At the end of this Chapter, Students should be able to: 1, determine the Purpose of learning history; 2. examine issues on the rationales for learning history; 3. explore issues on historical thinking in basic education; 4. discuss issues on historical interpretations, change and continuity, and causal explanation; and Ss Propose ways of addressing challenges of historical evidence, significance, and moral learning in history. Purpose of Learning History VanSledright (1997) found that students’ views on the purposes of History are focused on the rationale of George Santayana for studying History. The famous rationale of Santayana is: “those who fail to learn from the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them” (as cited in VanSledright, 1997; p. 530). Reasons for learning History in school. The following reasons for learning History reflect the Santayanan rationale. Learning lessons from the past. Students tend to view History as a subject that could help people avoid mistakes'in the past. VanSledright (1997) referred this to the Whig or progressive interpretation of History. It says that history is like a record of progress that shows how people were able to solve problems that led to the betterment of their lives. To know everything. Most students tend to view history as a subject that could help them learn everything that happened in the past and even in our Present times. VanSledright (1997) attributed this to being naiveté of younger students. This means that young ones have the tendency to ask a lot of questions, especially if it is their first time to learn about it. $ The quest for origins. Students also reflect curiosity on where they came from. This shows that students have the tendency to inquire about their roots and : are very excited to trace answers from the past using timelines.Forming a self-identity. Older students tend to view history as a subj that will help them search for their own identity. VanSledright (1997) used the Work of Collingwood to support this. It states that teenagers are encountering identi issues so history could provide them with leads and even skills that will bring then, to a better understanding of themselves. Awareness and appreciation of others’ cultures and time periods, Olde, students also point to the view that history can make people appreciate differen, cultures. However, VanSledright (1997) stated that younger students showy be taught how to look at different perspectives so that they can understand the situations of other people. ; Socialization function: patriotism. The “most compelling and thoughtful rationale” in teaching history that was provided by a student is “its ability to instill a sense of collective identity and a patriotic spirit” (VanSledright, 1997, P. 541). However, VanSledright (1997) cautioned that students might develop Political cynicism which may discourage them to participate and cooperate with the programs of the government. Thus, there is a need to highlight this purpose of, history, The existence of the Santayanan rationale in these reasons for learning History means that students.tend to view history as unchanging and uncontested (VanSledright, 1997). This is described by Michael Kammen as “stabilized history” which views history as “a result of the scientific and cumulative amassing of Putative facts” that are commonly accepted (as cited in VanSledright, 1997, p. 550). However, this view should be corrected as history is evolving. This is what they call “new history” (VanSledright, 1997, p. 550). This means that new pieces of evidence in history could result to better interpretations of the past. This is especially true as textbooks in history may have inaccurate content that needs to be corrected. Importance of History outside school. “How might leaming history help you in your life away, from school?” (VanSledright, 1997, p. 543). The following reasons reflect variations of the utilitarian rationale. Jobs, Students say that learning history may help them in acquiring jobs in the future. VanSledright (1997) used the delayed gratification principle to explain this. He stated that students tend to view their assignments and other requirements as a preparation for their future careers (VanSledright, 1997). However, Farman argued that students tend to equate social studies subjects as a preparation for community work rather than for “careers or marriage and family” (as cited in VanSledright, p. 545). ‘ ing for a future: Kids, sixth grade and college. Students also viewed ane ation for having a family, higher grade level, and college (VanSledright, 1997). However, it is noted that the students tend to have hesitations on their responses. ilife because that is what the teacher said. VanSledright (1997) expresses dright (1997) stated that this could be due to the io ititudes of early adolescents like i ‘4 : impressing their peers by showing that they have Mot of knowledge. Entertainm . qstance, ‘anSledvight ‘sme view history as a form of entertainment. For «called Jeopardy, ain ee that students are motivated to play the quiz . , questions that ir hii thereby making the student interested in learning. at gre from the hintory Jenin Recognizing thi ii . spin identifying a nie while travelling. Students view history as an important to p ' arks around the world, especially if they are on a travel. rst ir . F , serest, ead ednieme 4 Students also view history to further discover their areas en P 4 ight (1997) stated that students who are interested in basketball may oie bene to research on the history of that game to further understand how it is being played. In this way, students will learn how to collect data, and evaluate historical evidence, _ Learning about your ethnic heritage. Students are interested to know more of their ethnic backgrounds. This is important in understanding the lives of people in their own community. However, as VanSledright (1997) noted, students did not encounter this kind of topic in their history class which made them disappointed. Stumped. Older students tend to find it difficult to see the value of history outside school (VanSledright, 1997). A teacher’s rationale, Students say that history will be important in their d his concern on this as it will make students unsure on why they are learning history. ~ From the list of reasons for learning history, VanSledright (1997) noted that portant rationales like participatory citizenship, proactive reflection and critique, argumentation, and intellectual lies that there are other rationales for studying history Bit VanSledright (1997) expressed his concern that be detrimental to the no one mentioned more im legacy and responsibility, and imaginative life. This imp] that could be taught to students. if these more important rationales are ignored, then it may ‘formation of stude! nts’ historical understanding. . What are the reasons for learning history in school? What is the Santayanan rationale in learning history? Do you agree with the Santayanan rationale? Why? |. What is the Whig or progressive interpretation of history? Do you agree with the Whig or progressive interpretation of history? Why? : Chapter t: Trends and Issues in Learning History P|4. What is described by Michael Kammen as “stabilized history”? Do You agree with a “stabilized history”? Why? / . 