Category Archives: historical thinking

Teaching with Artifacts

historical thinking, lesson plans, Mary Madden, primary sources, professional development, , , ,

I am a museum geek. I grew up going to museums in Chicago, part of our annual trip to see my grandparents. That, plus my love of American history, led me to the museum field and teaching with artifacts. Nothing can bring history to life like the things left behind.

Don’t believe me?

Check out the German U-boat, the U505, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Or examine the pike at the Kansas Museum of History, one of the actual pikes John Brown purchased and shipped to Harper’s Ferry to start a slave insurrection. Looking at the pike you can’t help but ask yourself

Who used it? What happened to that person? Why did he buy pikes and not rifles? Why did the revolt fail?

This is why I love artifacts. Continue reading Teaching with Artifacts →

Stoking the Element!

Brad Burenheide, historical thinking, standards, , , , ,
Cover of "The Element: How Finding Your P...
Cover via Amazon

A few years back, I was intrigued by the TED talk given by Sir Ken Robinson entitled Schools Kill Creativity.  I subsequently read the book The Element and was thoroughly pleased when KSU brought him to campus for a talk.  As a bit of a reflection and exercise in recharging my mental batteries, last week I reviewed the talk, the book, and my notes from his presentation and have mixed feelings.

Continue reading Stoking the Element! →

Your brain is a bucket full of holes. Sam Wineburg can help

Glenn Wiebe, historical thinking, lesson plans, primary sources, , ,

I get the chance to work with all sorts of teachers, across the state and around the country. We’re all different. But when the conversation turns to teaching and learning social studies, I often hear the same thing:

“I have to lecture (or have students read their textbooks out loud, create outlines from the chapter, complete fill-in-the-blank worksheet packets, or watch a 30 year old video converted from 16 mm film) because the kids have to know their facts. It’s not fair asking them to think historically without the basic facts.”

I get it. And I don’t disagree. Kids do need the facts. But I think for too long we’ve just assumed that acquiring foundational knowledge and historical thinking are two distinct and different activities. We fill up their heads with facts and then, if we have time in the school year and after the state assessments are over, then . . . we can try some of that historical thinking stuff.

We need to stop doing that.

The brain is not a basket that we can just fill up with stuff. The brain is a Continue reading Your brain is a bucket full of holes. Sam Wineburg can help →