Learning Domains of
History
Secondary Education - High School
Damian Liljegren (EDC 275)
High School History
Learning Domains
Content
Insight
Accuracy
Relevancy
Themes
(Chapin, 2015, p. 204)
Content
Details and facts of past experiences/events by people/
cultures/civilizations throughout history
Important dates, inventions, breakthroughs, philosophies,
religious beliefs, cultural values, etc.
“History is more than just politics, wars, and rulers!”
(Chapin, 2015, p. 186)
You have to know history in order to teach it!
Find ways to help students relate history to the present
Learning history through studying and analyzing
timetables, primary sources/documents, maps, Venn
diagrams, etc.
Insight
Historical understanding, interpretations and
perspectives, critical-thinking and reasoning skills
Consider race, gender, cultures, and global perspectives
when teaching history
Avoid ethnocentrism and provide multiple views!
“Make observations and inferences beyond obvious
facts” (Chapin, 2015, p. 204) - think and try to
understand from multiple perspectives
When teaching history, continually encourage students
to critically think, analyze, and support their conclusion
Socratic Method - inquiry and discussion between
individuals based on asking and answering questions to
stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas
Accuracy
Are you teaching the accurate content?
Primary and secondary sources are great teaching tools
Just because it’s found on an Internet source does NOT
make it accurate!
Historicity - the factual status of a claim about persons
or events in the past (historical authenticity)
Be sure to use reliable sources for research and double
check content - and have your students do the same
when conducting their own research
Short video clips are good to pique the interests of
students or trigger discussions on topics/events
Relevancy
Make meaningful connections between the past and
present
What can we deduce and learn from a certain historical
event/lesson?
Historiography - Simply put, it’s the history of history
(what people have written or said about a piece of
history)
Themes
History - study of past events
Geography - study of physical features of the earth
Economics - study of making choices
Government - study of how people/societies govern
and run a country/territory
Themes
Some other themes include:
Culture - expressions through language, art, literature,
philosophy, music, dance, theater, etc.
Diversity - relationships among different groups and
roles of race, class, ethnicity, and gender
Environment - population growth, consumption and
conservation of resources, industrialization, pollution,
etc.
Globalization - interaction and engagement between
different countries/territories around the region/world
Politics and Citizenship - how citizenship is defined,
struggles for rights, and development/evolution of
governmental system
Reform - diverse changes focusing on many issues
(education, government, social issues and civil rights,
etc.)
Religion - the variety of religious beliefs and practices
within regions/territories/countries
War and diplomacy - armed conflict and foreign policy
When teaching, leave your opinions at the door!!! Let
students learn, synthesize, and THINK for themselves
Reference
Chapin, J. R. (2015). A practical guide to middle and secondary social studies.
Boston: Pearson Education Inc. Upper Saddle River NJ.
