Free Webinar: Teaching for Human Dignity: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Facing History will be holding a free webinar entitled Teaching for Human Dignity: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The webinar is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. 


Fundamental Freedoms examines Eleanor Roosevelt’s pivotal role in creating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the aftermath of World War II. In 1945, Eleanor was appointed chairperson for the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission with representatives from eighteen nations. The committee’s objective was to create a document that answers the deceptively simple question,"What rights should belong to every human being on earth?"

Our 90-minute live webcast will include a facilitated discussion about essential questions when teaching this subject, and feature video clips from our online resource collection. It will also feature a live discussion with historian Allida Black, founder of The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, a project designed to preserve, teach and apply Eleanor Roosevelt's writings and discussions of human rights and democratic politics.


For more detailed information go to this link today. 

Today's Star Advertiser: UCC Speech by Tom Woods to Give Missionaries their Due

Today's Honolulu Star Advertiser reported in its 'Keeping Faith' section regarding the New England missionaries who arrived in Hawaii in 1820.

Tom Woods, executive director of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the 190th annual Aha Pae'aina of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ:

The first missionaries to the islands in 1820 should be appreciated for helping the Hawaiian monarchy ward off European conquest, using literacy and Christianity as tools, says Tom Woods, director of the historic Mission Houses Museum.

Woods will speak about positive contributions missionaries made to Hawaii in his keynote speech next week to the 190th ‘Aha Pae­‘aina, the annual statewide meeting of the Hawaii Conference of the United Church of Christ.

The full text of this story is available in the print edition, or at this link in the online edition of the paper. Please note: you need to be a paid subscriber to access the full article online. You can also purchase a 24-hour pass on the same page. Click this link.

Amy Lutz, Student: The Dangers of Grade Inflation for Young America

The Dangers of Grade Inflation for Young America
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POSTED AT 7:07 PM ON MAY 31, 2012 BY AMY LUTZ
[ EDUCATION ]  

Congratulations, young America, you’ve reached the threshold of academic perfection. Recent studies have shown that an “A” is now the most common grade for college students in the United States. It’s nice to know that my generation is so well educated. Or perhaps not. Based upon a mountain of contradictory evidence and the environment I see all around me as an American college student, I hesitate to declare victory too soon. When you dig deeper the facts show that grade inflation is what really fuels our college students’ higher GPAs, and A today might be equivalent to a C forty years ago.

Despite the outward appearances of academic perfection, today’s students are not on an upward trajectory toward academic success. Last year, a USA Today report showed that college students make little academic progress in their first two years of college. In fact, 45 percent of students showed no significant gains, a figure which contradicts academia’s goal of educating students. College Students are more likely to focus on their social lives rather than their academic record. Professors caught up with their own research are less likely to pay attention to such habits. Additionally, students spend 50 percent less time studying now than they have in past decades. Fifty percent of students also said that they had never taken a class in which they wrote more than 20 pages in a semester. Good study habits must be developed early through hard work and challenging courses for academic success to be achievable. Even though grades may superficially be rising, good academic habits which produce long term success are lacking among today’s college students.

According to Craig Brandon, author of The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given up on Educating Your Child and What You Can Do about It, educators have switched their main priority from education to retention. Because of the information boom of the last few decades, students are forced to grapple with an exponentially larger knowledge base. Today, with our advanced technology and record keeping systems, the amount of knowledge we have at our fingertips is seemingly infinite. The only way educators have so far determined to solve this issue is to focus more on memorization instead of instilling skills like critical thinking. Most students today are forced to memorize facts, equations, and theories instead of actually learning about them. Sure, their grades show the fruits of their efforts, but real education is deficient.

Grade inflation is may also be a symptom of the “Participation Trophy” mentality that is increasingly prevalent in our society. In a article published by Minnesota State University, two suspected causes of grade inflation are “increased attention and sensitivity to personal crisis situations for students” and a “changing mission” directed as service or research rather than teaching. It’s important for universities to focus on creating well-rounded individuals. Some students do require extra help/time because of family crises or mental/physical health. However, education should still be a school’s primary focus. We are far too concerned with the feelings of students that some have undershot the goal of education. Inflated GPAs do nothing more than numb students from failure. Failure is a benchmark on the road to success. Where is the motivation to do better if you have no failure in your frame of reference? Inflated GPAs and weak grading standards only help to make failure (and conversely, success) more difficult to pinpoint.

Today’s college students are in for a rude awakening when we enter the job market. Numbed from failure and confident in an inflated GPA, many students will be slapped in the face with the prospect of failure. College should not only provide us with a good education; it should also prepare us for the real world (without sacrificing the education part of course). Failure is a part of life. GPAs don’t matter as much if they are all the same. An “A” isn’t an “A” when everyone has one. Educators need to face the fact that all students are different. Some can study for hours without learning a single thing while others breeze pass finals without opening their textbook. To deny this reality denies the intellectual diversity of college students.

