historical thinking shawnigan lake 2

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Histories are the stories we tell about the past. (Introduction to The Big Six)

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Behind the Curtain: Historical Thinking

Tom Morton (GuyLafleur64 - www.slideshare.net)

Shawnigan Lake, May 30, 2014

http://www.slideshare.net

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www.heritagefairs.ca

The Fourfold Challenge to TeachingHistory: Purpose

I think that it is in the curriculum becausepeople need to learnabout it.

If you want to do something to do withhistory it is important but if you don’t I don’t know.

I don’t know or care.

I don’t know, but it helps you on quiz shows and pub quizzes.

They don’t tell us why.

Because it gives you an idea about human nature, the same as citzenship, and provides a basis for understanding the way the world istoday.

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The Fourfold Challenge: Connection

• Canadians and Their Pasts, a telephone survey of 3,419 adult residents of Canada found that family history was seen by Canadians as by far the most important aspect of the past and "'autobiographical memory,' a personal version of history is a first step in the development of a 'usable past.'” Yet beyond the primary grades it is not a feature of provincial curriculum.

• Student understanding is often “piecemeal and confused”, unconnected to the big ideas in history or a larger narrative.

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Fourfold Challenge: knowledge

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Fourfold Challenge: Engagement

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What would make history meaningful, coherent, and engaging?

• Students understand the purpose of a topic, project, or learning goal through exploration of concepts of historical significance and cause and consequence.

• Students connect personal and local history to larger narratives and see the connections amongst events over time — the “big picture” of change and continuity.

• Students develop curiosity about the past and through the concept of evidence follow that curiosity.

• Students study people of the past and questions of fairness that they care about.

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Six Concepts of Historical Thinking:

To think historically, students need to be able to:• Establish historical significance• Use primary source evidence• Identify continuity and change• Analyze cause and consequence• Take historical perspectives, and• Understand the ethical

dimension of historical interpretations.

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References:

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Introduction to the Concept of Evidence and Inquiry: I Left a Trace

1. Jot down everything thatyou have done in the last 24 hours.

(that would be appropriate for discussion.)

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2. Make a list of traces that mighthave been left from your life duringthe past 24 hours.

3. Check ✓ those that were likely

to have been preserved.

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1. How well could a biographer 50 years from now write the story of your 24 hours based on the traces you left? How much of what happened would be left out? What aspects of the story might the biographer miss?

2. Where else could he or she turn for evidence?

3. How could readers of the biography know if it was an accurate account?

4. What does this exercise tell us about the challenges historians face when writing histories?

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“the past as a series of events is utterly gone . . . some remnants remain like litter from a picnic, but these material remains never speak for themselves. In fact they are inert traces until someone asks a question that turns them into evidence.”

- Joyce Appleby, “The Power of History”

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Working with traces from the past can both developthe concept of evidence and build curiosity for a more in depth inquiry such as a Heritage Fair project.

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Context and Inquiry Questions:

In 1710, the British brought three Mohawks and one Mahican to England to meet Queen Anne, introducing them as “kings” of the Iroquois confederacy. During their visit, the Queen asked artist John Verelst to paint their portraits. This is his portrait of the Mohawk Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, also known as Hendrick.

Why would they bring them to England?

Why would the Queen want Verelstto paint their portraits?

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Further Context:

Those who brought Hendrick to England said that he was the “Emperor” of the Iroquois Confederacy, even though they knew he was only a minor chief.

The Iroquois were traditional allies with the English in conflicts against the French in North America.

Why would they be brought to England?Why would the Queen want Verelst to paint their portraits?

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Though naturally curious, curiosity is fragile

When you solve a problem, your brain may reward itself with a small dose of dopamine, a naturally occurring chemical important to the brain’s pleasure system...

Notably, we get the pleasure in solving the problem. We do not find it pleasurable to work on a problem with no sense that we make progress on it. Then too, we don’t get great pleasure in simply knowing the answer. (Daniel Willingham)

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Working with evidence involves

• Making inferences

• Using context

• Sourcing

• Developing questions for further inquiry

• Corroborating/cross-checking

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Experts do those things, but only because their mental toolbox enables them to do so. The only path to expertise as far as anyone know involves long, focused practice.

