Using Historical Empathy to Excite Students about the Study of History: Can You Empathize with Neville Chamberlain?

Foster, Stuart

doi:10.1080/00377999909602386

Cited by 82 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Students can now become actively engaged in the process of what it is, for example, that historians do. Much of the recent research in the social studies has emphasized the concept of historical thinking, which can be succinctly defined as understanding the process of historical inquiry--in Downloaded by [University of Auckland Library] at 15:40 04 December 2014 particular, analyzing and interpreting historical sources and drawing reasonable conclusions based on the evidence at hand (Barton & Levstik, 1996;Booth, 1993;Davis, Yeager & Foster, 2001;Foster, 1999;Foster, Hoge & Rosch, 1997;Levstik, 1997;Portal, 1987;VanSledright, 1995;Wineburg, 1999). In addition, much of the recent research has suggested that students of all ages are able to engage in some form of historical thinking (Ashby & Lee 1987;Barton, 1997;Barton & Levstik, 1996;Foster & Yeager, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Beginning Social Studies Teachers' Integration of Technology in the History Classroom

Doppen

2004

Theory & Research in Social Education

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This study examined the actual use of computer technology by four beginning social studies teachers in their history courses during their first year in the classroom. Specifically, it involved an assessment of their efforts to use computer technology to teach their students about historical thinking and historical inquiry, in particular the concepts of perspective taking and historical empathy. The findings suggest that the beliefs the beginning social studies teachers in this study brought to the classroom profoundly impacted their students' appreciation of history. During their induction into the profession, these teachers focused on professional concerns, including the lack of effective support for the successful integration of technology in their classroom. Regardless of the resources that were available, each teacher's sense of selfefficacy and their students' dispositions created unique personal responses to the challenges posed by their particular school's technology infrastructure and culture. These teachers also often had difficulty using computers to engage their students in historical inquiry, especially when they tried to help their students grasp the concepts of historical thinking and historical empathy. The experiences they had in their teacher preparation program profoundly impacted these teachers' beliefs about using technology in the classroom as well as their efforts to integrate technology into their curriculum. As they attempted to integrate technology into their curriculum, they developed their own pedagogical content knowledge about teaching with computers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Beginning Social Studies Teachers' Integration of Technology in the History Classroom

Doppen

2004

Theory & Research in Social Education

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“…That is, historical narrative helped foster historical empathy. Seen by many researchers as central in the learning process (Portal, 1987;Foster, 1999), historical empathy is defined as the ability to "project ourselves imaginatively into the historical situation and to use 'our mind's eye' to bring into play the standards of intuitive observation and judgment which we have developed in everyday life" (Portal, 1987, p. 90).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performing History: The Effects of a Dramatic Art-Based History Program on Student Achievement and Enjoyment

Otten

Stigler

Woodward

et al. 2004

Theory & Research in Social Education

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This study examines the influence of a dramatic art-based history program for fifth-grade students on both their learning and enjoyment of history. The program, called "Performing History," reflects theories of effective use of drama in the classroom as well as successful ways to teach history. The program presents historical information as part of a coherent story embedded in a musical drama that students rehearse and perform. Students who participated in the program in fifth grade were assessed on a test of history knowledge when they were in sixth grade and compared to a control group that had not had access to the program. The sixth graders also were asked to rate how much they enjoy history. Results indicate that students who participated in the program showed higher levels of history knowledge and enjoyment of history than those in the control group, controlling for prior scores on standardized achievement tests. The effect on knowledge was partially mediated by level of enjoyment of history, which also predicted later scholastic achievement in history. The study suggests that dramatic art-based instruction improves historical knowledge, and that success may be attributed in part to an increase in student enjoyment.

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“…They describe this concept as a process which has four complementary phases: the introductio n of a historical event which forces a reaction, an awareness of the connection between context and chronology, an analysis of multiple perspectives, and the creation of a narrative framework through which historical conclusions are reached. Recent studies focusing on historical empathy (Downey, 1995;Foster, 1999;Yeager et al, 1998;Doppen, 2000) have used this approach to assess historical understanding . Even though these studies ranged from elementary school to high school, each found that students could go beyond mere imagination to reach meaningful conclusions.…”

Section: Historical Understanding and Empathymentioning

confidence: 98%

Eighth Graders' Impressions of the Civil War: using technology in the history classroom

Lipscomb¹

2002

Education, Communication & Information

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While many educators have praised the growth of technology in the history classroom, there is still contradictor y evidence as to its ability to help strengthen students' historical understanding . One of the most dif cult components of historical understandin g for young people to achieve is historical empathy. For this study, conception of empathy as a four step process helped provide a lens by which to view students' impressions of the Civil War. This study attempted to determine if technology , particularly through the use of an activity known as the WebQuest, could lead students to a strong level of historical understanding . Two classes of eighth grade students completed the WebQuest 'Civil War Personal Journal,' and took on various roles of people living during this con ict. Students worked cooperatively to complete journals before, during, and after the Civil War. Despite student appreciation of the WebQuest structure in the classroom and a general positive attitude toward the technology used, results show a wide range of comprehension and understandin g of the assigned roles. This article presents four categories to illustrat e different types of historical understandin g and offers reasons why some students were not able to achieve the levels of empathy desired by the WebQuest. Suggestion s for improving historical understandin g with technology in the classroom are also proposed.

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Using Historical Empathy to Excite Students about the Study of History: Can You Empathize with Neville Chamberlain?

Cited by 82 publications

References 2 publications

Beginning Social Studies Teachers' Integration of Technology in the History Classroom

Beginning Social Studies Teachers' Integration of Technology in the History Classroom

Performing History: The Effects of a Dramatic Art-Based History Program on Student Achievement and Enjoyment

Eighth Graders' Impressions of the Civil War: using technology in the history classroom

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