Teaching Grade 4-12 Social Studies Using Digital Libraries & Primary Sources

Our aim with this research project is to understand grade 4-12 teachers' attitudes & practices toward the usage of digital primary sources in the classroom, and the barriers that prevent this. By focusing on digital primary source tools provided by academic institutions, we hope to identify possible design improvements that make the tools more appropriate for use in social studies classrooms by addressing teachers’ wants and needs. We assessed educators’ knowledge and usage of existing online tools in the classroom through surveys, task simulations, and interviews. We also evaluated a number of tools that already exist online to identify strong and weak points. We found generally positive attitudes toward the tools, and a willingness to put tools to greater use to enhance students’ abilities to engage in historical thinking.Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS), School ofLibrary, UBCArts, Faculty ofUnreviewedFacultyGraduat