Europa Universalis IV and Deep Learning: Historical Accuracy, Counterfactuals and Historical Themes

This article examines issues encountered with Europa Universalis IV (EUIV) in terms of teaching history in adult learning. The article identifies the educational limitations of the game, as well as the types of history that can be learnt from it. The data collected from participant responses is examined in terms of an ongoing concern regarding the balancing of historical accuracy and gameplay in EUIV. In this discussion about balance, participants raise common concerns about the historical abstraction, historical misinformation and counterfactual elements within EUIV. Nonetheless, the article argues that despite these ahistorical elements, EUIV can still potentially portray many of history’s larger trends and influences. Given the portrayal of these trends in-game, the article examines the pedagogical utility of the game in terms of narrative engagements with history and the promotion of deeper forms of learning.

The Purposes of History Education in the Context of “Flourishing Life”, “Powerful Knowledge” and Political Reconciliation

Stretching beyond its theoretical field, the debates about the purposes of history education are of great importance to curriculum writers and classroom practitioners. The content selection from a broad field of history is connected to what educators deem an overarching purpose of education. With this in mind, this paper aims to examine the purposes of teaching history against the background of the two general theories of education, namely – the theories of a flourishing life and powerful knowledge. While the theory of a flourishing life encourages the development of personal autonomy, allowing individuals to make successful choices, the theory of powerful knowledge examines the importance of traditional academic knowledge for individual success. The paper will also use the context of post-conflict societies, to reflect on the question of possible purposes of history education.

The Challenges and Benefits of Discussion Method of Teaching History Lesson at Teachers’ Training Colleges: Injibara College of Teachers Education in Focus

The study was conducted based on primary and secondary sources of data. To achieve the objectives of the study, I used qualitative research methods. The techniques employed in the study were Semi-structured Interviews, Observations, Focus Group Discussions, and Document Analysis. The researcher has also consulted written materials such as books, articles, reports, research papers, and related researches in order to fill historical gaps. The findings indicated that although many instructors and students have positive attitudes towards the benefits of learning history through the discussion method, there are some teachers and students interested in teaching and learning through the lecture method

Modern Methods of Teaching History for School-age Children

This article discusses modern methods and techniques of teaching history in the school education system. It is known that after independence, our country has undergone radical reforms in various fields, including education. Textbooks have changed. However, a number of problems in history textbooks, extreme political approaches, lack of consistency, complex processes, and a plethora of terms have caused difficulties for schoolchildren. The solution to such problematic situations is analyzed in this article.

O ENSINO DA HISTÓRIA E DA GEOGRAFIA:

O ensino dos estudos sociais nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental é a temática deste artigo. Por que ensinamos estudos sociais, história e geografia, nos anos iniciais da educação básica da forma como ensinamos? Que fundamentos psicológicos e pedagógicos dão lastro à tradição curricular de ensino dos estudos sociais (história e geografia) dispostos em círculos concêntricos? O objetivo é fustigar a tradição consolidada em torno da forma como ensinamos os conhecimentos dos estudos sociais nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental da educação básica. Apesar da reflexão se originar de constatações do mundo prático, trata-se de um ensaio teórico. A linguagem é o horizonte de onde abordamos o objeto. Trata-se de dizer e interpretar o mundo e as coisas, dialogando com as diferentes tradições epistemológicas, contudo demarcando um olhar crítico e reflexivo sobre a problemática. Após uma breve apresentação das questões epistemológicas implicadas nos círculos concêntricos, a reflexão que segue se estrutura em dois movimentos: o primeiro discute a concepção naturalista de desenvolvimento psicológico humano da modernidade a partir do pensamento de Comenius e o segundo reflete sobre as implicações pedagógicas dessa concepção de desenvolvimento para a educação. Palavras-chave Estudos sociais, Círculos concêntricos, Fundamentos psicológicos e pedagógicos. TEACHING HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: psychological and pedagogical assumptions of concentric circles Abstract The teaching of social studies in the initial years of elementary education is the theme of this article. Why do we choose certain ways of teaching social studies, history and geography in the early years of basic education? What psychological and pedagogical foundations give weight to the curricular tradition of teaching social studies (history and geography) arranged in concentric circles? The aim of this essay is to question the consolidated tradition concerning the way we teach social studies in the initial years of elementary education. Although this discussion comes from the findings of the practical world, it is a theoretical reflection. The language is the horizon from which we approach the object. It is about telling and interpreting the world and things, dialoguing with different epistemological traditions, however demarcating a critical and reflective view on the problem. After a brief presentation of the epistemological issues involved in the concentric circles, the reflection that follows is structured in two movements: the first one discusses the naturalistic conception of human psychological development of modernity, according to Comenius’ ideas; and the second one reflects on the pedagogical implications of such conception for educational development. Keywords Social studies, Concentric circles, Psychological and pedagogical foundations.

Multiperspectivity in lesson designs of history teachers: The role of schoolbook texts in the design of multiperspective history lessons

Textbook narratives of a nation’s past often present a limited frame of reference, which impedes the aim of teaching history from multiple perspectives. This study aims to explore the use of multiperspectivity in teachers’ lesson designs for 10th grade students based upon a text that includes multiple perspectives (HP) (N=8) compared to a text that hardly includes multiperspectivity (LP) (N=10). The lesson designs were analyzed on multiperspectivity regarding aims, instruction, materials and learning activities, and also on actors, elements of scale, dimensions, historians interpretations and students’ perspectives. We found that different dimensions (for example, political, economic) were more often incorporated in the lesson designs based upon text HP, but that students’ perspectives were more often included in the designs based upon text LP. Only one fifth of the lesson designs reflected a high overall level of multiperspectivity. Nevertheless, text HP generated more multiperspectivity with respect to aims and instruction, dimensions, scale and historiography than text LP. Interviews with the teachers showed that the interpretation of the exam program – either a focus on learning historical reasoning or acquiring a chronological overview of knowledge – seemed decisive in the design of the lessons. This study calls for careful incorporating multiperspectivity in textbook by authors, and in their lessons by teachers who seek to do justice to multiple perspectives.