Thinking over the texts and videos, I was reminded how I became interested in pursuing studies in History – my longtime love of reading was complemented with a curiosity akin to the module’s approach to historical thinking. I often wanted to know why and how books were written after I read them, and this principle extended into learning about history. Most of my textbooks that I remember attempted the omniscient perspective of narrative history brought up in the module, so I was constantly questioning why the things I learned about happened. I resonated with Brenda Santos’ criticism of lessons which “presents students with a question and sources, but simply asks them to find an answer;” classroom activities that merely involve reading sources according to a central narrative do not foster a proper foundation for historical thinking (Finding Out vs. Figuring Out). This kind of thinking, which sometimes seems woefully unpopular, is key not just in the humanities but in everyday life, as some of the videos underscore. Proper source evaluation is one of the biggest factors of historical thinking because of how much more comes from being able to parse information and its context – Wineburg, Smith, and Breakstone elaborate that on a larger scale “the study of history should be a mind-altering encounter that leaves one forever unable to consider the social world without asking questions about where a claim comes from, who is making it, and how time and place shape human behavior” (“What is Learned in College History Classes?”). Their questions of “where a claim comes from, who is making it, and how time and place shape human behavior” are fundamental parts of approaching historical study in a way that does not cloud present understanding of the past nor preclude drawing any shared meaning from it. In “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts,” Wineburg further elaborates that the “balancing of perspectives requires us to step back from our immediate stance and see things in other ways,” even in circumstances of emotion or ignorance – not that those circumstances are invalid but that proper historical thinking always requires a balanced approach to time and place. In essence, everyone (hopefully) performs some variation of historical thinking when they evaluate a news article, attempt to emphasize with someone, or establish any similar connection between one’s experience and that of another in different circumstances. In applying this to historical study, the key is being able to step back and recognize one’s own place in historic perspective in relation to what is learned.

Although I have spent several years practicing historical thinking in the classroom, I have yet to experience teaching it to others. As many of the module’s videos explain, it is not enough to simply provide rote learning of facts – students must see meaning in the information as well as in the act of learning it. Thus, my first question would be: how does an educator best inspire this sense of meaning for students? Regarding the field of history, I found the examples given in the ‘Uncoverage’ viewing to provide a foundation for this question by emphasizing the applications of historical thinking to both historical content and present ways of thinking. This leads to my second question: how would an educator appropriately tie lessons on history to the present? In a similar vein as the Uncoverage viewing, Wineburg posits that when history is taught effectively, it helps “to know others, whether they live on the other side of the tracks or the other side of the millennium, requires the education of our sensibilities,” elaborating that “what allows us to come to know others is our distrust of our capacity to know them, a skepticism toward the extraordinary sense-making abilities that allow us to construct the world around us” (Historical Thinking). Wineburg is speaking of the overall gap in understanding between the past and the ever-moving present, but this principle also speaks to the importance of understanding both ends. Finally, I would ask myself: how would I, as an educator, establish this connection and meaning to students not familiar with historical study? Of course, I hope to find an answer in this course, but I realize that a large portion of teaching means bridging a gap with people who may or may not share interests or desire for learning. The above approaches to establishing connections and meaning are important, but I will continue to see what my personal approach would look like through this class and this project.

Sources:

Santos, Brenda. Finding Out vs. Figuring Out: A framework for inquiry-based history, 2022.

Wineburg, Sam. “Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts.” The Phi Delta Kappan 80, no. 7. March 1999. p. 488-499.

Wineburg, Sam, Mark Smith, and Joel Breakstone. “What Is Learned in College History Classes?” The Journal of American History. March 2018. p. 983-993.