Arab Educational Information Network

How can students construct their own causal explanations, reach their own generalizations about historical change (or continuity) and establish evidence for their own enquiries? How can we teach them enough about the discipline of history – its practice and purpose – to enable them to challenge unwarranted or distorted claims made by others? The author used real examples of practical classroom activities in order to model interactive approaches through which various types of historical thinking can be nurtured. Participants were invited to reflect on the properties of fruitful ‘enquiry questions’ which can structure and drive students’ thinking about any historical concept. They also considered the relationship between oral and written activities in developing students’ confidence and motivation to argue with independence, rigour and commitment. A key theme of the address was ways of nurturing both knowledge and conceptual thinking and thus avoiding outdated dichotomies of ‘content’ and ‘skills’. (Author’s Abstract)