Whispers of hope: The portrayal of the Arab -Israeli conflict in Israeli history textbooks and historical biographies.

The study examines the process of one teacher's attempt to look for multiple meanings in the words that describe the Arab-Israeli conflict found in the history textbooks studied in schools by young Jewish Israelis and in the historical biographies available to these students as recommended reading. The vocabulary gained from the academic research was helpful in examining in detail the vocabulary of two topics, Eretz Israel (The Land of Israel) and Jerusalem. The inquiry documents the process of moving from the relatively naive starting point of a conventional social studies teacher to consideration of issues identified by researchers engaged in the analysis of the way words interact with meaning. Particular attention is focused on examining how words---if teachers know how to read them with a careful attention to details---can be used to identify for students what are referred to as whispers of hope can lead the students to ponder new possibilities. Emphasis is given to how this process led to the need to draw heavily on the reader's prior historical knowledge: the need to consult additional sources, and the need to utilize sound principles of historical analysis once the multiple meanings of the words one encounters are identified. The vocabulary used in the two genres of textbooks and historical biographies did not differ in ways expected at the outset of the inquiry. Multiple meanings abound in both genres. The study demonstrates that there is plenty of material in the books available to students. Once a teacher decides to follow the example of careful reading with his students, this will support the view that teaching can be a function of arguing and negotiating meaning with one's students rather than the clear and orderly presentation of facts.PhDEducationLanguage artsSocial sciences educationTeacher educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125217/2/3186754.pd