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Citation: 

Topolski, Jeretz. “The Structure of Historical Narratives and the Teaching of History.” In International Review of History Education, Vol. 2: Learning and Reasoning in History, edited by J.F. Voss and M. Carretero, 9-22. Portland, OR: Woburn Press, 1998.

Abstract/Summary: 

According to the author, successful teaching of history should always take into account three things: the development, achievements and tendencies in the philosophy of history. The author discusses the importance of studying the philosophy of history and the implications this has on the field of history education. Historical narrative is the main point of interest when studying and discussing didactic history activities. Current conclusions in history education include the need for historical thinking and attitude of teachers towards historical narration. The author distinguishes three layers of historical narrative: the surface or informing (logical and grammatical) layer, the persuasive or rhetorical layer, and the theoretical-ideological or contolling (steering) layer. The author concludes the article with a discussion of each of the layers in turn describing the frame, tensions and the elements of the layers. 

Source/Credit: 
Erika Smith