
Each year I alter assignments I’ve used before, discard many others, and add new ones. I try to actively engage my students of all levels in working as historians themselves, analyzing and interpreting the past. I often have students work in small groups, and each group is typically presented with a question or problem (without one right answer) and a batch of varied and contradictory primary and secondary sources. U.S. History provides us with such a rich repository of accessible sources—local, regional, national, and global. I use a mix of sources, including written, material, visual, musical, and oral sources when possible. In solving a problem or answering a question, a student might work first individually, then as a member of a small group, and finally as part of an entire class discussion.
For example, my students undertake a simulation of a hearing on the New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. In teams of two to four, students take on the roles of the factory owner, floor manager, workers, fire department, et al., and research the fire using a broad selection of primary and secondary sources, only some of which I provide. As a class we interview the teams one at a time. Each team attempts to determine blame for the deaths of the workers and defend its own role in the tragedy. Each team is evaluated on its defense, both through its research materials and notes, and on the team’s use of evidence and reasoning during the hearing. In addition each individual student is evaluated on an analytical essay that addresses the same question: Who was to blame? Each essay also recommends changes that could have prevented the fire or lessened the loss of life it caused.
Finally I present information on more recent and strikingly similar tragedies. We talk about groups of workers who are marginalized in our society today and compare them to those who were placed at high risk for little compensation in 1911.
1. When did you start teaching and where have you taught? Which courses have you taught? Which are your favorite courses to teach? Why?

I began teaching nine years ago at Satellite Academy. I was lucky to get a job there right after student teaching and I have been there ever since. I say lucky because Satellite has been the most supportive environment I have ever been in. The community is wonderfully tolerant of experimentation and creativity. We get to create our own curriculum at Satellite. I have taught the following courses: Drama and History: The Holocaust; Drama and History: Slavery; Oral Tradition in the African American Community; Economics, Race and Television; The Civil War; Nigerian History, The Sociology of Relationships; Vietnam: The Country and the War; Feminism and the Future of You. Since we get to create our own courses, I can’t say I have any particular favorite. I love teaching each and every one of them. That is why I believe allowing teachers freedom in curricular design is so important, our creativity and passion are given full expression.

2. What are the biggest themes that you try to convey? How do you organize your survey course?

Examining the history of oppressed peoples is one of the important themes I find myself examining. There is so much for us to learn from the manner in which people handle oppressive situations that I return to this theme again and again. Courses at Satellite are organized around the central concept that less is more. Rather then covering enormous amounts of content in a semester we try to focus on one issue but in great depth. This allows our students to go beyond simple memorization of history and grapple with ideas.

3. What are your most important goals in teaching this survey course?

I want students to walk away from my classes excited by the narrative of history. I want them to see how our history has been difficult but that people have endured. I also want them to discover their inner resources for handling situations of conflict in their lives.

4. What are the most effective assignments that you use in the U.S. survey course? What is good about them?

One of the most effective methods I use in my history courses is drama. Allowing students the opportunity to examine history through the lens of a participant is valuable. The work that is done when “in role” affords students the chance to see and feel the historical factors at play and understand the actions of people in the past in a visceral way.

5. What is your most memorable teaching experience?

I am lucky and there are many. The first one to come to mind occurred during the final project of my “Drama and History” class on the Holocaust. The father of a colleague of mine, who escaped Nazi Germany in 1937, was in the audience for the half hour presentation my students had created based on what they had learned about the Holocaust. These students had been working for weeks to create an improvisation-based play for their community that showed the Nazi rise to power and the results it had. The young people were very nervous before the presentation. We gathered in one room before they began and I looked around at the faces assembled in a circle. My students, who come from every borough of New York and range in age from 15 to 21, were gravely serious. They knew who was in the audience and what he had gone through. There was quiet for a moment and then one young person spoke up, “Lets do this for Mr. Fuchs.” Everyone nodded their heads and looked at me. I smiled and took my place in the audience. The following half hour was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Each student gave a performance to the best of her/his ability. The historical content they had so carefully selected for this play came through in every moment, and the audience was transfixed. When the performance was over, you could feel the transformation in both the student performers and their friends in the audience. They gave their all for someone they had never met, because of their deep empathy for his experience.
1. What drew you to history teaching?

History was my favorite subject, in part because I had very inspirational history teachers. They were young and local and made history come “alive” by personalizing it with their experiences or the oral history of their families. In class, they included activities such as conducting oral history interviews, rewriting history/journals, and cooperative learning. They encouraged students to evaluate history beyond the historical data provided. They allowed us to think critically, to appreciate our local history, and to learn from it to prevent our political and social leaders from repeating the mistakes of the past. They taught me to appreciate Guam’s history because it attributed to making our society and country unique. I try to share this with my students.

