High School History Recap

In this episode we explore Civic Online Reasoning in more depth. We are joined by Dr Joel Breakstone of the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). This is in an effort to effectively fight misinformation. 

• Why is it called Civic Online Reasoning?
• What does Civic Online Reasoning have to do with history?
• How does source analysis and source evaluation relate to Civic Online Reasoning?
• What does expertise look like in terms of evaluating online sources?
• Is misinformation a new thing?
• How does misinformation differ from disinformation?
• How do we ensure that our students access online sources more effectively?
• Are there skills/tools in place to fight misinformation?
• What exactly is lateral reading?
• How reliable is Wikipedia?
• How do we interrogate claims?
• Which lessons form part of the Civic Online Reasoning curriculum?
• What about the challenge of confirmation bias?
• Should we be more skeptical?
• The importance of finding corroborative evidence
• The importance of peer-reviewed studies

Visit the Civic Online Reasoning website for some great sources to use in the history classroom. Also follow the twitter handle @CivicOnline. Joel's twitter handle is @joelbreakstone.

Please send us feedback on twitter @WilliamHPalk or @C_duPlessis. If you like what we do, please consider rating and supporting the show.

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We are super excited about this new jingle! It was written and performed specifically for our show by Alwyn Bekker. When it comes to acoustic guitar chops, his guy is the real deal! It's like he has fifty fingers!
I recommend you guys go and check out his band, Bad Peter, as well. Our favourite song is definitely "On This River".

I hope you guys enjoy it! And thanks again, Alwyn!

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Taylor Downing joins us again for another discussion - this time about his newest work entitled 1942: Britain at the Brink. The book and this discussion delves into the fateful year of 1942 when British morale reached a new low - military defeats abroad saw the British public lose faith in their leadership and it seemed as though wartime prime minister Winston Churchill was facing his darkest hour. Well, let me not spoil it here...let historian, writer and broadcaster, Taylor Downing tell you all about it!

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In this episode Prof Peter N Stearns of the George Mason University provides an overview of the Industrial Revolution. The 5th edition of Peter's book, The Industrial Revolution in World History, was published in 2021.

This is what we've discussed:

•  How does the perspective of a world historian differ from that of an economic historian?
• Why is the Industrial Revolution considered the single most important development in human history over the past three centuries? Why should we study the Industrial Revolution?
• How should we understand the word "Revolution" as it relates to the Industrial Revolution?
• Was the Scientific Revolution a necessary precondition or precursor for the Industrial Revolution?
• Are we in the midst of a Fourth Industrial Revolution?
• When and where did the Industrial Revolution start and what were some of the big moments in the story of the Industrial Revolution?
• Why did the Industrial Revolution start in 18th century Britain?
• Is the Industrial Revolution a Western phenomenon?
• What was the social impact of the Industrial Revolution?
• Did industrialization outside of the West proceed along different paths?
• What is the link between industrialization and globalization?
• Did the Industrial Revolution make the world a better place?
• Can industrialization be more sustainable?
• What are the fascinating facets of the Industrial Revolution?
• How did the Industrial Revolution affect schooling?
• Peter's advice on teaching the Industrial Revolution.

You can email Prof Peter Stearns at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @StearnsPeter.

Reach out to us @WilliamHPalk or @C_duPlessis. If you like what we do, consider buying us a coffee by following the link below.

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In the third part of the series, Dr Dooling tells us about the various ways in which the people of South Africa resisted the oppressive Apartheid regime.  Dr Dooling delves into the different political currents in 20th century South Africa, touching on organisations such as the the ICU, the ANC, the PAC as well as the various affiliated organisations such as the ANC Youth League, MK and Poqo. We also discuss a few of the pivotal events in South African resistance history such as the Defiance Campaign, the Congress of the People and the Freedom Charter, the Women's March and of course the tragedy at Sharpeville. 

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

What we discuss:

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

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

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

If you like what we do, please consider buying us a coffee at the support link below.

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About a month ago, the University of Pretoria celebrated the life of Chief Albert Luthuli. At these celebrations, Prof Benda Hofmeyr gave a presentation on the philosophical legacy of Albert Luthuli with specific emphasis on his charismatic leadership style.