5. What is “new history”? Do you agree with a “new history” Perspective) Why? ; 6. Why do most students tend to view history as @ subject that could help them learn everything that happened in the past? 7. Why should younger students be taught on how to look at differen, historical perspectives? 8. Why do older students tend to view history as a subject that will help them search for their own identity? 9. What is political cynicism and why should teachers be careful about it? 10. How should history teachers teach participatory citizenship, proactive legacy and responsibility, reflection and critique, argumentation, and intellectual and imaginative life among students? Historical Thinking in Basic Education . i Research on history education in both elementary and secondary levels Pointed out issues on students’ historical thinking. It ,has been noted that such issues dwell on the capacity of teachers to develop historical thinking among their students. Husbands: (2011) stated that teachers must be “intellectually capable and well informed” (p. 84). Then, there is a need to have teachers who can hone students to become critical thinkers. This has been supported by the study of McKinseys as it emphasized the recruitment of “well-qualified candidates into teaching” (as cited in Husbands, 2011, p. 84). But Husbands (2011) cautioned that being “merely academically well qualified” may not be enough (p. 84). He said that * teachers should also “be able to relate to young people” (Husbands, 2011, p. 84). In addition, he stated that the ability to understand and communicate with students can “make learning real” (Husbands, 2011, p. 24). In this regard, Lee Shulman created the model of pedagogical content knowledge to blend content, and pedagogy and present the lesson in a way that can address the needs of the learners (as cited in Husbands, 2011). However, Shulman was criticized as this model tends to be teacher-centered and not directly catering to the concerns of the learners (as cited in Husbands, 2011). This implies the need to have teachers who are expert in teaching history lessons and in relating with students’ needs. In order to address the issues on the teachers’ knowledge and pedagogy, . Husbands (2011) created a framework which highlighted teachers’ knowl ode abou the subject like substantive and procedural knowledge, knowledge about pupils, and knowledge about classroom practices. It is evident that having mastery of the subject matter is needed in order to “ask Closely focused questions and to probe pupils’ responses, to correct or explore misconceptions” (Husbands, 2011, . 86) However, there is a need for teachers to help students how they wi . . : l_understang history through the help of procedural concepts like causation oy continuity B Trends and Issues in Social Studies. sfferentiated evidence, and change (Husbands, 2011). In here, Husbands (201) differen et a novice an expert history educator by saying that the focus of the beg! teacher is on the lesson itself or the content while the experienced teacher 16 on the development of more sophisticated understanding through the use of procedure concepts. This is also true for learners who are still in the process of developing historical thinking. VanSledright (2009) stated that “historians can serve aS @ benchmark in relationship to which we can understand what the less sophistical historical thinkers do” (p. 113). Then, teachers need to integrate activities in theit lessons that will help learners think like a historian. This will include source work that involves identification, attribution, and judging perspective of sources as well as reliability assessment or corroboration among peers (VanSledright, 2009). It has been noted that source work is essential to historical thinking (VanSledright, 2009). But some teachers tend to have doubts on the capacity of learners in doing historical thinking (VanSledright, 2009). As a famous saying puts it: “The past is a foreign country and thus difficult to understand” (Seixas, 2006, p. 10). Studies found out, however, that leamers can do source work as early as seven years old while high school students can already do it like a historian (VanSledright, 2009). This means that history teachers’ in the secondary level should engage their students with learning activities, which involve the analysis of primary sources or eyewitness accounts. In this way, students will be able to think like a historian. . i In this regard, the Benchmarks’ project created “six distinct. but closely interrelated historical thinking concepts” which include establishing “historical . Significance”, using “primary source evidence”, identifying “continuity and change”, analyzing “cause and consequence”, taking “historical perspectives”, “and understanding “the moral dimension of historical interpretations” (Seixas, 2006, pp. 1-2). These concepts are translated into competencies that will lead to historical literacy (Seixas, 2006). This set of historical thinking concepts is important in order to help teachers in formulating activities that will make learners think historically. This is because students and even adults who were not taught show to think’ historically were said to “approach sources as decontextualized, _ ‘disembodied, authorless forms of neutral information that appear to fall out of the | isky ready made” (VanSledright, 2009, p. 116), In addition, students who did not ‘eam how to think historically tend to “conclude that the past is either given or inaccessible or both” (VanSledright, 2009, p. 116). Then, teachers also need to have “knowledge on how students learn and on “how students develop understanding in history” (Husbands, 2011, p. 88). In this way, teachers can guide the students to become aware of the fact that historical accounts may be viewed using a variety “of Perspectives and that differences in views may be affected by biases and ideologies of the people (VanSledright, 2009). However; teachers should be careful fot to encourage among students the use of a truth-lie dichotomy in assessing the ‘eliability of historical. accounts (VanSledright, 2009). This is because it might only lead the leamers to a dead end as they will think that sources are conflicting ‘Because they are not true at all (VanSledright, 2009), Thus, teachers should providethe students with a set of criteria that can be used in order to corroborate pi, of evidence as historians do (VanSledright, 2009). For instance, Niels Bobr gi that the “achievement of a new formula was not, in fact, a movement towards & truth, but rather the development of language that the research community cou agree upon, as representing the objectives of the search” (as cited in Seixas, 2 P. 2). In determining the criteria for selecting sources, Seixas (2006) said that i; Necessary to determine the position, purposes, values, and views of the author well as the historical background and setting of the source. In this way, Teamer, will be able to make sense of the past by using sources that can provide Valig and reliable pieces of evidence like primary sources which are usually eyewitness accounts. This is supported