As I was studying the history of Guam, some teachers assigned projects that emphasized local and family history, such as creating models of local cultural arts and interviewing grandparents and parents. This was especially interesting for me because my parents came from different cultures: my mother was Chamorro (native of Guam) and my father Filipino. For one project, I was limited with knowledge and resources of what specific crafts I could create, so I sought my grandfather’s advice. He and I made slippers from the dried fibers of a coconut tree. As we were making these slippers, he shared funny stories about how he would loosen such slippers and play tricks with friends when he was young. I became much closer to my grandfather and I yearned to hear more about his past and our history—stories that were not mentioned in school. I was excited when presenting my oral history reviews in class because my stories were interesting and humorous; my classmates enjoyed them just as I enjoyed relating them. This helped me learn to appreciate my family’s role in history.

My father was another major resource, sharing with me his history, his memories of life as a youth in the Philippines. As I studied Guam history and American history in school, my grandfather and parents related their versions of historical events, such as the Great Depression and WWII, when Guam was occupied by Japan. I would go home and compare what I had learned with their memories. It was fascinating to hear the differences and effects of how history took place on the U.S. mainland versus in the Pacific Rim. I began to recognize the impact of various occupations of Guam, especially on our native population and culture.

I also became curious about why there was not much written about the roles of Chamorros in significant historical events. Most of the history was taught and written through the perspectives of non-native historians. This prompted me to ask why so much information was not recorded and actually taught in school.

Growing up, I was discouraged from learning the local language. In school, we were penalized with fines and corporal punishment for speaking the Chamorro language. We were highly criticized for having accents and not being fluent in English and were taught that those who did not speak English fluently were not intelligent and would not succeed in professional careers. I now emphasize to my students that having an accent does not reflect intelligence. I encourage them to be proud of their ethnic heritage and to learn their native language to keep their culture alive. Thirty-five years later, students are required by law to study Guam history and learn the Chamorro language.

As I teach U.S. history, I always include local perspectives and encourage students to ask their families for stories. This brings history alive for students, making them realize that there are people who experienced the history they read in books. The past also becomes more meaningful when students realize that there are many ways of interpreting history. I was taught to learn history literally, as it was written in the books. But as I grew older, I realized that there were multiple perspectives. I now teach history this way, challenging students to explore many points of view before they try to evaluate the causes and effects of historical events or predict how things might have happened differently. I encourage my students to see themselves as historians, to rewrite history based on these multiple perspectives.

I also became interested in teaching history because of my own interest in significant historical events and people. I was fascinated with the Spanish-American War, WWII, and the American colonialism of Guam—historical events that were relevant to our local history. I lived on Guam most of my life until I transferred to the University of California, Irvine to finish college. One of my history professors, Dr. George Boughton, convinced me that in order to become an effective history instructor, I needed to acquire a more diverse background of historical knowledge. The local university only had about four classes for history majors in the late 1970s. I graduated from UC Irvine in 1977.

I also hoped to become one of the first female local historians to write the history of our island. Most of Guam’s early history was written by European and Spanish historians and based on the journals of Spanish explorers and missionaries. These typically depicted local people as docile, passive, and ignorant. There are now local historians writing our history, although few are women. And U.S. history in general is now taught with greater attention to cultural sensitivity and with an abundance of resources that provide students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of history.


2. When did you start teaching? Which courses have you taught?

I started teaching American Civics, Guam History, and American History in 1979. Through my 23 years of teaching, I have taught English, U.S. History, American Civics, Guam History, Journalism, Geography, Psychology/Sociology, Student Government, American Government, and Advanced Placement American Government. I have taught the U.S. Survey course in high school for almost ten years.

History teaching has improved tremendously. The lecture method has been replaced by more interesting and innovative teaching strategies. Even the textbooks have improved—they are no longer cut and dry. Students now appreciate Social Studies classes more than other disciplines. This is a big change from the years when students dreaded taking such classes.


3. What are the biggest themes that you try to convey in the U.S. Survey Course?

When teaching the U.S. History survey, I emphasize skills that are necessary to be active, participating citizens, such as critical thinking, cooperative learning, research, and conflict resolution. I focus on the historical structure and functions of the U.S. government, the principles and beliefs of the constitution, and democratic ideals.

