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Title for Discussion: "The effects of computer games on primary school students' achievements and motivation in geography learning." This article interestingly investigates the effects of the game environment on students' achievements and motivation to learn. A study conducted by a University in Turkey highlights how there is a direct correlation between student's engagement with educational games on the computer and its positive impact on the student's ability to actively engage in their studies. This three-week experiment with Grades 4 and 5 students involves their participation in an educational computer game which focuses on learning about the global continents and countries. In contrast to the traditionalistic lecture approach, this constructivist method of teaching focuses on a technological-based style of learning. Therefore, the gradual shift towards a new pedagogy is explicitly apparent as the studies conducted from student interviews illustrate their enthusiasm and engagement to learn about world geography. In particular, the student's enjoy the opportunity to utilize the "chat tool" as it allows for student interaction as well as collaboration. This alternative method for teaching serves as an important tool to support student learning and future development. The overwhelming consensus of student support further highlights how educational computer games can offer a positive learning experience as it enhances their abilities to engage and participate within a virtual realm. However, it is important to note that using technology does not replace human experience and interaction. Therefore, computer gaming is simply one effective teaching aid that can be adapted in various ways to engage students in their learning.

George Santayana coined the phrase, "Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it." Author David Crabtee states, that the past greatly influences decisions and actions for the future. This article takes the perspectives and opinions of important authors and professors concerning the significance of teaching history in our classrooms. These authors discuss common misconceptions, benefits, considerations, limitations, and effects of teaching our students history. Having a curriculum that stresses the importance of history creates critical thinkers. Teaching history is an effective teaching and learning skill for both student and teachers. Crabtee helps us understand this through his example of Christopher Columbus. History helps students learn about different perspectives and opposing point of views. Stacia Deutch also lists several reasons as to why it is important to teach our children history such as, teaching our students good and bad decision making, learning from past examples, and a better understanding of people and culture. These authors also presented some limitations and considerations teachers can think about when teaching history. Professor John Fielding states that teachers need to engage students in learning history. Teachers need to teach history with the goal and focus of engaging their students. This can be done through: debates, role playing, artistic posters, and projects, the use of historical fiction.

This article suggests to teachers that they engage their students in social studies by show how the content is connected to real life. To do this, the students should investigate the topic they have chosen from a menu of topics provided by the teacher in real life contexts; an example would be investigating hunger as a social issue by experiencing a food bank/shelter, speaking with the shelter director, volunteering, etc. In experiencing the curriculum content in the present time and in real life, the student will be more actively engaged in the material, see the relevance to his/her own life and the adult workplace, care about and connect with the task and possibly develop a passion for the issue. The article argues the strategy is beneficial to both the student and the teacher and offers concrete examples of the strategy as suggestions to readers who may be teachers searching for new ideas.

This great newspaper article printed in The Halifax Commoner gives a good description of the teacher I think we all would like to become. William is a secondary school teacher in Nova Scotia which believes that history can be meaningful to the students, if a teacher can show them how it relates to their own lives. Once the teacher is able to make this connection, students become engaged and understand history's relevance. However, with the limited time allocated towards teaching history in elementary and secondary it can be difficult to teach lessons which incorporate a critical-thinking aspect in them. What students (in most) cases are left with is lesson plans that are overburden with dates and boring facts rather than a lesson plans that is able to engage students in meaningful discussion and debate. Drawing from statistics from the Historica-Dominion Institute in 2010 the author paints a very dismal picture of Canadians historical knowledge and the current state of our history curriculum.

In this article John Fielding, discusses how many of Canadian students learn history - through memorization and lecture - and how instead we need to engage students in history lessons through role play, field trips and storytelling. For many it is easy to identify how history should NOT be taught, but to make history memorable we need to make it come alive for the students. John also offers a list of strategies in teaching history which are not valuable, strategies which may be successful, and finally interesting and imaginative learning strategies, all with reasons why they are, or are not, effective.

John Fielding a retired history professor from Queens University wrote this short article to encourage History teachers to be passionate and creative in their teaching. Teachers need to get students involved in History and show them how it is relevant today. According to Professor Fielding "the most important element for a strategy to be effective is, however, that it must activate the historical imagination of the student." So as teachers we need to find ways to start their imagination and let them enjoy the past without always having to write a two page essay. Fielding suggest that teachers allow students to be creative allowing them to use historical fiction to demonstrate their understanding of the people and their times. Teachers should incorporate drama, role playing and storytelling help develop a historical imagination of the student. When you can capture the imagination of the student you can then develop a passion in the student for the things of the past.

In the San Francisco Chronicle, "TeachWithMovies.com, Inc. Announces New Curriculum Materials to Teach Historical Fiction in Social Studies Classes" was published on October 31, 2011. This internet site has developed an innovative approach to assist social studies instructors by providing a list of films in education that suit specific expectations of the Ontario curriculum. The promotion of historical fiction films can provide enrichment to a classroom experience as it enables students to watch a combination of fact and fiction . If educators provide the tools to analyze historical fiction, students will be able to extract elements of historical accuracy from the film. Therefore, students can compare the film with the information taught from the text to establish their own ideas or beliefs. Ultimately, this allows the student to establish a deeper and meaningful connection to the content studied. This analysis of historical information is heavily entrenched in the Language Curriculum as well. Through the development of worksheets and lesson plans available on the website, instructors can choose from a list of films to engage their students in analyzing historical fiction. Discussion questions, project ideas, and links to further resources are also provided. This article highlights an alternative educational experience students can engage in to further develop their understanding of the material relayed in their textbooks.

The Montreal Gazette Newspaper published an article on November 11, entitled, "The Need for Remembrance Day Endures." This article recognizes the importance of veterans and their memories they bring from experiencing historical events in history. Ultimately, individuals who fought in World War I, World War 2, and the Korean War, lay the foundation of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country. The fascinating stories of veterans' lives serve as the purest form of experience as it provides invaluable insight to historical events. While there is an array of documentation of veterans' experiences, it is more meaningful and engaging to have them orally share their stores. Although many will no longer be able to share their experiences with us, it becomes essential for parents and educators to continue honouring the individuals who sacrificed their lives for our country. A poppy can serve as a simple testament of respect as well as the desire for peace. As we continue to fight the war on terrorism, the desire for power and resources raise the possibilities for greater global violence and turmoil. By paying tribute to our war veterans, it becomes essential to teach students the importance of reflection by promoting peace and community within the classroom environment.

Diaries can be an effective tool to connect readers/students to the emotions, motivations and thoughts of the people who were living in the historical events that we are studying. The author of this article discusses four topics that are valuable for us to study as history teachers. 1) importance of historical perspective taking as an aspect of historical thinking and the obligation of educators to assist learners in developing their capacity to engage; 2) outline why and how teachers could assist learners in using diaries as evidence for reconstructing historical perspectives; 3)layout excerpts from three published diaries to demonstrate how these provide evidence of classed, gendered, ethnic/religious points of view within the time periods they were written; 4)provide some specific suggestions as to how teachers can use examples from these diaries to spark deeper probing of ideas and time periods.