What we discuss:

• Why did a philosophy professor take an interest in leadership styles and specifically Albert Luthuli?
• How does a philosophical approach to studying leadership differ from the historical approach?
• What is meant with a charismatic leadership style?
• Why did you base your interpretation of charismatic leadership on the writings of Max Weber?
• How did Luthuli balance his authority over others with his ability to charm them?
• Is charisma a personality trait or quality or something we see in the actions of a leader?
• Would stability not be a better leadership quality than charm?
• Did apartheid South Africa and the ANC foster Luthuli's charismatic leadership style?
• Are some people just naturally more charismatic than others?
• How do we identify a leader as charismatic rather than just merely effective?
• Why does charismatic leadership emerge in the setting of a movement for change?
• Is charismatic leadership something of the past?
• Did Albert Luthuli have a specific brand of charisma?
• What is the legacy of Albert Luthuli's charismatic leadership style?
• How close does the charismatic leader come to the idea of the philosopher king?

If you want to read more of Benda's work, visit here website here.

Find us on Twitter @WilliamHPalk or @C_duPlessis.

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Join our history geek-out session with Kevin Manzel. Kevin is the senior director of content development at Wondrium. Colin and I are both big fans of Wondrium's history courses and use them as resources in our history classrooms.

We cover the following:

• What is a history geek-out session?
• How does Wondrium connect disparate topics?
• What is Wondrium and how did it develop over time?
• What are some of the history courses on Wondrium?
• How does Wondrium decide which courses to develop?
• How does Wondrium ensure the quality and authority of its courses? 
• How can Wondrium benefit the history teacher?
• An example of how to integrate Wondrium lectures into lessons
• How does Wondrium help push for different perspectives?
• Why is Wondrium the perfect tool for professional development?
• How does  the guidebook supplement a Wondrium course?
• How does Wondrium keep abreast with the latest research?
• What are the Wondrium learning paths?
• We share our favourite courses
• Are there Wondrium courses on South African history? (Watch this space!)
• Learn more about Wondrium slogan "nothing about us without us"
• What can Wondrium subscribers look forward to in 2022?
• Hasan Jeffries' upcoming course on Wondrium

We hope to make this a regular feature and bring you all the latest updates on Wondrium's history courses.

Find Kevin Manzel on twitter or visit the Wondrium website for more info.

Colin and William are available on twitter for any questions or suggestions or collaborations.

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William talks to the learning expert, Donald Clark, about the history of learning theory and about the best way to teach and learn history.

Questions covered:

• Where does Donald’s interest in history come from?
• How has the way in which we learn changed over time?
• Why is the invention of writing the “Big Bang” moment of collective learning?
• Why is the invention of binary or computer language such an important moment in the development of learning?
• Is collective learning our unique trait?
• How did technology enable collective learning?
• Who are the experts in the field of learning?
• Does AI or machine learning give us any insight into human learning?
• Would it be possible to have Wikipedia in our heads?
• Who are the people who have changed our perceptions of learning?
• What are the major strands in learning theory?
• Have we arrived at a more scientific approach to understanding learning?
• What is the connection between learning and teaching?
• To what extent can the teacher be held responsible for the student's learning?
• Does critical thinking hold up as an abstract concept?
• How should we teach history if learning theories are incorporated?
• Why is it important to make history teaching more concrete?
• How should history teachers think about online learning design?
• Why should we let go of Bloom’s taxonomy?
• Donald’s advice to learn more effectively...

You might want to read up on the following people: James Hutton, David C Geary, Daniel Kahneman, James Mark Baldwin, Tommy Flowers, Robin Dunbar, Douglas Engelbart, Clay Shirky, Donald Hebb, Herman Ebbinghaus, Edward Tolman, Albert Bandura, Henry Roediger, Jeffrey D Karpicke, Robert A Bjork, Barak Rosenshine, Robert Marzano, John Hattie, Paul Black and Dylan William.

Or just visit Donald's blog here. He is also on twitter @DonaldClark

Please let us know what you thought about this episode at [email protected] or find us on twitter: William and Colin.

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In the second episode of the Apartheid Series we transition from the policies of Segregation in South Africa towards the implementation of Apartheid. In this episode Dr Dooling discusses some of the motivations behind the National Party's choice to put such a rigid system of racial segregation and separation in place. Topics such as Afrikaner Nationalism takes center stage as we look at why and how the NP won the 1948 elections. Some of the Apartheid laws are discussed and we look at how these laws affected the every day lives of South Africans, which will then lead us to our next episode - Resistance against Apartheid. Enjoy!

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