I also emphasize several major themes. The first is the “American Dream.” We investigate this notion and study different perspectives on how U.S. citizens define the “American Dream” and attain their goals. We compare Americans in the twenty-first century with those in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and look at how different minority groups, such as American Indians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Pacific Islanders, have engaged with the “American Dream.” Another major theme is science and technology. We study the social and economic effects of technology, assessing both advantages and disadvantages. We compare the influence of science and technology today to earlier centuries, looking, for example, at the Industrial Revolution, the Gilded Age, the Roaring Twenties, and the daily usage of computer technology today. I ask students to predict how changes in science and technology will affect the future.

Throughout the survey, we study cultural diversity, looking at the effects (positive and negative) of diversification on America. I ask how we should define the term “American” and how we weigh the conflicts and achievements of the various ethnic groups who contributed to the rich and unique heritage of our country. For example, we investigate the experiences of American minorities and the question of civil rights. I challenge students to analyze civil rights, to evaluate which are most critical and why. How do Americans preserve their basic rights and liberties in an ever-changing and increasingly technological world? We study economic discrimination historically and look at the legislative and social process of attaining equality and political rights, for example for women and gays and lesbians.


4. What materials do you incorporate into the survey? What do you want students to learn?
When I teach the U.S. History survey course, I emphasize citizenship skills related to the struggles of various minority groups for civil rights in the U.S. By using primary and secondary documents, I emphasize historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr. I want students to understand their efforts and achievements in order to be inquisitive, active citizens in America. I am hoping students will emulate such figures in order to fight injustices in our society today. I also emphasize the need to understand the plight of American Indians, African-Americans, Jews, and other minorities and to reduce racism and inequality in our society. I encourage my students to utilize the knowledge and the accessibility of various resources available today to want to make a difference, especially when compared to the obstacles faced by these historical figures. I have students analyze various types of propaganda and assess the validity of its uses politically, socially, and economically. By informing students of various ways to make a difference, I am hopeful that students will become active directly and indirectly by ensuring the accountability of our political leaders, becoming involved with interest groups, and being informed by the time they can exercise their right to vote.

I usually try to work collaboratively with the Language Arts Department, aligning my assignments with the literature they are using. But due to drastic changes of instructors, this can be challenging. Some of the primary documents I used are the U.S. Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address. I also use Time Life, “Voices of the Civil War” and excerpts from speeches such as Abraham Lincoln (1858) and Barbara Jordan. Some novels I encourage students to read or use for reference are Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Red Badge of Courage, The Underground Railroad, and Battle Cry of Freedom. I also use significant Supreme Court cases such as Dred Scott, Brown v. Board of Education, and Plessy v. Ferguson. I incorporate several books on Guam into the survey, including A Complete History of Guam by Paul Carano and Pedro G. Sanchez, The Organic Act of Guam in 1950, and Bisita Guam: A Special Place in the Sun by Ben Blaz.

I don’t think I teach history in a dramatically different way from the textbooks. What I do is provide supplemental readings to provide a broader representation of historical events, especially now that teachers are encouraged to be culturally sensitive to the diverse student population. I have seen positive changes in textbooks that now provide multiple perspectives of history. I utilize what is credible on the Internet such as the Time Life Books and Exploring Amistad: Race and the Boundaries of Slavery in Antebellum Maritime America.


5. How do you balance teaching the U.S. History survey with the unique local history of Guam?
First, I relate the historical background of U.S. history and the reasons for expansion beyond the mainland. Then I relate Guam’s significant role as a territory/possession in U.S. history, from the Spanish-American War in 1898 through occupation by Japan during World War II to its current political state. In the U.S. survey course textbook, there is very little mention of Guam other than its status as a U.S. territory. The book often does not even specify that Guam is an “unincorporated” territory under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior, although it usually mentions its acquisition during the Spanish-American War and its role in WWII.

Aside from the history books, students learn personal insights from their relatives who survived WWII. Guam residents have a profound sense of patriotism, especially during one the celebration of Liberation Day on July 21, of the most significant holidays on the island. Each year, Guam invites the local military veterans of WWII to serve as parade marshals and special guests.


6. How do your students study the relationship between Guam and the United States?
By first understanding U.S. history, students in Guam have a better foundation for understanding the cause and effects of events impacting their island. Since the island is still developing rapidly, students can relate to U.S. historical events by pursuing the interests of conservation of natural resources, reducing the various types of pollutants in the environment, and preserving their language and culture. Sometimes there is conflict. For example, my students do not quite comprehend their roles as U.S. citizens because they cannot vote for their President nor can their congressional representative vote in Congress. They do not fully comprehend the political status of the island in relation to the federal government or their citizen’s rights compared to their counterparts in the U.S. mainland. They begin to ask if they are only half-U.S. citizens.