(Daniel Willingham)

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Visual Analysis: Inferencing

What can we infer from this trace of the past about the historical context, the photographic situation, and the situation of Blacks in Victoria at this time?

Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps. Photographer: UNDETERMINED Date: [186-] Photo C-06124 courtesy BC Archives

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Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps, also known at the time as Sir James Douglas' Coloured Regiment.Photographer: UNDETERMINED Date: [186-] Photo C-06124 courtesy BC Archives

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Context

• The Fraser River and Cariboo Gold Rushes (1858 – 1862) attracted tens of thousands of mostly American miners. Theysoon came into conflict with First Nations.

• Governor James Douglas invited free Blacks living in San Francisco to settle in Victoria and several hundred did so. They soon began farming and opening various businesses.

• Governor Douglas created the colony of British Columbia joining Vancouver Island and the mainland.

• In 1859 a dispute between Britain and the United States over possession of the San Juan Islands (in what is now the Salish Sea) led to the Pig War.

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Question Generation 1 – Question Formation Technique (AKA: Brainstorming)

• Ask as many questions as you can.

• Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer the questions.

• Write down every question exactly as it is stated.

• Change any statement into a question.

(Rothstein and Santana, Make Just One Change)

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Question Generation 2: Brainstorming with Prompts

1. Brainstorm a list of at least 12 questions about the topic or source. Use these question-starters to help you think of interesting questions:

– Why…?

– How is this connected to…?

– What happened as a result of…?

– What kind of a change was...?

– How should we remember...?

– What does this suggest to us about…?

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2. Review the brainstormed list and star the questions that seem most interesting and important. Then, select one or two starred questions and be ready to present these to the class.

3. Reflect: How do you know you have a good question? Would it make a good Heritage Fairs project? What possible answer do you have to your question? Where could you go to learn more and test your answer?

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Criteria for Good Inquiry Questions

• They are worth answering (lead to deeperunderstanding of history; authentic)

• They are broadly engaging (for teacher inquiries)

• Students care about them – they see the purposein answering them

• They can be answered, though the answer maybe contested or difficult (and this may needteacher support if this is the case)

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Ways to Support Students to GenerateQuestions:• Look at models, e.g., www.bcheritagefairs.ca

portfolio

• Supply prompts

• Use engaging sources to build curiosity

• Brainstorm questions

• Give or create criteria for powerful questions

• Make a Wonder Wall of Questions

• Plan for peer and teacher feedback

• Practise with small inquiries

• Have students choose one question; you chooseanother

http://www.bcheritagefairs.ca

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Turn these into good inquiry questions:

1. Battle for North America (Seven Years War to War of 1812)

2. The American Revolution to the War of 1812: “Canadians burn down the White House”

3. Reform and Rebellion; Life in the Victorian Era: “It’s a hard knock life”

4. Confederation: “Canada drinks its way into existence”

5. Opening the West: “Louis Riel has left the building”

6. British Columbia: “A bunch of Brits and Scots make a Province”

7. Canada to World War I: “From Far and Wide we Stand on Guard for Thee”

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No Frills Steps in an Inquiry:

• Kindle curiosity – « some perplexity, confusion, or doubt » (John Dewey)

• Establish some knowledge base

• Develop questions

• Pose first hypothesis and reflect on certainty

• Explore further evidence

• Refine hypothesis and so on as time and interestpermit

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Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps, also known at the time as Sir James Douglas' Coloured Regiment.Photographer: UNDETERMINED Date: [186-] Photo C-06124 courtesy BC Archives

Why was this photograph of the Pioneer Rifles taken?

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Reflection on Certainty: Clothesline

www.thinkinghistory.co.uk -© Ian Dawson 2009

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How certain are you about your answer/hypothesis?

UNCERTAIN?

CERTAIN?

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How certain are you about your hypothesis?

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What words do students need to use?

MaybeNot surePossiblyPerhapsMost likelyWhat phrases?

