Page 147 - Balancing between the present and the past
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                                A historical contextualization pedagogy
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Table 21. continued
Lesson Historical topic* 8 Enlightened
Experimental condition
Control condition
absolutism in the 18th century
Case to enhance awareness of present-oriented perspectives: Students have to explain why Catherine the Great, an enlightened absolutist monarch, became far stricter at the end of the 18th century.
Prior knowledge activation: The teacher activates the students’ prior knowledge on Enlightened absolutism.
9 Trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 18th
Case to enhance awareness of present-oriented perspectives: Students have to explain why slavery in the Netherlands was abolished in 1863 while other European countries abolished slavery much earlier.
Prior knowledge activation: The teacher activates the students’ prior knowledge on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
century
10 Democratic revolutions in the
Case to enhance awareness of present-oriented perspectives: Students have to explain the joy of the French people when Marie-Antoinette, who was married to King Louis XVI, was executed in 1793.
Prior knowledge activation: The teacher activates the students’ prior knowledge on the democratic revolutions.
18th century
Task to reconstruct the historical context: Students reconstruct the historical context of enlightened absolutism.
Teacher lecturing: The teacher explains the origin and characteristics of enlightened absolutism.
Explanation of the case: The teacher asks the students to explain the case again.
Individual assignments: Students work individually to complete the history textbook assignments.
Historical empathy task: The task focuses on Frederick the Great, an enlightened absolutist monarch and Prussian King. Students have to explain, for example, the extent to which Frederick the Great was an enlightened monarch.
Whole-class discussion: Students’ answers to the textbook assignments are discussed.
Task to reconstruct the historical context: Students reconstruct the historical context of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Teacher lecturing: The teacher explains the origin and characteristics of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Explanation of the case: The teacher asks the students to explain the case again.
Individual assignments: Students work individually to complete the history textbook assignments.
Historical empathy task: The historical agent was Harriet Beecher Stowe, an American abolitionist and author. Students, for example, have to explain how Stowe’s opinions were received in the southern United States.
Whole-class discussion: Students’ answers to the textbook assignments are discussed.
Task to reconstruct the historical context: Students reconstruct the historical context of the democratic revolutions.
Teacher lecturing: The teacher explains the origin and characteristics of the democratic revolutions.
Explanation of the case: The teacher asks the students to explain the case again.
Individual assignments: Students work individually to complete the history textbook assignments.
Historical empathy task: Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol was the historical agent. He was a nobleman who wanted far more political influence for the Dutch people. Students, for example, have to explain how Van der Capellen tot den Pol’s ideas were received by different sectors of the population.
Whole-class discussion: Students’ answers to the textbook assignments are discussed.
11&12
Note. *The experimental and control lessons focus on the same historical topic.
Post-test historical contextualization
Post-test historical contextualization



























































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