Historical Thinking

How do historians think?•Example – Non example

Kinds of Historical Thinking – Give one, Get one, Move on! (GoGoMo)• View video to clarify and reflect on the tools of historical thinking (HT)

we may use in our class roomVideo link: http://teachinghistory.org/historical-thinking-intro

1. What are five tools that are mentioned?2. What literacy skills are needed to make it easier for students to use

these tools effectively?3. What learning mode or instructional approach is best suited for

historical learning activities and strategies?

Question 1

What are the historical thinking (HT) tools that are mentioned in the

video?

3

Question 2

What literacy skills are needed to make it easier for students to use these tools

effectively?

4

Question 3

What learning mode or instructional approach is best suited for historical

thinking activities and strategies?

Where do we see HT referenced in our standards?Example for Grade 7 Eastern Hemisphere:Chronological Thinking, Analysis and Interpretation, Research, Issues-Analysis and Decision-MakingWH.7.1 Identify patterns of historical change and duration and construct a representation that illustrates continuityand change.WH.7.2 Locate and analyze primary sources and secondary sources related to an event or issue of the past.WH.7.3 Investigate and interpret multiple causation in analyzing historical actions and analyze cause-and-effectrelationships.WH.7.4 Explain issues and problems of the past by analyzing various interests and viewpoints of the participantsinvolved.WH.7.5 Use technology in the process of conducting historical research and to present products of historicalresearch.WH.7.6 Formulate and present a position or course of action on an issue by examining the underlying factorscontributing to that issue and support that position.

Where do we see HT referenced in our standards?• Examples for World History (Grade 9):Chronological Thinking, Historical Comprehension, Analysis and Interpretation, Research7.1.15 Create and compare timelines that identify major people and events and developments in the history of civilizationand/or countries of Africa, Asia and the Southwest Pacific.7.1.16 Analyze cause-and-effect relationships, bearing in mind multiple causation in the role of individuals, beliefs andchance in history.7.1.17 Distinguish between unsupported expressions of opinion and informed hypotheses grounded in historical evidence.7.1.18 Compare and contrast perspectives of history in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific using fictional andnonfictional accounts including visual, literary, art, and musical sources

Where do we see HT referenced in our standards?Example for U.S. History (Grade 11):Chronological Thinking, Analysis and Interpretation, Research, Issues-Analysis and Decision-MakingUSH.9.1 Identify patterns of historical succession and duration in which historical events have unfolded and apply them to

explain continuity and change.

USH.9.2 Locate and analyze primary sources and secondary sources related to an event or issue of the past; discover

possible limitations in various kinds of historical evidence and differing secondary opinions.

USH.9.3 Analyze multiple, unexpected, and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

USH.9.4 Explain issues and problems of the past by analyzing the interests and viewpoints of those involved.

USH.9.5 Formulate and present a position or course of action on an issue by examining the underlying factors contributing to

that issue.

Critical Components to Model HT in Classrooms• Apply HT standards to lesson designs• Create opportunities for students to exemplify HT – use

gradual release of responsibility• Discuss and practice using HT concepts before applying them

to specific content• Organize lessons around an essential question

Advantages and adjustments of organizing our instruction around essential (critical, etc.) questions?

Advantages• Promotes inquiry• Starts with the particulars• Works best with collaboration• Reflects the issues and events

experienced in everyday life• Allows for introspection and an

examination of universal values

Adjustments• Shifts more responsibility on student to

‘explore’ possible answers• Requires patience to build up to a

conclusion• Requires rules and procedures to guide

‘productive’ collaboration• Everyday life can be messy and sometimes

may not provide clear answers – can students settle for that?

• Introspection and universal values may make us more vulnerable as thinkers

Essential Questions During Instruction• Best practice is to model the essential question in all stages of the

gradual release of responsibility:1. Students see the teacher using an essential question to guide their

reading (I do it)2. Students will follow the modeled example (We do it)3. Students will collaborate in applying this modeled method (You do it

together)4. Students then refer to the essential question and apply its purpose

independently (You do it alone)

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

Focus Lesson

Guided Instruction

“I do it”

“We do it”

“You do it together”

Collaborative

Independent “You do it alone”

A Model for Success for All Students Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Where can you find essential questions in the pacing resources?

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Asking the Right Questions

Further Steps in Teaching Historical Thinking and

Essential QuestionsAdditional slides

Elements of Historical Thinking

A Framework to Lead Us to Our Questions

Visualizing the Process

Our understanding and experience

drives our thinking

HistoricalThinking

frames our teaching

Formulating an essential

question engages our

students

Shifting from Facts to Concepts

From To

Facts Concepts and content knowledge

Breadth of topic Depth within topic

Recall Transfer and connections

Shifting from Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered

From To

Teacher as disseminator Student as a facilitator

Students learn facts from textbook

Students investigate the social sciences using

multiple sources

Students retell interpretation

Students construct interpretations and

communicate conclusions

How does this impact the classroom?• It impacts how we design our lessons and activities• It impacts how we interact with students about what

they are learning• It impacts how students shape their own learning• It becomes a model for thinking about the world (past

and present) in general – promotes critical reflection and empathy

French Taxi Drivers Attack Über (Yahoo News)

1. What issue we can identify?2. What historical thinking should we apply?3. What essential question can we develop?

Italians revolt against migrant 'invasion‘ (The Telegraph)

1. What issue we can identify?2. What historical thinking should we apply?3. What essential question can we develop?

Women’s World Cup Final Was Most-Watched Soccer Game in United States History (New York Times)

1. What issue we can identify?2. What historical thinking should we apply?3. What essential question can we develop?

Supreme Court decisions sweep aside history (Courier-Journal)

1. What issue we can identify?2. What historical thinking should we apply?3. What essential question can we develop?

Putting together a lesson that teaches historical thinking• 1. Start with a standard and identify enduring idea (concept)• 2. Apply question to a topic that will lead students to understand a a type of

historical thinking (content-wise/skill-wise)• 3. Find/create sources that presents information in a way that illustrates the

type of historical thinking you wish to highlight (be sure to organize this around an essential question!)• 4. Model where and how students can use sources of information to support

‘their’ point of view• 5. Allow students to collaborate in this endeavor through facilitation• 6. Challenge students to explain their point of view independently using

supporting evidence