This source suggests…This photo confirms the idea that… I chose these two pictures to show…

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Corroboration with further evidence:

Sophia Cracroft, niece and travelling companion of Lady Jane Franklin, who was visiting Victoria in 1861, wrote in a letter:

"At 5 o'clock the Bishop came to be present at the visits of the coloured people who had asked my Aunt to see them… The first was Mr. Gibbs, a most respectable merchant who is rising fast. His manner is exceedingly good, & his way of speaking quite refined. He is not quite black, but his hair is I believe short & crisp. Three other men arrived after him … (T)hey were the Captain & other officers of a Coloured Rifle Corps, & the Captain proceeded to speak very feelingly of the prejudices existing here even, against their colour.

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He said they knew it was because of the strong American element which entered into the community, which however they hoped one day to see overpowered by the English one: -that they had come here hoping to find that true freedom which could be enjoyed only under English privileges...

… They naturally detest America, & this Rifle corps has been formed by them really with the view of resisting American aggression, such as this San Juan alarm, still pending.

As he went out, the Captain said 'Depend upon it, Madam, if Uncle Sam goes too far, we shall be able to give a good account of ourselves.'"

(cited in Crawford Killian, Go Do Some Great Thing: the Black Pioneers of British Columbia. (1978) Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 78.)

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• Does this new context support yourunderstanding, challenge it, or expand it?

• What other questions do you have about the photographic situation, the Victoria Pioneer Rifles, or the position of Blacks in Victoria at thistime?

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Guideposts to Understanding Evidence

• History is intepretation based on inferences made from primary sources. Primary sources can beaccounts, but they can also be traces, relics, or records.

• Asking good questions about a source can turn itinto evidence.

• Sourcing often begins before a source is read, withquestions about who created it and when it wascreated. It involves inferring from the source the author’s or creator’s purpose, values, and worldview, either conscious or unconscious.

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• A source should be analyzed in relation to the context of its historical setting: the conditions and worldviews prevalent at the time in question.

• Inferences made from a source can never stand alone. They should always be corroborated—checked against other sources (primary and secondary).

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Change and Continuity

“Come on, Bart. History can be fun. It’s like an

amusement park except instead of rides, you get

to memorize dates.”

—Marge Simpson in “Margical History Tour,” an episode of The Simpsons that aired on December 22, 2004

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Making History Meaningfulby Building Connections: Exploring Continuity and Change through EnhancedTimelines

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Guideposts to Understanding Continuity and Change

1. Continuity and change are interwoven: both can existtogether. Chronologies—the sequencing of events—can bea good starting point.

2. Change is a process, with varying paces and patterns. Turning points are moments when the process of change shifts in direction or pace.

3. Progress and decline are broad evaluations of change over time. Depending on the impacts of change, progressfor one people may be decline for another.

4. Periodization helps us organize our thinking about continuity and change. It is a process of interpretation, by which we decide which events or developments constitutea period of history.

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Inquiry Questions for Continuity and Change

• Has (the situation of minorities, relations with the U.S., school, family life, etc) really changed in the last 150 years?

• In this time of radical change from 1858 to 1863 what more or less stayed the same?

• What kind of a change was the Gold Rush?

• What kind of a turning point was 1858?

• When did British Columbia become British?

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Concept: Historical Significance

The problem: We can’t remember or learn or

cover everything that ever happened. How do we decide what is important to learn about the past?

“Historical significance”: the principles behind the selection of what and who should be remembered, researched, taught and learned about the past.

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Question Stems for HistoricalSignificance (aka: so-what or who-cares questions:

• What was so special about X?• Why should everyone remember X?• Does X deserve to be famous?• Why was X forgotten?

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Should the Victoria Pioneer Rifles be in ourtextbooks? On what grounds?

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Working with historical significance: Diamond Ranking

Most

Least

49Pioneer Rifles

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Who were the most historicallysignificant during British Columbia’sGold Rushes?

• James Douglas

• Amelia Douglas

• Matthew Begbie

• Chief Spintlum

• Royal Engineers• Victoria Pioneer

Rifles• Hurdy Gurdy Girls• Billy Barker

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Guideposts to Understanding HistoricalSignificance

1. An event, person, or development has historical significance if it resulted in change. That is, it had deep consequences, for many people, over a long period of time.

