This article describes public records request assignments in courses in political science and in Asian American Studies. Beyond commonly known activities like voting, volunteering, signing petitions or peacefully protesting, students should gain experience in exercising their rights to an expansive set of government records that fall within the…

Through a collaboration between a professor in academia and an industry professional, entry-level food science students were given the opportunity to critically evaluate the safety of energy drinks. This evaluation occurred through a General Education (Category A3) course designated "Critical Thinking" at California State University --…

This article describes a 6-week module course called Just Google It! that the author developed and teaches each fall semester. Students who take the course explore personal data collection by private companies, search algorithms, identify implicit bias in the results, and learn the best recommended privacy and security practices. At the end of the…

According to John Adams, the real American Revolution occurred "in the minds and hearts of the people" long before the armed conflict ever began. This shared anti-British sentiment in prewar colonial America was largely fostered by committees of correspondence. Formed a decade before the revolution, the committees were the first…

Wilder Research supported the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Hub Team in planning the future HUB Model with data collection and interpretation. This report provides demographic data for Cook County children and families, a list of programs available for families, families' awareness of programs and challenges accessing them, and family needs and…

Evaluating the credibility of online information, a key component of digital literacy, is challenging for secondary students because they often rely on superficial strategies that do little to help them differentiate between information and disinformation. For example, our research has shown that students are prone to believe sites that appear…

UNESCO identifies unique places in the World, whether natural or man-made, of universally outstanding value or cultural significance as World Heritage. These places are considered heritage of all mankind, rather than just heritage of a particular area, country, or region. Such sites can be rich sources of information not only for the people of the…

This article is a reflection on how we can show students that the science we learn at school is present in our everyday lives and that we shouldn't separate them. It is essential that we revise the way we plan lessons and include links that are not obvious to young people in order to develop their ability to research, understand and enjoy science.…

Sam Pullan explains how a chance encounter has helped him to improve his introduction to the modern themes and founding documents of US politics. Working with a professional historian whom he met, by chance, over dinner, he was able to produce lessons at the cutting edge of subject knowledge to grab the attention of his Year 11 pupils. This…

In the United States, political polarization has increased markedly since 2000, with consequences for local governments and state-level policymaking. Redistricting, and the role of social media as the dominant source of information for many in the U.S. has contributed to state and national legislatures that reflect more extreme political views. A…

As colleges seek to respond to campus sexual assault, administrators are making policies, programs, and resources related to sexual violence available to students and members of the school community online. Keeping this content current and accessible can be challenging in the context of rapidly changing information and competing priorities across…

Students are taught about the foundations of inquiry--questions, tasks, and sources--and how to build inquiry-based curriculum and instructional strategies for social studies. They begin their student teaching experiences knowing the difference between a compelling and supporting question, the role of a formative and summative performance task,…

Frustrated by the generic statements that her Year 12 students were making about sources, Jacqueline Vyrnwy-Pierce resolved to undertake a research project into how her students were approaching sources about the French Revolution. Fascinated by the research of American educational psychologist Sam Wineburg, Vyrnwy-Pierce decided to use Wineburg's…

A 2018 study conducted by the independent, non-profit organization The Commission on Fake News and The Teaching of Critical Literacy Skills reported that only 2% of children have the literacy skills they need to determine if a news story is real or fake. Over 50% of the teachers in the study believe that current curriculum does not equip children…

As society continues to confront the implications of fake news and misinformation for American democracy, particularly the effects on public institutions, it is natural to turn to examples from the past. Digital libraries and archives provide students with unprecedented access to media from the past. Digital history includes the raw materials of…