It is no wonder that stateside Americans do not associate to the “other” fellow American citizens in the U.S. territories. Americans feel that we are not American citizens but “foreigners,” which attributes to the prejudice, racism, and misconceptions of political, economic, and social equalities when territorial U.S. citizens migrate and reside in the U.S. mainland.

It is challenging to teach our students that they are a part of this rich democratic heritage when they read textbooks and resources that reflect otherwise. They leave the survey course with questions about their true role and responsibilities as American citizens. Our textbook on the history of Guam supplements this with historical data on the plight of Chamorros politically, socially, and economically. I use a variety of resources, such as primary resources and novels, to supplement my teaching of U.S. history because of the cultural sensitivity of diverse learners. For example, the textbook Americans by McDougal Littel (Houghton Mifflin) adheres to such needs. It includes special features such as personal stories or journals of daily life which increase students' interest in history.

Students in Guam tend to feel overwhelmed by American popular culture. They demonstrate much pride, but they are often confused because they feel that life used to be simpler. They feel that there are advantages and disadvantages to technology and that so much diversity can create confusion and greed that affects them and their families. They feel that Americans have become so competitive and materialistic that they need to adhere to the basics such as conservation, preservation of the environment, and social values.

The military population has not changed the relationship with the U.S. The military base closures and reductions have affected the island economically more than politically. There are Department of Defense schools for each level (elementary, middle and high school) so the children of military personnel attend their own schools.

7. What are your most important goals in teaching the survey course? What do you most want students to take away from your U.S. survey course?

I feel the most important goals are the following: to provide historical knowledge and foundation; to give the opportunity for students to synthesize and analyze the causes and effects of historical events necessary for understanding current political, economic, and social issues; and to emphasize the responsibilities of citizenship. I want students to be able to appreciate the history of Guam and to be able to probe, analyze, and evaluate contemporary issues. I want them to become actively involved in the political and social life of Guam, to make a difference for our country.

I feel I am most effective in meeting the goals of the U.S. survey course by providing students opportunities to conduct research, engage in debates and role-playing, and participate in cooperative activities. For example, when I cover the U.S. Constitution, I have students work in cooperative groups. I divide the Constitution into sections and each group is responsible for understanding and explaining their piece. I provide some questions, but encourage them to pose questions on their own. For example, in reference to Article 4, I ask students if they think it is fair that a nonresident must pay a higher tuition at a state college than a resident of the state. In addition, students choose controversial issues that are relevant to specific constitutional amendments, such as gun control, school prayer, or the death penalty. Students have the option to support, eliminate, or change an amendment by researching and debating the issues.

I teach the Constitution for two to three weeks. First, I relate the historical background of the conflicts and compromises related to the development of the Constitution. Based on this information and their readings, I ask students to imagine or reflect on the unique personalities of the framers of the Constitution or to describe the Constitutional Convention. As I focus on the Preamble, students work in groups and prepare short dramatic or comical skits relating their understanding of the goals in the Preamble. Then we discuss the goals, purposes, and principles of the Preamble and the U.S Constitution. Students work in groups to identify sections of the Constitution that support each principle or goal and share their findings with the class. We also address significant Supreme Court cases and why there are so many cases questioning the constitutionality of various laws. Students then research and debate constitutional amendments before the class.

Finally, students develop their own constitution as a group defining their beliefs, values, and rights as students. Or students may analyze and evaluate the constitution of a school organization. Students present these to the class and post them for all to read. Overall, students enjoy the activities and gain meaningful understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

With these activities, students are stimulated and eager to discuss the issues of the Constitution. They come to class motivated and bring many questions as they prepare for their debates. They understand the complicated nature of these issues, especially with our complex and ever changing technology and society. They are amazed that such a historic and “living” document is flexible enough to adjust to the needs of our government and country, despite the drastic changes over the last two hundred years. Guam is currently debating our political status and developing a constitution for the island. So the students are curious, concerned, and more involved in the process because it relates to their current lives and the political status of the island. Yet the process also makes students more unsure of their role as U.S. citizens under the “unincorporated U.S. territory” status and their civil rights as residents of the island.


8. How does the Internet impact your classroom and your teaching of the U.S. History survey?
The Internet has positively impacted learning and instruction in my class. I find so many resources and activities that enhance the learning process of students and provide innovative teaching strategies. The Internet does have limitations, though, and teachers should think about the appropriateness of sites for relating history. I feel that instructors must be able to maintain a balance between using the Internet for activities and research and encouraging reading and traditional sources.

