Historic battles - history vs social studies - Who interprets?***At the same time, educators of all stripes worry that history textbooks have been "glitzed up and dumbed down," says Priscilla Linden, who teaches social-studies education at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. "All the effort has been to get kids' attention. Now it's gone to the other extreme - you can't find the message."
Textbook publishers have tried to draw students in with anecdotes and asides, which makes it harder to find the substance. Even more startling, educators say, is that sometimes a classroom teacher has to consult another textbook or source to get the full story of an event.
Most troubling to historians like Fitzhugh is the notion that children are interested only in things that speak to their own experience. ***
Well, I should hope so! I'd be more than pleased to have my kids' teachers doing research outside the text.