Review

Textbooks, Readers, and References

Within such diverse contexts as the scholarship of teaching, the demands of the marketplace for vocational skills, a politicized history curriculum, and thirty years of social history that has enlivened the study of history, comes a pragmatic book from Great Britain which brings the teaching of history up to date. The Practice of University History Teaching is an evenhanded collection of eighteen short, readable, and sensible articles prepared by some of our reflective British colleagues. The articles are divided into three distinct sections. Section One, "Context and Course Design" unabashedly challenges us to examine the purpose and place of history education today. It mindfully examines the pedagogical shift from teaching history as a "received subject" toward making student learning an active process. The second of these articles, by editor Alan Booth, captures from student interviews what they value in the teaching of history. Not surprisingly, students value creative strategies and structures which encourage student involvement, and present a range of methods, activities, and discussion. The definition of teaching that emerges from this six-article section is one less rooted in subject matter and more involved in mastery of conditions in which effective learning can thrive. The outcomes of history education, oral presentation, analysis of information, responsible citizenry, the ability to understand change and complexity, are embedded in a good history curriculum and can be developed in the classroom by a range of conscious and thoughtful practices. This section ends appropriately with two articles on electronic resources. The potential this medium has to enrich teaching and student learning is dramatic, especially in the field of history where the digitalized archive, the electronic library, and the virtual museum can break down barriers of time, space, and locality.	1
The second section, "Enhancing Teaching and Learning" is a collection of six articles with very practical suggestions which promote "the habits of mind and heart involved in the study of history." This section includes portable and easily adaptable ideas for all class settings, all levels of teaching, and a wide range of subjects. Especially useful are the reminders of the value of oral history projects and site visits, two often overlooked activities which merge theory with practice, and remind us that the best way of learning history is by doing history.	2
Section Three, "Learning and Assessment" may be the least interesting section to read, but surely is important. As one of the five articles suggests, "if you wish to alter the ways students learn, alter the ways they are assessed." One article recommends a re-examination of one of the mainstays of the history profession—the essay. Two other articles argue for assessments that are more broad, including oral skills and group work as well as exams and essays. Another article argues for developmental assessment rather than the usual, red-penned, corrective prescriptions. In sum, the articles ask for assessments to examine the processes as well as the products of learning.	3
Even if you have been an active innovator for thirty years, you will come away from the book with a new idea. This collection is based on research done at a variety of university sites throughout Great Britain with feedback from students, faculty, and department chairs. An excellent select bibliography accompanies the collection. If used like the motivational activity in a good lesson plan, the text would present a useful challenge to most history departments. This reviewer recommends it be used to stimulate experienced teachers and socialize new ones.	4
SUNY Empire State College   Barbara Kantz

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