How can you promote critical thinking in history lessons?

1 Use primary sources

Primary sources are original documents, artifacts, or images that were created or used by people who witnessed or participated in historical events. They can provide rich and authentic insights into the past, but they also require careful examination and interpretation. You can use primary sources to challenge your students to ask questions, compare and contrast different sources, identify bias and perspective, and infer meaning and context. For example, you can show your students a political cartoon from the American Revolution and ask them to identify the message, the audience, the symbols, and the point of view of the author.

2 Encourage historical inquiry

Historical inquiry is a process of asking and answering questions about the past using evidence and reasoning. You can encourage historical inquiry by framing your lessons around essential or guiding questions that invite your students to explore a historical topic or issue in depth. For example, you can ask your students to investigate why the French Revolution happened, what were its causes and consequences, and how it influenced other revolutions. You can also help your students develop their own research questions based on their interests and curiosity.

3 Foster historical empathy

Historical empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate the perspectives and experiences of people who lived in different times and places. It helps your students to avoid presentism, which is the tendency to judge the past by the standards and values of the present. You can foster historical empathy by exposing your students to diverse and multiple voices from the past, such as letters, diaries, speeches, interviews, memoirs, and oral histories. You can also ask your students to imagine themselves in the shoes of historical actors and write or role-play their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

5 Use collaborative learning

Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning that involves students working together in small groups or teams to achieve a common goal or solve a problem. It can enhance your students' critical thinking skills by exposing them to different viewpoints, perspectives, and ideas, and by requiring them to communicate, negotiate, and justify their opinions and arguments. You can use collaborative learning in history lessons by designing activities such as debates, simulations, jigsaw, fishbowl, or project-based learning that engage your students in meaningful and authentic historical inquiry.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?