by VanSledright (2009) as he stated that students “nee Opportunities to engage these sources, to learn to assess their status, and to begin building and writing up their own interpretations of the. past” (p. 117). But some teachers. tend to insist on using their tried and tested resources in history Over Primary sources, For example, Husbands (2011) shared that a teacher is still using a “35-year-old, dog-eared pile of textbooks alongside a very recently publisheg text because, he explained, nothing since this has set the issue out so clearly” (p, 91). However, VanSledright (2009) contended that “if teachers are committed to cultivating historical thinking in their students, they must push hard against these Constraints, particularly those that retard genuine historical understanding” (p. 117), Thus, there is a need for teachers to change their traditional practices in history like the “transmission-based approach where students were assumed to be empty vessels to be filled with knowledge” from the textbooks (Husbands, 2011, p. 88). In this way, the process of learning history will improve, and students will have better opportunities to. express themselves in class. In this regard, teachers should employ different activities like small group discussions where students can, take. different perspectives (VanSledright, 2009). In this way, students will be able to understand the “different social, cultural, intellectual, and even emotional contexts that shaped people’s lives and actions in the ’” (Seixas, 2006, p. 10). In addition, assessments that reflect “the practice past” ( ba, Bas : P of investigating the past through source work” like reading a set of documents and then writing an interpretive essay afterwards are essential in cultivating historical thinking (VanSledright, 2009, p. 118). But Husbands (2011) argued that the “most important resource in any classroom remains the teacher” (p. 91). Thus, there is a need to “place a premium on teachers’ knowledge of and ability to deploy resources which enable them to realize their classroom aims and aspirations” (Husbands, 2011, p. 91). Also, Husbands (2011) said that teacher education programmes should make ways in order to address the needs of teachers for knowledge and skills development. These: could be in the form of pre-service teacher ion s . eat Social Studies teachers will be aby i ice training programs. Then, : able 'to and. ines learners historical thinking. In this way, the issue on the leamers’ develop among le tal gap between being a novice and an expert in history can ic development pen ressed (vanSledright, 2009, pp. 113-114). In here, teachers need to haveistence in guidin, ’ cet studivs uf Ce i develop historical thinking. This is supported students’ progression from bei at persistence of teachers often leads to the However, VanSledright (2009 eing a novice to an expert (VanSledright, 2009). tiators )) stated that the mission of Social Studies is not to produce Bistorians but to hone citizens who are “informed, educated, thoughtful, ren they hee whe appreciate investigative enterprises, know good arguments ee , and who engage their world with a host of strategies for understanding it” (p. 118). Therefore, developing historical thinking among learners can be instrumental in the development of citizens who are critical thinkers who can help in nation building. This shows how history, as a Social Science discipline, contributes to the attainment of the goals of Social Studies education and citizenship education. Understanding Historical Interpretations, Change and Continuity, and C. Explanation ; Recent studies point to the significance of developing historical thinking skills among students. These ‘include , historical interpretations, change and continuity, and causal explanation. Then, teachers should ensure that the lessons, activities, assessment, and evaluation tools are geared toward the development of these skills. In here, Chapman (2011) stated that “understanding historical interpretations involves thinking critically about the diverse ways in which human groups and societies. make sense of time and change” (p. 96). This means that teachers need to design their lessons in such a way that the students are enabled to do critical thinking. However, Chapman (2011) contended that “the. study of historical interpretations should aim to provide pupils with tools that they can use to systematically compare and evaluate claims. about the past...” (p. 97): Thus, -teachers and school administrators need to coordinate with one another in order ‘to find ways and means on how to provide the necessary instructional materials . for the students. But it is noted that students also have “tacit assumptions, based likely to impede the development of their. on everyday epistemologies that are ‘understanding of historical interpretation” (p.'97). Then, teachers should know how “to challenge these assumptions and help students develop more powerful ideas (Chapman, 2011, p. 97). These assumptions of students include the following: “that ‘the past has a definite identity.‘and meaning, that interpretations should ideally mirror this fixed past and, therefore, that historical accounts should be singular and that there will be,, in principle, one best account” (Chapman, 2011, p. 97). Such assumptions tend to affect the interpretations of students, thereby resulting to suspicion, bias, and subjectivity (Chapman, 2011). Therefore, teachers need to be trained on history education so that they can develop “disciplined historical thinking” among students (Chapman, 2011, p 98). Disciplined historical thinking means that one can make conclusions based on evidence and not on assumptions. In order for teachers to help students develop historical interpretation, there tudents have “subjective distortion of a fixed is a need for them to understand why st past” (Chapman, 2011, p.-101). In here, it is essential to point out that students tendto have an interpretive framework which usually results to bias as “there can be ng interpretations without questions, categories, and assumptions” (Chapman, 2011, p, 101). In addition, debates where students tend to take sides are normal, especially when talking about assumptions. Also, just like historians, | students are “expecteg to make their assumptions, concepts and methods explicit, so that they can be critically assessed by an academic community of practice, and to present arguments for interpretive decisions that they make” (Chapman, 2011, p. 101). Thus, students? interpretations are affected by factors that are inherent in their process of thinking, In this regard, Chapman (2011) suggested that teachers should help students understand that histories can be evaluated critically ‘through debate rather than by ‘checking’ interpretations against a ‘fixed’ past and that, in principle, we may end up accepting more than one competing account provided that evaluation criteria are met. (p. 104) In this way, students will be able to appreciate differences in historical * interpretations. Such differences can be used as an avenue in order to develop among students their critical, comparative, and evaluative thinking. On the other hand, teachers in history are