Historical Thinking in the K-12 Classroom

The Historic Sense (1917) In 1917, J. Carleton Bell noted that when speaking with history teachers that one thought persists “I do not care to have my pupils learn dates and events, but I am particularly anxious to have them develop the historic sense.” As he questioned what this meant, especially for the learner in a history classroom, he found an eminent university professor of history who eloquently summed up this thought: –If two students are given a number of newspaper files and are asked to write the history of a town for a five-year period, one will give a clear, intelligible, well articulated account, with the various events and movements in due perspective, with adequate emphasis on a few leading features and proper subordination of details, while the other will have merely a hodge-podge of miscellaneous facts. The one shows the historic sense, the other does not. (p )

Five Aspects of the Historic Sense (1917) 1.The ability to understand present events in light of the past. 2.The ability to sift through the documentary record-- newspaper articles, hearsay, partisan attacks, contemporary accounts--and construct "from this confused tangle a straightforward and probable account" of what happened. 3.The ability to appreciate a historical narrative. 4.Reflective and discriminating replies to ‘thought questions' on a given historical situation.“ 5.The ability to answer factual questions about historical personalities and events.

Assessments of factual knowledge Bell and McCollum created the first large-scale test of factual knowledge in United States history –1,500 hundred Texas students –Elementary level overall score – 16% –High school level overall score – 33% –College level overall score – 49%

"Ignorance of U.S. History Shown by College Freshmen," trumpeted the headline in the New York Times Magazine on April 4, Allan Nevins noted: –“We cannot understand what we are fighting for unless we know how our principles developed." Educational Testing Service (ETS) Survey (1976) –2,000 college freshman / 194 campuses –42 multiple-choice questions on the test - students averaged an embarrassing 21 correct--a failing score of 50 percent.

National Assessment of Educational Progress Results from the 1987, 1994, 2001, and 2006 administrations of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, known informally as the "Nation's Report Card") have shown little deviation from earlier trends.

History is Boring! Indiana University's Center for Survey Research (1994) National Survey –808 Americans surveyed –Asked to "pick one word or phrase to describe your experience with history classes in elementary or high school.” "Boring" was the single most frequent description and negative descriptions significantly outweighed positive ones Larry Cuban labeled social studies a content area of "persistent instruction“ –a single teacher standing in front of a group of students, talking. Despite reform efforts, this structure has persisted

History is Boring! A sixty-four-year-old Floridian described it this way: "The teacher would call out a certain date and then we would have to stand at attention and say what the date was. I hated it.“ 12th-grade history course –One year, five boys showed up, gave the instructor disappointed looks and said they had enrolled the history course only "because of the hot lady who was supposed to be teaching the class."

Creating Historical Thinkers Novice vs. Expert –Historical “Habits of Mind” Historical presentism Progression of time is preordained – clear start and finish to history Progression of intelligence One cause for historical events – presented by the textbook Learn from the past to avoid mistakes in the future One source and perspective is sufficient

Creating Historical Thinkers Schema –The difficulty of your set could be increased if you do a jam followed by a peach

Best Practices in History Instruction Use of Document Sets –Primary and Secondary sources Historical Question (of interest to the students) to Focus Inquiry Appropriate Scaffolds and Handouts to Support Student Learning Multiple Opportunities to Practice New Skills Gradual Release of Responsibility