Guam does feel much closer to the U.S. because of the Internet. Our improved telecommunications system has made everything available “at our fingertips.” It also provides opportunities to cultivate our local history and language because residents on the mainland can stay in touch and learn what is occurring on the island.

9. What tips would you give to a new history teacher—particularly someone approaching the survey course?
I would suggest to new history teachers that they establish a teaching philosophy about how to best provide a broad based knowledge of history and best help students understand and appreciate history. Second, I would recommend that new teachers review the textbooks and identify additional resources to supplement. I would advise teaching the survey course thematically, identifying significant historic events. Finally, to try to make history “alive,” to share with students that studying history can be interesting, challenging, and most importantly “fun.”

Philosophy of Education

What is history? There are many definitions but I believe that the best and broadest definition of history is change over time. I believe that humans are the central focus of the study of history. I believe that students of history should learn how change happens and how humans bring it about. This includes changes both big and small, fast and slow, by large groups of people and by individuals etc.

The study of history is relevant and important for everyone to study. Some people may question the importance of learning history. But I believe that history is relevant to us today. We need to study history to understand present problems or conflicts around the world such as the ongoing conflicts between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the various ethnic groups in the Balkans, Kashmir, and the Tibetan struggle for independence from the Chinese. We can gain perspective on current events by studying history.

History is also important for us to gain an appreciation and understanding of our heritage as Americans and the Western Civilization from which it sprang. Students can also benefit from the study of other major civilizations and their achievements.

In an increasingly interconnected world having an understanding of the history of other major civilizations is important to help us better understand other cultures and peoples.

I believe that as humans we should be familiar with great human achievements of the past that have impacted the lives we live and contributed to human civilization in a significant way. It is important to have an adequate appreciation for and understanding of the benefits of the civilization that we enjoy.

I believe that history, geography and current events are all interconnected and that geography and current events are important to the study of history. Therefore I believe that an understanding of geography is necessary to an education in history. Students should be familiar with maps and know important countries and places that they are studying in their history class. A basic understanding of geography is necessary to understand history.

I also think that current problems around the world can be better understood when the history that brought them about is explained. In this way students get a deeper understanding of current events. Studying history enables you to have a deeper understanding of the news you read in the paper or hear on the evening news.

I believe that it is important to know the significance of dates, events, and people and how they have impacted history. Students forced to memorize names and dates get turned off by the study of history. Names and dates are not important but being able to state the significance of dates, events and people is.

History can be controversial and students should be aware of this. The same historical events are often subject to conflicting interpretations by different people.

American History

Thomas Dublin

Kathrine Kish Sklar

Melvin Dubovsky

Ottoman History

Donald Quatert

Rifat Abou-El Haj

East Asian History

Herbert Bix

Thomas Seldon

German History

Wulf Kanstiener

Sociology – World Systems Analysis

Immanuel Wallerstien

Africa – Political Science

A. Ali Mazrui
Books on Thailand

Reynolds, F.E. and M. Reynolds, trans. 1982. The Three Worlds According to King Ruang: A Thai Buddhist Cosmology. Berkeley, The Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies. Berkeley Buddhist Studies Series no. 4.

Tambiah, S. J. World Conqueror and World Renouncer: A Study of Buddhism and Polity in Thailand Against a Historical Background, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Thai Culture

Cooper, Robert and Nanthapa. Culture Shock! Thailand. Singapore: Times Editions, 1990.
Mulder, Niels. Inside Thai Society. Chiang Mai: Silkworm, 2000.
Segaller, Dennis. Thai Ways. Bangkok: Post Publishing, 1985.
Segaller, Dennis. More Thai Ways. Bangkok: Allied Newspapers, 1982.


As far as instruction is concerned, the instructor should try and encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and student should engage in an active dialog (i.e., socratic learning). The task of the instructor is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner's current state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned.
.Example:
This example is taken from Bruner (1973):
"The concept of prime numbers appears to be more readily grasped when the child, through construction, discovers that certain handfuls of beans cannot be laid out in completed rows and columns. Such quantities have either to be laid out in a single file or in an incomplete row-column design in which there is always one extra or one too few to fill the pattern. These patterns, the child learns, happen to be called prime. It is easy for the child to go from this step to the recognition that a multiple table , so called, is a record sheet of quantities in completed mutiple rows and columns. Here is factoring, multiplication and primes in a construction that can be visualized."
Principles:
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness).
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given).