said to have problems in making activities that cater to historical continuity and change. Counsell (2011) stated that this could be due to the “ambivalence concerning what is meant by ‘change’ as a focus for analysis” (p. 110). Then, it is recommended that teachers should employ “enquiries that invite judgment” (Counsell, 2011, p. 115). In this way, students will be able to “tease out patterns, trends and exceptions and so reach their own characterization of the degree or extent of change” (Counsell, 2011, p. 115). In addition, it is recommended that teachers should make use of activities that “carry out explicit, direct analysis of change and continuity” (Counsell, 2011,-p. 120). Also, teachers can make use of popular stories in order to develop historical continuity and change among students. In’ here, students will read a fascinating story. Then, a working knowledge of the story is expected to be formed from the memory of the students. Afterwards, the teacher will be asking the students to “move about within this knowledge in order to become curious about apparent patterns, trends, and aberrations” (Counsell, 2011, p. 120). Moreover, teachers should also incorporate an “active reflection upon types of questions about change” (Counsell, 2011, p. 121). In here, teachers should make use of questions that starts with when, “questions about beginnings and endings, questions about labelling or periods, and questions about speed or nature of change” (Counsell, 2011, p. 121). But more importantly, students should learn how to reflect’on these questions. There is a need for the learners to understand the “reasoning associated with them” so that they will have an idea on how historical continuity and change work (Counsell, 2011, p, 121). Further, teachers need to provide learning activities where students will have “intriguing encounters with the subjective experience of pedple in the past and opportunity to speculate how people made meaning of that experience through their.own temporal lenses” (Counsell, 2011, p. 121). In this way, the students will be able to understand the progression of human life from the past up to the ‘Trends and Issues in Social Stuckessent. The learning experiences that will be provided by the teacher will mean a it as these can shape their thinking skills. It should be noted that the assessment jnd evaluation tools that teachers employ are not just for measuring the level of inment of students. These tools are also designed in order to sharpen and hone the skills and abilities of the learners. Then, crafting assessment tools that can getermine historical continuity and change will be essential in order for learners to grasp the content of the lesson and acquire a historical thinking skill. In terms of order of events, failure of students to follow the correct chronology “will lead to confused, unsustainable explanations” (Woodcock, 2011, . 125). Then, in order for students to have a correct chronology, they need to understand the causes of these historical events. It is noted that a historical event may have multiple causes. This is highlighted by Woodcock (2011) when he stated that history is an “infinitely tangled web of cause and effect, or reinforcement and negation, reflection and refraction, acceleration and hindrance” (p- 125). Then, the teachers must provide learning opportunities for learners to explore, perceive, unravel, and comprehend the various historical events so that they can understand their causes. These causes might refer to “events, circumstances, actions, and beliefs which have a direct causal connection to a consequential event, circumstance, action, or belief” (Woodcock, 2011, p. 125). However, studies point out that there are also human and non-human causes. Human causes may refer to the actions of people that are influenced by their “personal: beliefs” while non-human causes may, refer to “weather or physical geography” (Woodcock, 2011, p. 125). It is noted that the historian C. Behan McCullagh had presented a model of causation. In here, human causes and causes of human action are classified into mental causes as well as cultural and social causes (Woodcock, 2011). But it should be noted that “a cause is not a thing but a relationship between things” (Woodcock, 2011, p. 126). This means that students need to determine the consequences of a historical event in order for them to know its causes. Then, teachers need to employ questions that will guide the learners in discovering the consequences of a particular historical _ event. Moreover, counterfactual analysis may also be employed by teachers to help the students understand their lesson. This is because counterfactual analysis “can lead to fresh insight into how and why a particular event or process was caused , (Woodcock, 2011, p. 128). In here, the students will be asked “what if?” questions “in order to consider how events might have turned out differently” (Woodcock, 4 2011, p. 128). However, Woodcock (2011) had cautioned the teachers in using , counterfactual analysis as, in here, “we are asking students to consider, ‘create’ ; or speculate about events which did not happen” (p. 128). Thus, the result of the counterfactual analysis may not lead to a valid and sound conclusion. It should be remembered that history should be concerned with things that actually happened. Similarly, luck, chance, and accident are said to be weak causes of a historical evident, thereby making them not valid and sound bases in historical causal analysis (Woodcock, 2011). Further, the use of games and analogies may be useful in helping students understand the causes of various historical events. This is becausegames and analogies are considered to be “fun and engaging” learning activi (Woodcock, 2011, p. 128). Also, since “causal process is abstract and Compe: “it can benefit from physical, practical, and visual representation’ like games ,* analogies (Woodcock, 2011, p. 128). Then, causal explanation, when taught to . students in the proper way, can definitely help the learners in grasping the con, of the lesson. Therefore, there is a need to emphasize the development of historicg thinking skills like interpretation, continuity and change, and causal explanation in Social Studies. Traversing Challenges of Historical Evidence, Significance, and Moral Learning in History As the struggle, for the existence of history in the school curriculym continues, students and their teachers face challenges on looking for pieces of evidence, considering significance, and moral learning. In here, Rogers contendeg that knowledge of students is inadequate due to their dependence On “Bod authority” like textbooks instead of “good grounds” like historical evidence (as cited in Ashby, 2011, p. 138). Then, there is a need to have a history education, as Rogers claims, that will enable students to “distinguish a judicious and well. informed opinion as opposed to a silly, ignorant, and prejudiced one” (as cited in Ashby, 2011, p. 138). This is true, as fake and biased news, as well as information, is now being spread through mass media, especially on the internet in this digital age. Thus, teachers should ensure that students will develop essential knowledge, skills, and values