2. An event, person, or development has historical significance if it is revealing. That is, it sheds light on enduring or emerging issues in history or contemporary life.

3. Historical significance is constructed. That is, events, people, and developments meet the criteria for historical significance only when they are shown to occupy a meaningful place in a narrative.

4. Historical significance varies over time and from group to group.

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Other Historical Thinking Concepts:

• Cause and Consequence

• Historical Perspective-Taking

• Ethical Dimension

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Your Tasks (in whatever order suits you):

• Choose a historical thinking concept and a unit of study.

• Establish some goals/learning intentions/enduringunderstandings.

• Create an essential question/inquiry question.

• Decide on an appropriate performance task.

• Plan an introduction to the concept.

• Outline subsequent activities.

• Develop an assessment plan.

• Report on your progress.

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Reflection

What is one thing – big or small – covered so far that you mightuse in the next month?What are your thoughts on curiosity, connections, purpose, or engagement?What is one question that you would like to ask?

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A Human Timeline

• Prepare posters or tabards and props.

• Distribute one poster per student.

• Option: have two timelines facing each other to compare.

• Possible avenues to explore: significance, periodisation, turning points, narratives, other?

• Where do you place topics that carry over an extended period of time?

• Repeat at regular intervals.

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Assessment Resources

beyondthebubble.stanford.edu www.begbiecontestsociety.org

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Teaching Resources: www.bcheritagefairs.ca

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Inferences vsFace Value (Gold Rush)

Face value: The obvious reading of the source

Inferences: Reading deeper. What does it suggest?

This suggests that there may be a problem with erosion as

shown by the slide of dirt and rock.

The work is being done by men by hand. This might suggest that conditions are challenging. Food and equipment may be in short

supply. It also suggests that there are few women.

The narrow width and sides suggest that this could be used to carry water. Water could be used in gold mining to separate gold from dirt and gravel. The water and dirt would destroy salmon

spawning beds in the river below.

William’s Creek, Cariboo, ca. 1868

These men are holding tools.

This is a narrow band or path.

Trees were cut down.

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Historical Thinking Project

The website features news, descriptions of the key aspects of each of the six concepts, graphic organizers, sample tasks and a searchable database of over 75 lesson plans.

http://historicalthinking.ca/

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Videos on Concepts: TC2 Take 2 videos:

Thinking about history

http://tc2.ca/teaching-resources/online-resource-collections/special-collections/thinking-about-history.php

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TC2 Primary Source Collection

http://sourcedocs.tc2.ca/history-docs/about-history-docs.html

History Docs is a searchable collection of carefully selected sets of primary and secondary source documents about peoples, places, things and events in Canadian history.

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« The Role of Purpose in History Teaching » (Barton and Levstik. Teaching History for the Common Good.)

• Unless they have a clear sense of purpose, teachers’ primary actions continue to be coverageof the curriculum and control of students, no matter how much they know about history, teaching, or the intersection of the two.

• To engage students in activities that involveinterpreting evidence (and multiple perspectives), teachers must have a purpose that can only beaccomplished by such activities.

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• There are two obvious candidates for this honour. The first has dominated scholarship on historyeducation over the past two decades: Studentsshould learn about the past in ways consistent with the academic discipline of history.

• (T)he other candidate for the purpose of historyeducation has far greater potential to inspire conviction…: Students should learn history to contribute to a participatory, pluralisticdemocracy.

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A modest proposal for an agenda item for yournext department/school meeting: a rationalefor teaching history, e.g.:

• Historical significance and Ethical Dimension to establish purpose for students

• Continuity and Change and Cause and Consequence to see connections

• Evidence to develop curiosity about the past and, as students’ ability to lead an inquiry grows, to practisejudgement based on evidence

• Historical Perspective-taking for engagement and to expand the understanding of what it means to be human

• Ethical Dimension to acknowledge our debt to the pastand debate questions of social justice

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Reflection

• Two stars and a wish• Next steps• Suggestions

historical thinking shawnigan lake 2

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