ABSTRACT
Deep learning allows a student to apply content in a manner that gives it meaning and illustrates the purpose for knowing the information. There is a little of Sidney Shea in all history teachers. Research in cognitive psychology clearly illustrates that student learning is optimized when depth replaces breadth. Learning for understanding implies that students use factual information within a conceptual framework organized so that they can retrieve and apply that information. Because students are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information they must digest, the most significant reform to history education would be to design courses that focus on student learning and measure the depth of their understanding rather than surface coverage. Central to the reenvisioned approach to school history is the idea of the history lab. Investigating the past by using the same skills historians use is a more engaging approach to teaching history.