that will help them in searching for reliable and valid information. However, it is noted that the term evidence is “a concept and not a skill” (Ashby, 2011, p. 138). In here, the Schools Council History Project clarified that historical evidence are “objects of understanding” though there are “associated skills [that] function as mechanisms of understanding” (as cited in Ashby, 2011, p. 139). Therefore, learning history must be viewed as an important area in basic education in “developing an understanding of the nature and status of historical knowledge through a developed concept of evidence” rather than. in “developing the skills of the historian” (Ashby, 2011, p. 139). This means that history teachers in basic education should focus on the development of historical thinking and understanding among students. “The existence of different historical accounts is said to be a “consequence of historians not having access to all the bits and inventing things to fill in the gaps” (Ashby, 2011, p. 139). Then, learning history should be viewed like a Lego puzzle wherein available pieces of evidence “can be put together in different but perfectly valid ways” instead of a jigsaw puzzle which tends to limit the understanding of historical evidence to a single conclusion (Ashby, 2011, p. 139). These historical evidence are said to be extracted from sources. But others tend to. use the terms sources and pieces of evidence interchangeably. In oe regard, Jordanova stated that sources are “raw materials” that should be on at in tum yield evidence (as cited in Ashby, 2011, p. 140). In addition, Jontanova claimed that sources shouldgot Be taken as authority or accepted without question” (as cited in Ashby, 201) ’ 140). However, students tend to view historical sources based on fhee-val ‘ joo it tum “conclude that particular sources should be rejected for their bine und yoreliability (Ashby, 2011, p. 140). It should be noted that the “ultimate que; io about & source is not about bias or reliability” but on its capacity to serve ‘e _ evidence for a claim (Ashby, 2011, p. 141). Also, it is contended that “soure nay eld even more when examined in relation to other sources” (Ashby, 2011 1a) This means that “historians do not labour in solitary confinement but comet thi * evidence with a range of accepted knowledge, standards, and procedures” (Ashby, 2011, P- 142). However, it is noted that students tend to believe that primary sources are better than secondary [sources] and historians are seen as providing second-rate knowledge because their accounts are second-hand” (Ashby, 2011 p. 143). But it is argued that primary sources or eyewitness accounts are difficult to interpret while a secondary source or an account of a historian can make a “claim on the basis of subsequent events” (Ashby, 2011, p. 144). This proves that “complex understandings can be developed from limited starting points” (Ashby, 2011, p. 144). Then, it is recommended that teachers should provide “complex ideas in simple ways” and avoid the “teaching of simple ideas in complex ways” (Ashby, 2011, p. 145). In addition, teachers should “retognize the conceptual complexity of the challenge their students face and the misconceptions” that they have in order to “provide appropriate learning experiences” for their students (Ashby, 2011, p. 144). This implies the need for history teachers to engage their students with leaning activities that address misconceptions of students regarding various historical events. On the other hand, there is a need to consider the “significance of events, people, and developments in their historical contexts and in the present day” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 148). In addition, it is noted that “the way significance is ascribed is fluid and subjective business that can change over time” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 149). In a study that “investigated how pupils ascribe historical significance while in the process of studying history as a subject”, Seixas concluded that historical significance is “dynamic, diverse, and subject to change” (as cited in Wrenn, 2011, pp. 149-150). This is based on the responses of students in the questionnaire which Seixas had developed. On the contrary, the study of Cercadillo contended that students have a “fixed understanding of significance; that is, changes were judged to be wholly negative by reference to one consequence alone” (as cited by Wrenn, 2011, p. 151). In this regard, Philipps created a framework to help students understand the concept of historical significance based on the idea of Geoffrey Partington. In here, Philipps expounded that there should be “importance, profundity, quantity, durability, and relevance” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 151). Using these factors, Philipps created an acronym in order for students to remember cance of the First World War. This acronym is GREAT which means “Groundbreaking, Remembered by all, Events that were far-reaching, affected the future, and Terrifying” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 152). However, students tend to have a Chapter t: Trends and Issuesin Learning Historydifficulty “developing a greater understanding of significance as a concept ang the processes by which it can be ascribed” using ‘this acronym (Wrenn, 20)), p. 152). This is because, as Counsell claims, Philipps “did not intend his Criteria | for universal application” as it was “devised with the First World War specifica, in mind” (as cited in Wrenn, 2011, p. 153). This means that students could no apply the model of Philipps to “other events, nor that they should explore whether it matches other reasons for attributing significance” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 153), ty this regard, Counsell had created her own model that can be applied in different historical events. In here, Counsell established three common distractions when asking students regarding historical significance. These include the notion that the significance of an event is uncontested, the belief in presentism or seeing history through a present-day lens too much, and the dependence on the result or consequence of an event (Wrenn, 2011). In this regard, Counsell suggested four ways on how students. can determine historical significance. These include devising and using of criteria, discerning implicit criteria, and challenging or supporting others’ judgements about significance (Wrenn, 2011). As a result, Counsell created J the five “R’s” that can be applied to various events and developments. These criteria include “Remarkable, Remembered, Resonant, Resulting in change, and Revealing” (Wrenn, 2011). It is interesting to point out that the study of Bradshaw had developed a framework that made use of both the GREAT model of Philipps ; and the five R’s model of Counsellin order to develop students’ understanding of historical significance (as cited in Wrenn, 2011). Moreover, the study of Hammond that considered, the significance of the Holocaust in a wider anti-Semitic context found out that to “teach [an] event, issue, or people concerned in a wide-ranging chronological context” is an “effective way of deepening the understanding