In the sequel to his bestseller. Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen has crafted a critique of how history is being taught in public education that should be in the hands of every practicing and pre-service social studies teacher in the United States. Using a writing style aimed at practitioners, Loewen divides Teaching What Really Happened into two distinct sections. The introduction and first four chapters discuss the sociological power of history, the numerous limitations of textbooks and standardized tests in teaching and assessing history in public schools, the pedagogical value of historiography, and the rationale for having students "do" history rather than simply leam about it. In the final six chapters, Loewen puts these lessons into a practical context by offering detailed explanations of ways teachers can use these strategies to teach historical topics that are often depicted in the classroom as factually inaccurate and rooted within subliminally racist or paternalistic ideologies.
