December 10th (2010): PD related to the Modern History 112 DRAFT curriculum

Agenda:

AcknowledgmentsTimelinePD VideosHistorical Thinking (ppt)Preparation time/feedback

December 10th (2010): PD related to the Modern History 112 DRAFT curriculum

Agenda:AcknowledgmentsTimeline barbara.hillman@gnb.ca

PD VideosHistorical Thinking (ppt)Preparation time/feedback

December 10th (2010): PD related to the Modern History 112 DRAFT curriculum

Agenda:AcknowledgmentsTimelinePD VideosHistorical Thinking (ppt)Preparation time/feedback

Historical Thinking: Key Concepts & Practical Applications

Six Concepts of Historical Thinking:

Significance

Evidence

Cause and Consequence

Continuity and Change

Historical Perspective-Taking

The Ethical dimension

Seixas, P., & Clark, P., (Ed.) (2006) Teaching about Historical Thinking. UBC, Canada: The Critical Thinking Consortium.

Significance

Consequences (resulting in change) Prominence of the event at the time Occupies a key place in a meaningful

narrative Revealing

– Does the event explain something about later events or the present?

Evidence

Problem: The past is gone How do we know about the past? How do we decide what to believe about

the past? Primary and secondary sources make

history more tangible for students.

Evidence: How you might begin… Students write a history of the first day of school.

In small groups, they compare their histories – Why are there differences? They all experienced the first day together – shouldn’t the histories all be the same?

Why do they think other students wrote histories different than theirs?

Discuss this with students – introduce the idea of “perspective”

Could the same thing happen when history books (and textbooks) are written? Why?

What does this tell us about historical accounts? (Interpretation is key)

Bain, R. B. (2005). "They thought the world was flat?": Applying the principles of how people learn in teaching high school history. In J. Bransford & S. Donovan (Eds.), How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom (pp. 179-214). Washington: The National Academies Press.

Continuity & Change

Change and continuity are on-going and ever present

Change can occur at different rates Change and continuity can be both positive and

negative (e.g. progress & decline)

Comparisons can be made between points of history and between the past and the present

Cause and Consequence Events have a myriad of different and

often unappreciated causes Prior events may have no causal influence

on subsequent events - Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (after this, therefore because of this )

Looking for broad underlying factors is as important (or more important) than identifying immediate particular causes

Actions have unintended consequences

Historical Perspective-Taking Presentism is the antithesis of historical

perspective Historical perspective is concerned with

understanding the prevailing norms of the time more than it is adopting a particular person’s point of view

There are diverse historical perspectives on any given event in the past

Adopting an historical perspective requires suspending moral judgment.

The Ethical Dimension

There is value in withholding moral judgments until adequate information has been acquired

Determining cause is different from assigning responsibility

Works Cited:

Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness. (n.d.). Benchmarks of Historical Thinking. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.histori.ca/benchmarks/

Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness. (n.d.). Concepts. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from http://www.histori.ca/benchmarks/concepts

Peck, C. (2009). Taking Risks. Retrieved October 25, 2010, from: http://historywire.ca/en/post/19756;jsessionid=BC270DD9DFF0FE6FC8A3D3980A8B1011.tomcat1

Seixas, P. (2006). Benchmarks of historical thinking: A framework for assessment in Canada. UBC: Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness.

Case, R. (Ed.). (2006). Tools for historical understanding: Teaching about historical thinking. UBC: The Critical Thinking Consortium.

December 10th (2010): PD related to the Modern History 112 DRAFT curriculum

Agenda:AcknowledgmentsTimelinePD VideosHistorical Thinking (ppt)Preparation time/feedback