of , Students about historical significance” (Wrenn, 2011, p. 157). Thus, teachers should employ various approaches in teaching history lessons to cater the different abilities of students, In order to understand the historical significance of the Holocaust, for instance, there is a need to develop the moral understanding of students. While’ some critics reject the idea of moral learning, recent studies point to its significance. It was noted that teachers of history education should “consider the place of moral learning within their subject and to engage in careful reflection as to the ways in which pupils encounter values within their classrooms” (Peterson, 2011, p. 161), Also, it is emphasized that in order to have reasoned judgments, the learning of history should involve moral thinking (Peterson, 2011). In addition, it is highlighted that the learning of history can influence the students’ attitudes, personal choices, decisions, and values (Peterson, 2011, p. 162). However, it is noted that the present curriculum here in the Philippines, “do not provide teachers with any specific or detailed guidance as to the nature of moral learning nor how they might provide for this in their classrooms” (Peterson, 2011, p. 162). This problem is also noted by Barton and Levstik as they stated that the “importance of pupils’ moral engagements within history is generally unacknowledged and, as a result, “unanalyzed” (as cited in Peterson, 2011, p. 162). Then, Smith contended that there Trends and Issues in Social Studiesjs 2 need to integrate behavioral and procedural values in history lessons as these romote a productive learning environment and critical thinking as well as enquiry, respectively (Peterson, 2011). But Smith stated that teachers should no longer use substantive values as these tend to deal with feelings and thoughts, thereby making a value judgement (Peterson, 2011). Thus, the teacher should be neutral, impartial, and “has respect for the moral autonomy” of students in order for them to “develop their own perspectives” (Peterson, 2011, p. 163). Further, Arthur, Davies, Kerr, and Wrenn stated that “no one can effectively study history without some form of moral deliberation or judgement” (as cited in Peterson, 2011, p. 164). Therefore, history education must involve “moral reasoning and judgment to enable students think and make conclusions based on evidence and historical significance. However, there are challenges in moral learning in history. The first challenge is on “which values are to be explored and promoted” as there is no particular list of values that are given to history teachers (Peterson, 2011, p. 165). Then, there isa need for teachers to explore controversial and sensitive issues in the society in order to have a wider understanding of history education’s moral dimension like gender issues. The second challenge is on the thoughtful selection of topics and themes, In here, it is recommended that there should be an explicit moral learning like in studying the civil rights movement where students will be engaged with moral questions concerning their decisions and actions (Peterson, 2011). But the results of studies indicate that “moral thinking remains implicit in history teachers’ minds”. (Peterson, 2011, p. 166). Also, Maxwell contended that “in selecting topics from which to develop moral learning, history teachers must carefully consider the ethical suitability for doing so” like in discussing genocide in the classroom (as cited in Peterson, 2011, p. 167). The third challenge is on the selection of the approach to be used in moral learning. In here, there are three approaches that are suggested. The first is values clarification. It is “built on the notion that pupils’ moral education should take the form of clarifying the content of their own personal values” (Peterson, 2011,.p. 168). On the other hand, Kohlberg suggested moral reasoning as an approach for teachers as it promotes the “ability [of students] to reflect on their moral positions, to take perspectives, and to make rational and reasoned autonomous decisions” (as cited in Peterson, 2011, p. 168). Finally, the third approach is character education. In here, teachers must focus on the teaching of virtue to students (Peterson, 2011). These “approaches to moral learning within history education based on character” are said to “produce not just good historians but also good people”, thereby advocating citizenship education * @eterson, 2011, pp. 168-169). But it.is noted “that there is currently a scarcity of resources available which explicitly seek to help history teachers” to carry out moral learning in their lessons (Peterson, 2011, p. 169).. Hénce, the preparation of history teachers should be improved so that they will be able to develop moral questions and learning materials as well as employ themes and pedagogical approaches in their lessons. With this, students will be able to understand historical evidence; consider significance, and develop moral understanding in history. Chapter t: Trends and Issues in Learning Hi1. eI AY 10. wledge (PCK)? Why is PCK being i i kno What is pedagogical content ot PCK? Why? criticized? Do you agree with the criticism How can teachers help learners think like a hist ns Why should teachers be careful not to encourage among ens of a truth-lie dichotomy in assessing the reliability of historical ae nat How can history, as a Social Science discipline, contribute to citizenship education and in turn towards the attainment of the goal of Social Studies Education? How can teachers develop “disciplined historical thinking” among students? Why do students tend to have a “subjective distortion of a fixed past”? How can teachers develop historical continuity and change among students? What is counterfactual analysis? Why should teachers be careful in using counterfactual analysis in history? Why is there is a need to.integrate behavioral and procedural values in history lessons? , orian? . Why should history education involve moral reasoning and judgement?Select the best answer to th i + apace provided, following questions. Write your answer on the Le i ho are ntetetted in basketball may be encouraged to research aa e uo ‘at game to further understand how it is being played. Withee learn how to collect data and evaluate historical evidence. following best captures the above-mentioned situation? - Students are interested to know more on their ethnic backgrounds. . Students view histor i in identifyi ry as an important tool in identifying landmarks c Sate the world, especially if they are on a travel. . e aon also view history to further discover their areas of interest. ls lents tend to view history helpful in school and at home. Teacher Ana observed that her students became interested in learning their lessons in history after playing the quiz game called Jeopardy, which features questions that are from their history lessons. Which of the following rationales in learning history best captures the above- mentioned situation? A. Students view history as a form of entertainment. . B. Students tend to view history as a subject that could help them learn * everything that happened in the past and even in our present times. C. Students