It’s true that the cream rises to the top. Grades are an indicator of this future success if they are accurate. However, when they are not and grade inflation occurs, it’s more difficult for outstanding job applicants to separate themselves from the pack. I myself will be looking for a job in a year and it scares me that having a high GPA just won’t cut it anymore. Constantly, I find myself asking: “Am I doing enough to prepare myself for the workforce?”  I’m worried that the increase of grade inflation will make it difficult for college students like me to avoid falling into the deep abyss of unemployment.

William and Edwyna Gilbert Award: Best Article on Teaching History

Word has come to us that the deadline for entering to win the William and Edwyna Gilbert Award is July 15, 2012. You must be a member of the American Historical Association (AHA) to enter.

From the AHA web site:

The William and Edwyna Gilbert Award for the Best Article on Teaching History recognizes annually outstanding contributions to the teaching of history through the publication of journal articles. The prize was endowed by a generous gift from Mrs. William Gilbert in memory of her husband, a distinguished member of the history department at the University of Kansas, and further donated to following Mrs. Gilbert's death in May of 2011.



Articles by AHA members, published between June 1, 2011 and May 31, 2012, may be nominated for consideration. Both the author of the winning article and the journal that publishes it will each receive $1,000. Journals and individual members may submit nominations on the teaching of history (including scholarship of teaching and learning, methodology and theory of pedagogy). Journals, magazines, and other serials can submit up to two articles for each award cycle. 

Each nominator is required to provide a brief letter of support (no more than two pages) with the article. See past winners of this award.

One copy of each letter of support and article must be sent for each member of the Committee on Teaching Prizes. Entries must be postmarked by July 15, 2012. Entries will not be returned. No faxes will be accepted.

Send six copies of your completed entry to:
Gilbert Award Coordinator
American Historical Association
400 A St. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003

The Middle Ground Journal: Call for Submissions

Today's mail brought news of a call for submissions. The Middle Ground Journal is an open-access, refereed publication. It is published by the Midwest World History Association (MWWHA), hosted by the College of St. Scholastica. The MWWHA is affiliated with the World History Association. 

Everyone, no matter where you teach, research and study, is warmly invited to contribute. The middle ground is the common space shared between teachers and students, between research and teaching, among all levels and types of places of learning, and among different areas of specialization and methodological approaches. We seek to nurture the common ground shared by all who are committed to the studying and teaching of global studies and world history, broadly understood. In particular, we seek to serve as the shared, common space between K-12 institutions and colleges and universities.

We invite submissions of articles and essays, as well as translations, fiction, and reviews of nonfiction, fiction, film, television, and other artifacts. We also publish reviews of textbooks and reflective presentations of teaching materials. We encourage you to submit a review of a book or other artifact already in your possession. Please contact the chief editor if you plan to do so. We call upon all contributors, whether of an essay, article, or review, to consciously address a broader audience beyond that of a traditional academic journal, and to shape the work so that it may be used in a classroom on as many levels as possible. We would like to particularly encourage contributions on teaching from teachers, independent scholars and students.

Submissions for The Middle Ground Journal are accepted on a continual basis. Please see the journal’s website for the submission guidelines.

Enquiries should be directed to the chief editor, Professor Liang, at HLIANG (AT) CSS.EDU, or: 


Professor Liang
The College of St. Scholastica, 
Department of History, Duluth, MN 55811, USA.


Publishers: Forward all books for review to the address above, with the books clearly marked for the journal.

The Middle Ground Journal (ISSN: 2155-1103) is published by Midwes t World History Association (MWWHA), and housed at The College of St. Scholastica. The MWWHA is a proud affiliate of the World History Association (WHA). We strongly encourage membership in both associations. We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship and logistical support from The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota, USA.

For information on the journal, please visit http://www2.css.edu/app/depts/HIS/historyjournal/index.cfm and https://www.facebook.com/middlegroundjournal

Adrienne Pritchard: National History Day 2013 Theme

National History Day 2013 Theme: 

TURNING POINTS IN HISTORY: PEOPLE, IDEAS, EVENTS

By Adrienne Pritchard

(Adrienne Pritchard is the Contest Manager for National History Day)

Congratulations on beginning your National History Day journey! This year’s theme is Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events. For those of you who have traveled this road before, you know that creating a great NHD project takes you out of the classroom and into exciting libraries, museums and archives in search of primary sources related to your topic. And since you get to choose the topic, you know that you will be interested in learning about it! You will discover history firsthand - seeing the very documents or historic sites that you read about in your textbook and, based on your research, come to your own conclusions about historical events. 


For those of you who are brand new to the National History Day experience, welcome!

You may be wondering where to begin this challenge and to that question we answer, right here! Reading through this theme sheet will give you guidance on the 2013 theme, Turning Points in History, helping you to successfully choose an interesting historical topic to research for your project.

Perhaps the first question you are asking yourself is, what exactly is a turning point in history? The dictionary defines “turning point” as a point at which a decisive change takes place. So a turning point in history is more than just an important event that happened a long time ago. It is an idea, event or action that directly, and sometimes indirectly, caused change.

