Historical

Thinking Skills
(for Hi 107 and
Hist 101)
Sources, Viewpoints, and Moral
Judgment
Some weaknesses of students in the study of
history
• Presentism
• Sees historical events as individual not societal.
• Do not see related progression or the change and continuity
• Do not see relationship to another or causation
• Not spontaneously critical of historical sources/evidence
• Do not see different perspectives, with limited understanding fir
diversity.
Which of the mentioned difficulties in
learning history is true to you?

Comment in below:
● why learn
history (intent)

What to learn
(content)
How to learn
(approach and
assessment)
 In Historical Thinking Skills (Seixas, 2006), students should
be able to:
● Establish historical significance
● Use primary source evidence
Intent ● Identify continuity and change
● Analyze cause and consequences
● Take historical perspectives
● Understand the moral dimension
Historical Thinking Skills
(National Council for Social
Studies)
• chronological
• historical comprehension
• historical analysis and
interpretation
• historical research capabilities
• historical issues-analysis and
decision-making
Historical literacy is central to history; an
understanding temporal, spatial and human scale.

• SEEING means understanding the discipline and

the key ideas
• DISPOSITIONING means producing possible
arguments and acceptance of of perspectives
• BEING means the usable historical past and locate
self in time
 ● Make history teaching
purposeful
● Enrich content
● Be as accurate. Avoid biases (in
national or social) yet provide
different perspectives
Content
● Content is connected to
development of students, the
current trends such as
technology, and curriculum or
the academic structures.
 Adjustments in significant approaches such
as:
● make history problematic (in the context of
exploring genuine questions and issues);
● assemble multiple resources; accept
alternative interpretations (welcome differing
Approach perspectives and understanding),
● teach the tools (students to understand the
concepts and ideas to think historically);
● shift the focus in assessment (evaluating
students work mean looking for well-justified
and well-thought explanation)
Some necessities and suggestions

History is engaging
History is reading
History is writing (allow reflection)
(assign interesting texts and
guide them in taking down notes (be creative in assigning writing
and give students the tools for exercise)
comprehension
 ● Assessment is an important part of
learning history.
● Look into the curriculum for the
content and skills standards to be
taught and learn by students.

Assessment
● be able to encourage students in
self-reflection and peer
assessment.
● use different modes or tools in
assessing students.
For bonus points.
Fill up the table:
Why study history (most essential skill?)?

What to study history in Hi 107 or Hist 101?

How to study history best?

Interpretation
Perspectives
Moral Judgement
• External Criticism is authenticity and validity. Internal
criticism looks into accuracy and credibility.
• Source analysis is why specific source was made. not just
reading but research on the author. You need to research for
background research. The specific skills (information about
the historical topic, origin – who created, perspectives,
context – what was happening at the time, audience, motive
– for what purpose). Complete as many as possible.
• Understand historical context/ conditions at the time of the
source. Content looks into the meaning or message.
Perspectives refer to views on particular event. Historical
value is judging significance.
Reading from Primary Source
Read the lines from Sultan Qudarat’s speech taken from the Roots of the Filipino Nation in page
178-179.

Addressing the datus of the fate of the Tagalogs and Visayans, in a Jesuit account Qudarat is
speaking:
 
What have you done? Do you know what submission will reduce you? A toilsome slavery to
Spaniards! Turn your eyes to the nations that have submitted, look at the misery to which these
once proud nations have been reduced. Look at the Tagalogs, the Visayans. Are you better that
they? Or do you think that the Spaniards believe that you are better men? Do you not see how
any Spaniard tramples them underfoot? Do you not see how every day they are made to work at
the oars, or how they are exploited as workers in the Spaniards’ building works, with all the
attendant rigor and toil. Will you suffer just anybody with some Spanish blood to thrash you, or
that he seize the fruit of your sweat and labor?

Then submit to the Spaniards: tomorrow you will be at the oars. At least I would be a pilot; this
is a favor that they extend to the chiefs. (But) do not allow their pleasing words to fool you; very
word they speak to you is a deception until, step by step, they have you completely in their
power. Consider that they promised things to the chiefs of the other nations, and did not honor
their least undertaking until they became lords of them all. Look at those chiefs now; see how
the Spaniards rule them as subjects.
This source is a speech delivered for the datus, given by Sultan
Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, 7th Sultan of Maguindanao from 1619 to
1671.
It was during his time that the sultanate reached its peak. His domain
then included Lanao, Maguindanao, Cotabato, Sarangani, and
Zamboanga. His sultanate traded with Dutch and the Chinese. He
forged alliance with Sultanate of Sulu by marriage. He clashed with the
Spaniards multiple times, and so had concept pf colonizers. The speech
was intended to warn the datus of the Spaniards and the sad fate that
will await the datus if they submit to the Spaniards.
This is a perspective of a native, a Sultan defending his land. As a
maritime sultanate and sense of nation, with awareness of the fate of
the datus of Luzon and Visayas, he warned against not protecting their
independence. This a valuable part of Philippine history providing
Mindanao experience and perspective of its people.