What Does it Mean to be an American?: Training History Students and Prospective Teachers to See the Assumptions in their Textbooks.

HISTORY textbooks; CRITICAL thinking; HISTORY education in universities & colleges; HISTORY teachers; TEACHING methods; AMERICAN national character; TRAINING; EVALUATION

The article explores methods for training history students and student teachers to read history and social studies textbooks critically. Particular focus is given to the author's experiences of teaching college-level introductory history classes and teaching methods courses for his university's social studies education program. Topics discussed include American national identity, assignment grading, and the online mapping service Google Maps.