This change could be social or cultural, affecting a society’s way of thinking or way of acting. It could be political, leading to new legislation or to a new government taking charge. It could be economic, affecting how goods are produced, bought and sold, or how much or how little a society has to spend on such items. A turning point can even cause all of these changes and more.

Okay, you say, but how do I know what changes my topic has caused? Ah, good question. This is where you begin to dig for information about the time period in which it occurred, where it happened, the people involved and what else was going on in that area at that time. In other words, you are studying the context of your topic. This is one of the most important aspects of historical research. Events do not just happen all by themselves — there are always factors involving time, place and people that influence the causes and effects. Don’t just think about how you understand the topic but also how people at the time thought about what was happening.

It is important to examine the historical context of your topic so that you see your topic more clearly, understanding the “big picture.” Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events always have at least two sides, or opposing perspectives. Part of being a thorough researcher is looking at a topic from all angles to see the whole story. Discovering the historical background of your topic will allow you to do this.

Now that you have a better idea of the historical context of your topic, you can narrow in on the turning point more precisely. What act, idea or event caused a change in how people thought or what they did? How about the effects: new ideas, new laws, new technologies, new cultural standards? And how did these develop over time? What was the end result? Your answers to these questions will provide the historical evidence you need to form a conclusion about the event’s significance in history and the impact that it had. 


Speaking of significance in history, don’t forget the very important “in history” part of the theme. To fit the theme, your topic must truly be historical and not just a current event or recent idea.

Remember that you can choose to focus on a turning point in local, state, national or world history. When many people think of significant turning points that changed the course of history, one of the first things that often comes to mind are wars. World War II significantly changed the hierarchy of nations as new global powers emerged and also altered large portions of the map as some nations were divided or added together with new borders and new identities.

But to successfully choose a topic related to World War II, for example, you should focus on specific aspects of the war. An exhibit could discuss a turning point within the war, such as Guadalcanal in the Pacific or the invasion of Normandy on the European front. A web site could examine the war itself as a turning point in a particular geographical area, or even in a specific aspect of life for a group of people. 


To sustain economic needs with so many men at war, women in the United States increasingly held jobs in previously male-dominated fields such as manufacturing. How did this become a turning point for women’s equality, and how did it affect their lives after the war? Did this happen for women in other countries too?

Or what about human advancements? How was the discovery of penicillin a major turning point in medical care? A performance could show how agricultural innovations, such as irrigation and the use of fertilizer, changed how crops are grown, creating a much more efficient method that can produce food for millions of people. You could also look at Henry Ford and how his advancements in the manufacturing of automobiles changed the way goods were mass produced. How has society and the world economy changed as a result? A web site could explore how the Interstate Highway Act led to the staggering growth of the American suburbs and how that was a turning point in American society. Gutenberg’s printing press was a crucial turning point, leading to greater access to information. How did this affect education and communication? What religious implications did this have? How did it help advance the fields of science and art?

Environmental factors and natural events can also be explored. You could look at how the discovery of gold in California shifted the American focus and launched the great westward expansion. How did this further affect land rights, relations with the Native Americans and the map of the United States?

Or what about turning points in the business world? A paper could explain how the Sherman Anti-Trust Act changed the scene of big business monopolies and gave the U.S. federal government power to protect competition in trade. What effects did this have on the businesses, the people involved or future related events?

You should also think about new ideas and the people who have been a part

of significant turning points. How was Gandhi’s “Quit India” movement a catalyst for change in India? Did the British imprisonment of the Congress set the stage for the Muslim league to gain ground in its “Pakistan Movement?”

Or what about the development of the Impressionist movement in Paris? How did the artists’ desire to capture change and fleeting moments change how people viewed art?

A performance could explain how the case of Brown v. Board of Education was a significant turning point not only for civil rights, but also in the American public school system. People who brought the injustice and suffering of a group to the attention of the general public have also caused great change. A documentary could discover how the photography of Lewis Hine showcased the plight of child laborers. How did this lead to legislation that protected children in the workplace? What effects did this have on other aspects of manufacturing?

As you can see, the theme Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events has exciting possibilities for choosing a research topic. Think about the sorts of things you are interested in and then think about how they have changed the course of history. Almost any topic — from sports, to television, to science — can be turned into a National History Day project. 


You can begin brainstorming topic ideas with your classmates, your teachers and your parents. Read about areas of history that interest you and see what important turning points you discover. You can search on the internet or search through your textbook. It might be handy to carry a notebook with a list of topic ideas and as you find information, circle those you are interested in and cross off those that no longer seem appealing. 


Once you find the topic that fits the theme and interests you most, go ahead and jump right into research. Your local library is an excellent place to start!

Memorial Day

History Education Hawaii, Inc., wishes everyone a pleasant and safe Memorial Day holiday. We will be back next Tuesday morning.