Scielo RSS http://www.scielo.org.za/rss.php?pid=2223-038620090001&lang=en vol. num. 4 lang. en http://www.scielo.org.za/img/en/fbpelogp.gif http://www.scielo.org.za http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100001&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100002&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en In this article the focus is on the value of History for a society dominated by the natural sciences and technology. This domination may lead to the questioning of the value of a subject like History where the demand is for "bread and butter" subjects which will enable learners to gain financially from the world of work. Against this background, questions such as the following arise: Is there still a place for the social sciences? If the answer is yes, what is the possible value of History in a society driven by financial forces and technological developments? Can technology be utilised to convey the importance of History? What is the possible contribution of technology towards the enhancement of the value of History and acquiring a sound historical and critical understanding of both the past and the present? http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100003&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en In this article the focus is on the value of History for a society dominated by the natural sciences and technology. This domination may lead to the questioning of the value of a subject like History where the demand is for "bread and butter" subjects which will enable learners to gain financially from the world of work. Against this background, questions such as the following arise: Is there still a place for the social sciences? If the answer is yes, what is the possible value of History in a society driven by financial forces and technological developments? Can technology be utilised to convey the importance of History? What is the possible contribution of technology towards the enhancement of the value of History and acquiring a sound historical and critical understanding of both the past and the present? http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100004&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en The White Paper on e-Education¹ promotes the use of various information communication technologies (ICTs) to achieve the expected learning outcomes in the different learning areas of the school curriculum. Because most teachers and learners are not yet computer skilled, resource-based learning, supported by digital versatile disc (DVD) technology, is one of the most cost-effective and self-contained educational media that involve minimal infrastructural investment. Educational DVDs provide the opportunity to deliver a constructive multi-media learning experience to learners in rural areas who do not have access to libraries and the Internet. This is especially valuable for history education because DVDs allow learners to "go time travelling" through history, guided by different learning media and artefacts such as historical photographs, illustrations, film material, music, speeches, newspaper reports, political cartoons, maps, etc. Multi-media learning tools stimulate different learning styles and broaden the range of the learning experience in general. This paper provides a research framework for the development and evaluation of educational DVDs and Web-based multi-media clips for grades 8 and 9 history in the social sciences learning area. These clips are currently being developed at the Faculty Education Sciences of the North-West University. These educational media, with accompanying teacher manual and learner word-cards, are intended as inexpensive support of quality education and sustainable social development in South Africa. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100005&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and multimedia within History teaching and learning is an outcome of the curriculum of the National Education Department of South Africa. History lessons for the classroom situation can become more active and learner-centred, slowing the widening gap between South Africa and the developed world with respect to ICT integration and the use of multimedia resources in History teaching and learning at schools. The purpose of this article is to show teachers where to locate sources and resource materials that can be used in History lessons, inform teachers on some of the History-related features of each website, and expose teachers to the use of new teaching strategies aided by the Internet. High-tech TLSM possibilities can promote greater integration of ICT and multimedia into History lessons to improve a broader understanding of content and enhance quality teaching http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en In a context of a continually widening range of disciplines and subjects available for learners to specialize in, it becomes increasingly critical for the value of particular subjects to be examined. Thus, while debates rage over the relevance and worth of school history, we contribute to the conceptualization of what school history is for. In other words, we examine what history learners acquire as a result of studying the subject. We argue that learners gain a certain form of historical literacy which cannot always be generalized to different contexts. As such, the historical literacy that learners gain varies according to context, place and time. In this article we specifically review literature related to the functional realm of History Education and, particularly, historical literacy. We then construct benchmarks of historical literacy as informed by the literature. This research thus avails a foundation for further empirical research on the purpose of school history http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100007&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en A challenge for Africa is how to derive common values from the values of diverse communities. The challenge becomes even more difficult in the face of notions such as autonomy, multiculturalism and respect for difference which are accompanying the emergence of neo-liberalism, globalisation and cosmopolitanism. While it is important to respect diversity in a post-colonial society, it is equally important that nation-building should strive for the promotion of common values among the citizenry. This article uses the example of Zimbabwe and South Africa as a comparative case study to investigate how the ruling elites in these two southern African countries have endeavoured to apply the curriculum for nation-building and the promotion of common citizenship by inculcating common values in young citizens. The article also explores the role of the curriculum from the perspective of social constructivism, where 'curriculum' is defined as an agency to foster social, cultural and political ideals in society. The academic discipline that is highly vulnerable to the imperatives of nation-building and the interests of the political elite is history, as it is prone to manipulation by political regimes in their hegemonic projects. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en Philosophy of teaching statements are autobiographical reflective statements on teaching and learning. Such statements can therefore be regarded as a window into the professional identities of teachers, and are increasingly called for internationally when promotion and appointments are considered. In this paper the philosophy of teaching statements of final-year History Education student teachers, are used as the units of analysis. Although meaningful themes on their emerging professional identities as prospective History teachers materialised, in the article I argue that their philosophy of teaching statements were burdened by constraints such as a lack of experience and the educational context they found themselves in. In conclusion I contend that although the philosophy of teaching statements provided nothing more than a porthole into the multilayered emerging professional identities of the History student teachers it gave the latter the opportunity to develop a picture of themselves as History teachers. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100009&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en The Staufer exhibition in Stuttgart in 1977 was a historical blockbuster exhibition, which established a type of state exhibitions in public's consciousness and in historical culture. It contributed to the rising interest in History in the public and played a vital part in rediscovering the Middle Ages in Germany. It is asked who took the initiative to put it on? Which were the aims intended by this exhibition and did the exhibition meet its set goals? The research in the archives showed that what is said in the catalogue about the initiative, is not the whole truth, because at first it was the wish of the then State Prime Minister for a representative exhibition, but the theme and the connection with the 25th anniversary of the state Baden-Wurttemberg were proposed by others. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-03862009000100010&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en Nurturing creative thinking abilities in all learning areas and subjects is one of the cornerstones and ideals of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in South Africa. This article reports on the results obtained with a pilot study that set out to determine the extent to which creativity is presently nurtured in the History classroom. A qualitative study by means of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with learners (n = 4) and teachers (n = 2) of History at a secondary school was conducted to determine learner and teacher perceptions related to the nurturing of creativity through the instructional practices of teachers applied during teaching and learning. The results revealed that the nurturing of creativity has not yet become reality in the History classroom. It was disconcerting to note that direct instruction dominates the teaching and learning of History and that very little opportunity for practical experience and interaction during teaching and learning exists. The article concludes with recommendations to teachers on how to purposefully enhance creativity during the teaching of History. This pilot study was conducted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for a BEd Honours degree, and to set the scene for a more extended study on creative thinking in History with larger groups of learners and teachers.