Chapter 7: History: From Learning Narratives to Thinking Historically

History is taught in schools throughout the world, although the precise nature of the curriculum—topics covered, grade levels required, and so on—varies from country to country. In most places, though, school history emphasizes narratives, often those related to the nation, and the student’s job is to remember and reproduce these stories. This emphasis on remembering narratives has had two effects: Students frequently are bored by attempting to learn stories about the past (VanSledright, 2011), while at the same time the curriculum often becomes embroiled in political debates about which stories should be told about the nation (e.g., Nakou & Barca, 2010, Taylor & Guyver, 2011). In recent years a number of educators have suggested that schools should focus less on presenting particular narratives and more on engaging students in the practice of historical thinking. This includes emphasizing elements of history such as agency, perspective, and the interpretation of evidence (e.g., Barton & Levstik, 2004; Lévesque, 2008; Seixas, 1996; VanSledright, 2011; Wineburg, 2001). This approach to history is well established in some places, but in many others it is still an innovative and little-known way of thinking about the subject. Expanding the role of historical thinking like this requires that teachers be well-prepared in their subject, that they be familiar with current scholarship in history education, and that they have a clear sense of purpose for teaching history (Barton & Levstik, 2004; Grant; 2003; VanSledright, 2011).