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.