Opening the Mind or Drawing Boundaries?: History Texts in Nordic Schools (Eckert. Die Schriftenreihe) - Softcover

Helgason, Thorsteinn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3899714822 ISBN 13: 9783899714821

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2010

Synopsis

History texts studied by students in schools are an important field for drawing boundaries between nations, beliefs, ethnic groups and countries, sometimes causing disputes and protests. Even in the democratic and peaceful Nordic countries, history texts carry a message of authorized content knowledge and situated values. At the same time, they are meant to foster the critical mind, a skillfull eye and a tolerant spirit. In this volume, scholars from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden explore the question of Us and the Others in Nordic textbooks and educational media and focus on teachers' opinions and use of history texts, partly based on a survey among Nordic history teachers in elementary and secondary schools. The questions dealt with are of national identity and multiculturalism, sameness and difference, content and pedagogy, skills and values, goals of history education and teachers' situations. The scholars and teachers compare the educational and societal aims with the actual teaching materials at hand. The potentialities and limitations of textbooks and other educational media are investigated and discussed.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 3899714822
• ISBN 13: 9783899714821
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 283
• Editor: Thorsteinn Helgason, Simone Lassig