Gary Fertig
Gary Fertig is a professor of social studies education in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado. A former elementary school teacher, Gary now teaches undergraduate and graduate level social studies methods, action research, and curriculum courses. He also coordinates the Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree program in Elementary Education at UNC. With special interests in teaching and learning history, geography, economics, and civics, Dr. Fertig collaborates with colleagues looking for more effective and authentic ways to integrate social studies and mathematics education. He holds degrees and conducts research in the areas of sociology and anthropology education. Research focuses on identifying and clarifying the cognitive processes by which children construct meaningful interpretations of history, society and culture. Within the discipline of history, for example, research is devoted to exploring the development of historical thinking. This involves determining how young learners engage in chronological reasoning, identify causes and effects, use historical evidence to understand the meaning of events from multiple perspectives, cultivate a sense of historical empathy, and evaluate the historical significance of people, issues, and events through time. Gary continues to work with elementary school teachers, UNC teacher candidates, and children in the public schools.