also view history to further discover their areas of interest. D. Students tend to view History as a subject. that could help people avoid mistakes in the past. 2 Which of the following does NOT belong to the group? A. History B. Geography C. Social Studies D. Economics Head Teacher A observed that the focus of Teacher C is on the lesson itself or the content while the focus of Teacher D is on the development of more sophisticated understanding through the use of procedural concepts in history. Which of the following generalizations best captures the situation? A. Having mastery of the subject matter is needed, B. Teachers should help students on how they will understand history through the help of procedural concepts like causation or continuity, evidence, and change. C. Historians can serve as a benchmark in relationship to which we can understand what the less sophistical historical thinkers do. D. The difference between a novice from an expert history educator is evident. Chapter 1: Trends and Yssues in Learning History ‘ aaS ~ Cy we fs. er ues in the Araling Pan|i Master Teacher F learned thn bt 00 city of thei high fn ent tend to have doubts ii Master Teacher ® ceca in doing historical thinking. What will M 0? A. Advise her colleagues that teachers need to iMiegrate activities : "their lessons that will help leares think work im thei ati, ise her colleagues to include s baer i * that involves ideneation, attribution, and Judging perspective ; historical sources as well as reliability assessi ation ng peers. . ow , c. Share-a famous saying to her colleagues,which, says: “The past jg , foreign country and thus difficult to un fers — 40 source wa D. Share the recent research finding that leat i atsdnes eae r as early as seven years old while high school s ready do it like a historian, Students and even adults who were not taught how i think historical, Were said to approach sources as decontextualized, disembodied authorless forms of neutral information that appear to fall oriceh oe SY ready made. What does this statement mean regarding historical thinking? A. Students who did not conclude that the past is B. Students who did not conclude that the past is learn how to think historically tend to either given or inaccessible or both, learn how to think historically tend to either given or inaccessible or both. Teachers can guide the students to become aware of the fact that historical accounts may be viewed using a variety of Perspectives and that differences in views may be affected by biases and ideologies of the people. D. Leamers can think historically if teachers can formulate activities that will make them think like historians, Teacher M encourages his. stud c urage tudents to use a truth-lie dichotomy in assessing the reliability of historical accounts, * What is the effect of truth-lie dichotomyamong students in histooy? oo A. Students will have a set of criteria that can be used in order to corroborate pieces of evidence as historians do, B. It might only lead the learners to a dead end as th ill think; Sources are conflicting because they are not true at al 1 think ‘that C. Leamers will be able to make sense of the ; , ° Past by usin that can provide valid and reliable pieces of evidence like pam Sources which are usually eyewitness accounts, ary D. Students can take different historical Perspectives, a ee, i Ba, ftg. Teacher Z is still using a 35. recently publi year-old history textbook instead of a very this Pees 1 i he believes that there is nothing since following best explains this situation? ot, leary. “Whkch “of the A. Some te: — . oe ae tend to insist on using their tried and tested B. If teach Bn hitory, over primary sources. 7 siudenier then committed to cultivating historical thinking in their that retar ‘ey must push hard against constraints, particularly those Cc. Th retard genuine historical understanding. . Ht ere is a need for teachers to change their traditional practices in istory like the transmission-based approach where students were assumed to be empty vessels to be filled with knowledge from the textbooks. D. In determining the ‘criteria for selecting history textbooks, teachers need to determine the position, purposes, values, and views of the author as well as the historical background and setting of the source. 9. Recent Tesearch in ‘history education claims that the most important resource in any classroom remains the teacher. Which of the following recommendations is the most consistent with this research finding? A. Teachers should employ different activities like small group discussions where students can take different perspectives. B. Teacher education programmes should make ways in order to address the needs of teachers for knowledge and skills development. C. There is a need to place a premium on teachers’ knowledge of and ability to deploy resources which enable them to realize their classroom aims and aspirations. D. Teachers need to have persistence in guiding the learners to develop historical thinking. 5 10. In relation to ‘history education, which of the following is the most ‘accurate mission of Social Studies in basic education? A. The mission of Social Studies is not to produce historians but to hone citizens. who are informed, educated, thoughtful, critical readers, who appreciate investigative enterprises, know good arguments when they hear them, and who engage their world with a host of strategies for understanding it. B. The mission of Social Studies is to develop historical thinking among learners, which can be instrumental in the development of citizens who are critical thinkers and can help in nation building. C. The mission of Social Studies is to make learners think like historians through historical interpretations that aim to provide learners with tools that they can use to systematically compare and evaluate claims about the past. D. The mission of Social Studies is to hone students’ to become professional historians who can make their assumptions, concepts and methods explicit, so that they can be critically assessed by an academic community of practice, and to present arguments for interpretive decisions that they make. i Chanter t: Trondand Ssoues in Learning History WOR iti tinct ees coogression of hy, jerstand the pr OF E Teacher N wants his students to il Which of the following is ut es ast up to the presen! can use? life from the pi that Teacher N _ most appropriate strategy ‘nauiries that invite judgment so ty A. The teacher should employ Orr it patterns, trends and except . ts will be able to tease out Pe nn of the degree or exten, af ond 7 “reach their own characterizatior and so ies in order to deve B, The seacher can make use of popular str oe that a wa "historical continuity and change among stem the MERRY of rd knowledge of the story wil rca i ing activities where students wi) ds to provide learning activi m “ fave Taivnioe eects with the subjective Se omien People in the past and opportunity to speculate how people ing of that experience through their own temporal an rt with ma D. The teacher should make use of questions obs about bent questions about beginnings and endings, ques' ons aoe g or periods, and questions about speed or nature of change. Z