This book delves into the psychology of teaching and learning History. It provides insight into the cognitive processes by which individuals imbibe history and the ways in which identity associations can shape our interpretation of histories. It assimilates concepts such as political scenario, curriculum, and pedagogy to give a holistic understanding of the processes involved in the learning of History. It discusses various themes such as the instrumentality of History in nation-building, psychological features and development of historical understanding (HU), and the marginalisation of community history. As a conclusion, it also provides suggestions on how teachers can reconcile with the developmental stages and multiple versions of History, while teaching openness and acceptance for diversity without compromising on nation-building commitments.
An important contribution, this volume will be indispensable for students and researchers of Education, History, Psychology, and Educational psychology. It will also be of interest to historians, teachers, and teacher educators.
Chapter 1: The Psycho-Social Role of Past Chapter 2: Nature of History and Historical Understanding Chapter 3: Patterns in Development of Historical Understanding Chapter 4: Historical Understanding, Community History and Identity Chapter 5: National Narratives and Marginalised Community Histories Chapter 6: Learning and Teaching History at School
Biography
Shalini Dixit, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, India. Prior to joining NIAS, she taught at the Department of Psychology and Elementary Education at different colleges in the University of Delhi, India. She earned a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and received the NCERT Doctoral Fellowship for her PhD research. In 2013 her doctoral work on the understanding of History was awarded the D Sinha Best Doctoral Dissertation Award by the National Academy of Psychology, India. Her research interests include cultural and cognitive processes, critical aspects of educational psychology, and social psychology. Her primary area of research has been the understanding of history and psychological responses to marginalised histories.
