This edited book explores conceptual as well as empirical approaches to epistemic beliefs that teachers of history might hold. In many parts of the world, history teachers are tasked with both upholding historical national myths and at the same time giving students the tools needed to deconstruct history and think critically. This ambiguity embedded in the combination of reconstruction and deconstruction is a difficult landscape for teachers to navigate. The chapters of this book therefore explore how teachers reason regarding the epistemic nature of history and how this impacts their teaching, interpretation of curricula and relationship to their students. Contributions consider the implications for prospective history teachers and in-service training, challenges to the field and point to ways forward. The book will be of interest to academics and students of history education, as well as practising teachers and museum curators.
This is an open access book.
1: Introduction: The epistemology of history and the realities of
teaching.- 2: Epistemic fluency and the pedagogical challenge of fake news,
historical denial, and rival histories.- 3: Elementary schoolteachers
perspectives on history 19201946.- 4: The epistemic consideration of post
graduate certificate in education (PGCE) history students: A South African
case study.- 5: Both sides of the Story: the epistemic nature of historical
knowledge as understood by pre-service history teachers in a South African
university.- 6: The meaning of multi-ethnic classroom contexts in light of
history teachers differing epistemic expressions.- 7: Mapping teachers
epistemic beliefs in collegial planning.- 8: I never thought about history
this way: the development of elementary teachers beliefs about history and
how a professional learning community can influence these.- 9: Going beyond
the scoring grid: how the topic of assessment can promote reflection on
epistemic beliefs and agency in history education.- 10: Examining the
relative importance of history teachers epistemological beliefs in shaping
their instructional practices.- 11: Searching for metaphors: exploring
teacher candidates epistemological frames.- 12: Epistemological issues in
teaching global history.- 13: Why does epistemology matter? A personal
journey.- 14: Why an integrated approach matters: searching for a way to
understand the formation of prospective history teachers epistemological
beliefs.- 15: Adopting Maggionis BHQ into Turkish culture and assessing its
validity and reliability.- 16: Exploring Taiwanese history teachers
epistemic beliefs about history.- 17: Epistemic cognition triangulated: What
can we learn about the theory of epistemic beliefs in history from
reassessment of its measurement?- 18: Why are they inconsistent? Discussing
Norwegian history student teachers understanding of the Beliefs about
Learning and Teaching History Questionnaire through cognitive interviewing.-
19: From the ideal-type historian and its associated conceptions of teaching
history to a more embodied and practical life approach.
Henrik Åström Elmersjö is Associate Professor of History and Education in the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Umeå University, Sweden.
Paul Zanazanian is Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University, Canada.
