Teaching Big HistoryRichard B. Simon Big History is a new field on a grand scale: it tells the story of the universe over time through a diverse range of disciplines that spans cosmology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and archaeology, thereby reconciling traditional human history with environmental geography and natural history. Weaving the myriad threads of evidence-based human knowledge into a master narrative that stretches from the beginning of the universe to the present, the Big History framework helps students make sense of their studies in all disciplines by illuminating the structures that underlie the universe and the connections among them. Teaching Big History is a powerful analytic and pedagogical resource, and serves as a comprehensive guide for teaching Big History, as well for sharing ideas about the subject and planning a curriculum around it. Readers are also given helpful advice about the administrative and organizational challenges of instituting a general education program constructed around Big History. The book includes teaching materials, examples, and detailed sample exercises. This book is also an engaging first-hand account of how a group of professors built an entire Big History general education curriculum for first-year students, demonstrating how this thoughtful integration of disciplines exemplifies liberal education at its best and illustrating how teaching and learning this incredible story can be transformative for professors and students alike. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 9 | |
A PRACTICAL PEDAGOGY FOR TEACHING BIG HISTORY | 75 |
BIG HISTORY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS | 309 |
Conclusion | 343 |
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Common terms and phrases
agrarian civilizations agriculture Anthropocene Assessment of Learning atoms Big Bang Big History course Big History narrative Big History program Big History story billion years ago Brian Swimme Category of Activity Category:Category cells challenges classroom collective learning connect Connection:Connection Craig Benjamin creation myth cultural curriculum Cynthia Brown David Christian discussion Dominican University Earth emergent properties engage Eric Chaisson essay eukaryotic evolution Faculty Preparation features of complexity film first-year flows of energy four features future galaxies global helium hominine Homo sapiens human hydrogen In-Class Sequence information literacy instructor learning outcomes Little Big History modern Nonfiction Origin of Activity Overview of Activity Paleolithic planet plate tectonics Preparation for Activity Print protons questions redshift reflective writing religion Sequence of Activity skull solar system stars Student Preparation Summary:Summary summer institute teaching Big History TEACHING THRESHOLD Threshold 9 Threshold Related tion topic understanding York