Philosophical Foundations

• Students are exposed to a variety of philosophies of teaching history
• Create the basis for an evolving vision for themselves

Curriculum

• Students are introduced to the social studies, history, civics, politics and law curricula

Resources

• Students are introduced to  and do a critical analysis of various resources
• Textbooks
• Unit Plans and Course Profiles
• Internet Websites – Teacher Resources

Conceptual Understanding

• Students are introduced to theories of teaching for conceptual understanding
• Students are introduced to the “Big Understanding” aka essential learning
• Students work with various strategies for introducing, developing and using concepts in their classes

Historical Thinking

• Students are introduced to important concepts in teaching for historical thinking:
• Historical significance
• Evidence
• Continuity and Change
• Cause and Consequence
• Historical Perspective
• Moral Judgment

Critical Thinking

• Students are introduced to various theories of critical thinking
• Integrating into the curriculum and classroom
• An Ethic of Critical Thinking
• Taking Seriously the Teaching of Critical Thinking: Critical Challenges

Integration

• Students learn to effectively integrate the following into their lessons:
• Artifacts
• Historical Maps
• Painting and Sculpture
• Photographs
• Literature
• Poetry
• Film and Television
• Music
• Architecture, Interior & Landscape Design
• Community sites (e.g., museums, cemeteries, etc.)
• Other forms of media

Related Curricula

• Students are introduced to the following from Social Sciences & Humanities
• Anthropology
• Philosophy
• Sociology
• World Religions