(Un)covering
the past:
Engaging Canadian students in
virtual history
Dr. Stéphane Levesque, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
J.G. Althouse Faculty of Education
University of Western Ontario
London ON
N6G 1G7
slevesqu@uwo.ca
The computer is the educational technology of the 21st century. The
challenge for history and social studies educators is to make
constructive and meaningful use of it in the classroom. This bilingual
paper discusses the benefits of “uncovering” the past – as opposed to
“covering” historical content – using computed-assisted technologies
that engage students in web-based inquiry. The focus is put on four (4)
key developments that can enhance successful virtual learning in
history/social science education: (1) the liberalization of access to
and use of knowledge, (2) the increase of digital archival activities,
(3) the convivial and communicative nature of web technologies, and (4)
the active learning and doing of digital history. Examples from a
bilingual, online educational software, the Virtual Historian
(www.virtualhistorian.ca), will be presented.
Methodology for this paper is informed by principles of action research
(Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2000). It is based on personal and
professional self-reflective inquiry into history and social studies
learning in Canada as found in previous works and studies in the field.
It offers a practical solution to the current technological
difficulties in school in light of past and current developments in
history/social science learning, and presents some preliminary findings
from high school participants (Virtual Historian users) in the pilot
phase of the program development.
Biography
Dr. Lévesque is assistant professor of history education at the
J.G. Althouse Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario. His
research focuses on students’ historical thinking, Canadian history,
and virtual reality. He has published several book chapters and
articles in journals such as Canadian Social Studies, Theory and
Research in Social Education, and Encounters on Education/ Encuentros
Sobre Educacion/Rencontre sur l’Éducation. Dr. Lévesque
is co-editor of the Canadian and international journal Historical
Studies in Education/Revue d’histoire de l’éducation. He is
co-president of the Teaching History SIG of the American Educational
Research Association and a board member of the Historica Foundation. He
is also the chair of the Historica Teachers’ Institute for Canadian
History. He is the author on the forthcoming book Thinking
Historically: Educating Students for the 21st Century (University of
Toronto Press).
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