iS le 12. History is an infinitely tangled web of cause and effect, or reinforcement and negation, reflection and refraction, acceleration and hindrance. What does this statement mean? A. For students to have a correct chronology, they need to understand the causes of these historical events. B. A historical event may have multiple causes. C. Teachers need to employ questions that will guide the learners on discovering the consequences of a particular historical event. D. Counterfactual analysis may also be emplo: the students under: i into how and why a Was caused and into how important particular causes were, 13. Teacher P leamed from a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminar that causal explanation, when taught to the students in the Proper way, can definitely help the learners in grasping the content of the lesson. Which of the following Strategies can Teacher P use to teach causal explanation to her students? o'teac A. Students will be asked “what if” \ how events might have turned out dil B. Use counterfactual analysis by askin; speculate about events which did not C. Use games and analogies to help students understand various historical events, the causes of D, Teachers need to employ questions that will id ry . . Buide discovering the consequences of a particular histori questions in order to consider fferently, : ig ae % Consider, create or fe leamerg ; cal event. ab, P hat Trends and Issues in Social Studies a.14. The shift to Online | 15. The existence of di eeUivnime am ets t cap eerste a A learning due to with problems and issues like the the n through AT ion to ac . Teachers incwledge nnd oo“ hat students will develop essential rel able and valid ‘nformatie, that will help them in searching for 5 al pe opini on suena to distinguish a judicious and well-informed Devele 'S Opposed to a silly, ignorant, and prejudiced one. . Devel P among students the skills of a historian. i i an understanding of the nature and status of historical owledge through a developed concept of evidence. Covid-19 pandemic was coupled Fampant spread of fake and biased Social media. What should be done in ddress these problems and issues? va ifferent historical accounts is, said to be a consequence t having access to all the bits and inventing things to fill - Which of the following statements best describes learning of historians not h: in the gaps. history? A. Leaming history should be viewed like a Lego puzzle wherein available pieces of evidence can be put together in different but perfectly valid ways. Learning history is like a jigsaw puzzle which tends to limit the understanding of historical evidence to a single conclusion. C. Learning history involves the use of sources or “raw materials” that should be scrutinized and in turn yield evidence. D. Learning history involves the use of historical sources based on face-value, which in tum lead to the conclusion that particular sources should be rejected for their bias and unreliability. B. . Research on history education claims that students tend to believe that primary sources are better than secondary sources and historians are seen as providing second-rate knowledge because their accounts are second-hand. However, some educators contend that primary sources or eyewitness accounts are difficult to interpret while a secondary source or a fextbook written by a historian is easier to interpret. This proves that complex understandings can be developed from limited starting points. Which of the following recommendations can be adopted by history teachers? A. Teachers should provide complex ideas in simple ways and avoid » the teaching of simple ideas in complex ways. B. Teachers should recognize the conceptual complexity of tlie challenge their students face and the. misconceptions that they have in order to provide appropriate learning experiences for their students. C. Sources should not be taken as authority or accepted without question. ~ D. There is a need to consider the significance of events, people, and developments in their historical contexts and in the present day.belong to the group? i tested an event ‘is uncon! history through a present-day ley 17. Which of the following does NOT A. Notion that the significance of B. Belief in presentism or seeing i event c Dependence on the result or consequence of 3 or signidicance D. Challenging or supporting others’ judge' rn heata 18, Recent research claims that teachers of history oe sone : con ” the place of moral learning win tes a 0 enga i a i to the ways in which p' u Seevome Wile of the following statements best describe the benef, of moral learning in history? A. The importance of pupils’ moral engagements _ history ig generally unacknowledged and, as a result, ut thinkin ‘nord B. The learning of history should involve moral thinking’ er to have reasoned judgments. . . C. No one can effectively study history without some form of mora, deliberation or judgement. ; D. The teacher should be neutral, impartial, and has respect for the moral autonomy of students in order for them to “develop their own perspectives. - One of the challenges in moral learning in history is on which values are to be explored and promoted as there is no particular list of values that are given to history teachers. How should history teachers address this challenge? A. History teachers should engage students with moral questions concerning their decisions and actions. History teachers should explore controversial and sensitive issues in the society. C. History teachers must carefully consider the ethi selecting topics from which to develop moral learning, D. History teachers should select approaches to moral learning withi history education based on character, ie within @ ical’ suitability in 20. Research claims that there is currently a scarcity of rego ci il which explicitly seek to help history teachers to aiy on learning in their lessons. Which of the following Statements Best describes moral reasoning as an approach of moral learni; ing in history? A. Itis built on the notion that pupils’ moral education should tak form of clarifying the content oftheir own personal yee’ "2Ke the B. It focuses on the teaching of virtue to students, * C. It promotes the ability of students to reflect on ‘5 positions, to take perspectives, and to make rational ng moral autonomous decisions. ‘Oned D. It produces not just good historians but also good People, mm, a) ‘Trends and dssues in Social Studies (= da (. J18. 19. 20. >ruawararwewyeogd 6] Answer Key ) Cc . A C - Options A, B. . » B, and D are Social Science disciplines while Option C (Social Studies) is a subject i : : ject in basi i 2 Social Science disciplines asic education that draws its content from . D — Options A, B, and C are the three common distractions when asking students regarding historical significance while Option D is a way on how students can determine historical significance B B C — Option A refers to values clarification as an approach to moral learning; Option B refers to character education as an approach to moral learning; Option D is a description made by Peterson to the three approaches to moral learning, namely: values clarification, moral reasoning, and character education. ee