THEN/HiER Events
Approaching the Past 2011/12: A Series Connecting People Teaching History
The first Approaching the Past event for 2011/2012, "World War One and the Archives," held October 5 in Toronto, was a fantastic evening of history education focused on local narratives related to the First World War. The participatory program involved examining documents and researching the database at the Toronto Archives, and then engaging with documents that feature The Austins, a prominent Toronto family, at Spadina Museum Historic House. The visits and examination of documents at these two important sites helped history educators understand the ways in which the First World War impacted the citizens of Toronto.
The second Approaching the Past event, “Secret Lives, Affective Learning: Using Drama to Teach History” was held on November 29 from 5 to 8 pm at the Zion Schoolhouse in north Toronto.
Imagining Gateways: Collaboration and Innovation in Teaching and Learning History, October 27-29, 2011 Halifax, Nova Scotia
In collaboration with the Nova Scotia Social Studies Teachers’ Association and The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, THEN/HiER held three days of discussion with historians, history educators, museum staff, and community members interested in pedagogy and practice related to history teaching and learning, especially through narratives of migration. The purpose of this national conference was to bring together people who are working in history education but may not necessarily connect. The three-day event featured tours and discussions at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, a keynote presentation by immigration historian Lisa Chilton, and a panel discussion with other historians and award-winning Nova Scotia teachers about ways to collaborate and extend their practice on local history and the topic of immigration.
Approaching the Past 2010/2011: A Series Connecting People Teaching History
Approaching the Past is a quarterly workshop series in Toronto, Ontario organized jointly by THEN/HiER and Active History.ca The goal of the series is to create and strengthen ties between history educators working in a variety of contexts in the Greater Toronto Area, including middle and high schools, universities (both faculty and graduate students), and museums. Workshops offer the opportunity to connect with colleagues, meet people teaching history in unique and engaging ways, and be challenged to teach history in ways that connect more deeply with our students.
Teaching the War of 1812, April 27, 2011
This workshop focused on teaching the War of 1812 and included discussion of teaching Aboriginal perspectives.
Bridging the gap between history student and history teacher, February 24, 2011
This workshop brought together faculty and students from York’s and OISE’s Faculties of Education to discuss making the transition from being a student of history to a teacher of history.
Grenadier Cafe and Tea Room in High Park, January 27, 2011
"Experiencing History" was a workshop on teaching history through experiential education. Outdoor educator Bob Henderson led participants in activities and discussion focused on more physically active ways of teaching and learning history.
Montgomery's Inn Community Museum, September 30, 2010
This workshop, “The Past through Place,” was held Thursday, September 30 at Montgomery’s Inn Community Museum in Toronto. Professor Julia Roberts led the workshop with a discussion of the ways that place—in this case, a historic tavern—can inform our understanding of the past and act as an entry point for teaching history. The themes discussed included issues of conflict, gender, and ethnicity in teaching the history of diverse times and places. Companion reading material for the workshop can be found in Jennifer Bonnell’s article, A Comforting Past: Skirting Conflict and Complexity at Montgomery’s Inn.
Black Creek Pioneer Village, June 16, 2010
The series kicked off its inaugural event at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto, June 16th, 7-9pm. Professor Ruth Sandwell of OISE/UT was our guest speaker.
For those who were unable to attend, Tom Peace, of Active History, has created a virtual workshop based on the evening’s activities.
Read the report for THEN/HiER's "Teaching History in Diverse Venues: A Workshop Linking Historians and Educators in Bettering History Education Practice," Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Watch the video of Christopher Dummitt's presentation, "After Inclusiveness: The Future of Canadian History."
2010 Symposium - Playing with Technology in History
This THEN/HiER symposium held on April 29 and 30 in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario organized by Executive Board member Kevin Kee was a great success! The purpose of this “unconference” was to explore using technology in history education. Comments from some of the participants include: “I spent a fair amount of time wondering how all the ‘play’ we talked about can be connected to the serious purposes of teaching and learning about the past. … At a minimum, however, it seems to me that if historians are willing to be a little more playful, we are more likely to engage a wider audience for our work” (Mills Kelly, Associate Professor, Department of History and Art History and Associate Director, Center for History and New Media at George Mason University); and, “the particular combination of playful openness and then focused productive work was really appealing and invigorating. Best of both worlds” (Josh Greenberg, Director of Digital Strategy and Scholarship, New York Public Library). Papers from the symposium will be used for an edited book titled Pastplay.
2010 Benchmarks of Historical Thinking National Meeting
THEN/HiER sponsored Benchmarks' second national meeting in Toronto, A Big Step Forward: Historical Thinking in Provincial Curricula, Assessments and Professional Development, from February 18 to 20. It was attended by instructional leaders, teachers, leading history education scholars, and representatives from ministries of education from almost every province and territory as well as publishers, representatives from Parks Canada, Canada’s National History Society, Library and Archives Canada, and heads of a number of provincial teaching associations. Feedback on the Benchmarks Project was excellent, and provided clear direction for a number of new initiatives.
2009 Invited Symposium for Contributors to New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada
The purpose of this one-day symposium, organized and led by Penney Clark, and held on February 9, 2009, was to critique each chapter of our forthcoming edited volume, New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada. All participants read a draft of each chapter in preparation for the day. Attendees were Jocelyn Létourneau, Université Laval; Stéphane Lévesque, University of Ottawa; Peter Seixas, University of British Columbia; Kent den Heyer, University of Alberta; Amy von Heyking, University of Lethbridge; Tom Morton, retired teacher, Vancouver School Board; Ruth Sandwell, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/ University of Toronto; Viviane Gosselin, doctoral student, University of British Columbia; Kevin Kee, Brock University; Carla Peck, University of Alberta; Marc André Ethier, Université de Montréal; Alan Sears, University of New Brunswick; and Anne Marie Goodfellow, Network Manager.
This session was followed by an evening presentation by Jocelyn Létourneau and Peter Seixas on the findings of their research project Canadians and Their Pasts/Les Canadiens et leurs passés (Community-University Research Alliance SSHRC project – Jocelyn Létourneau, Principal Investigator).
THEN/HiER Initial Meetings
THEN/HiER's inaugural meeting took place at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto in January of 2005.
The second meeting of THEN/HiER participants, organized by Peter Seixas, UBC and Ruth Sandwell, OISE/UofT, took place in April 2006 at the Peter Wall Centre, University of British Columbia.
