Teaching What Really Happened: How to Avoid the Tyranny of Textbooks and Get Students Excited About Doing History (Multicultural Education Series) (Multicultural Education (Paper)) |  | Author: James W. Loewen
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
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Rating:  2 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 264
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0807749915
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780807749913
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Product Description
In this follow-up to his landmark bestseller, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, James Loewen continues to break silences and change our perspectives on U.S. history. Loewen takes history textbooks to task for their perpetuations of myth and their lack of awareness of today's multicultural student audience (not to mention the astonishing number of facts they just got plain wrong).
How did people get here? Why did Europe win? Why Did the South Secede? In Teaching What Really Happened, Loewen goes beyond the usual textbook-dominated viewpoints to illuminate a wealth of intriguing, often hidden facts about America's past. Calling for a new way to teach history, this book will help teachers move beyond traditional textbooks to tackle difficult but important topics like conflicts with Native Americans, slavery, and race relations. Throughout, Loewen shows time and again how teaching what really happened connects better with all kinds of students to get them excited about history.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Must read for all new teachers December 6, 2009
Ann M. Clark (Hallowell, Maine)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Loewen proves again why traditional tesxtbook publishers hate him so much. His insights into the problems of teaching history are spot on. Reliance on a textbook is relying on a very limited and deficient weapon. The key is that a real teacher of history needs to be constantly reading, articles, books, editorials, et al, to provide their students with a true history education. History is the easiest subject to teach badly and the hardest subject to teach well. Take the time and do it well.
Kevin Clark
 AVOID AT ALL COSTS February 6, 2010
Fun Life
2 out of 14 found this review helpful
Do NOT read this book!
On page 22 the following is stated:
"a teacher did not understand the importance of the controversy about the national bank..." the teacher asks "Do I have to teach it?" The answer the author responds with is "No. Indeed, she should not teach it, precisely because she does not understand its importance..." and "She does not know what she wants students to do with the information - and for the record, neither do I".
The author concludes that teachers should teach what they understand and teachers who do not understand something should not teach it! What a disastrous concept!
The author spends most of the book talking how to teach, of all things, slavery! He has no concept of the role money plays as a, if not THE, central theme of the history of our country, nor a desire to learn!
The fact that the author's bestselling books and workshops seem to be popular with teachers is, in my opinion, a clear indictment of the competency of teachers in this subject area.
Teaching is all about forming the opinions and future decisions of students. Parents who do not want their children to be indoctrinated by teachers need to know what their students are being taught in high school and college.
This book, part of the Multicultural Education Series, advocates an agenda that has little to do with improving student's understanding of our history. The author appears to be an expert in race relations but certainly not an expert in teaching American History!
I purchased this book expecting a cogent explanation of how to teach "what really happened". I have seldom, if ever, been so disappointed. I am even more disappointed that it is a best seller and published by the Teachers College Press! Teachers and students deserve better!
I believe the author to be well intended, and it is a good book, but the title has little to do with the book's content! If it has been titled "How to Teach About Slavery" I would give it at least three stars!
For someone interested in teaching a course on slavery I strongly recommend the following be considered:
A book that takes a very balanced approach to slavery is
Slavery and the Making of America
and has an excellent companion DVD -
Slavery and the Making of America
Another DVD found interesting is the following as it deals with the religious aspect of slavery.
Prince Among Slaves
I did not purchase the book that is the companion to the above DVD but I reference it here for your consideration.
Prince among Slaves
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