Critical Thinking
Pieces of a Puzzle
Tough
questions &
experiential
learning build
thinking skills
T
The answers to the following questions, each
a recent homework assignment in sophomore
European History, are not in the textbook:
 What was the REAL purpose of the
Palace of Versailles?
 Why did Austria find the Pragmatic
Sanction necessary for Maria Theresa
to inherit the throne while some of the
more northern countries (England,
Scotland, etc.) did not need such
measures to install female rulers?
 Look at the map of the Ottoman Empire
in your textbook and notice how it
dwarfs France. How can your teacher
possibly maintain that France was
Europe’s hegemon during this century?
While the first answer could easily be
found online and the second found with
enough time, no search engine will display
the results of the third. Students need to
make a reasonable inference based on their
knowledge from the reading and lecture.
The study of history is like a giant
puzzle. Unlike a traditional puzzle, students
are required to come up with the pieces
themselves. This is the study of facts that
people often associate with history, the
somewhat mind-numbing memorization of
names and events. Homework questions
that would facilitate this component would
look more like this:
 Who authorized the construction of
Versailles?
 When was the Pragmatic Sanction
declared?
 Which European empire was the largest
in the 16th century?
Above: Josh Hayes
points out a potential
conflict; student teams
plot world domination
Across: Hayes watches
a country/team
decide who they
want to attack
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Sadly, this is as far as many history
classes get. While it is a necessary step in
the creation of a fuller understanding of
the subject, it is only the easiest and first
step in completing the puzzle. The second
step involves knowing how the pieces fit
together to form the rich tapestry of history,
Saint George’s Magazine 2011-2012
to be able to make deductions and predictions based on observations and past events.
Memorization would allow a student to
come up with the puzzle pieces by knowing
that England and Scotland were Protestant
countries during the time of the Pragmatic
Sanction. Critical thinking would then
allow them to deduce that these countries
would therefore have an easier time ignoring the medievally-mandated rule of male
succession and embracing a female ruler
than a Catholic country such as Austria.
The skills to put together the puzzle can
be fostered in a number of ways, most meaningfully during guided class discussions.
More experiential methods are also useful.
While students may easily memorize the fact
that world systems with multiple centers of
authority tend to collapse into constant war,
this understanding is strengthened through
an Upper School simulation putting student
groups in charge of different countries and
allowing them to negotiate over the rewards
of power. Such a realpolitik almost inevitably results in competition, arms races and
eventual war. This reinforces the lesson and
allows for prediction whenever students
perceive a similar situation. The Middle
School does this through their reenactment
of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Lower
School begins this process through activities
such as their colonial craft fair and their first
Thanksgiving celebration.
The study of history is rarely associated
with problem-solving and critical thinking.
This is a shame, because few other subjects
are as naturally suited to instilling these
skills in students. Through the combination
of thought-provoking questions and experiential learning, Saint George’s students can
develop these skills for use in other academic subjects and in the rest of their lives.
– Josh Hayes, Upper School History/
Economics Teacher
Saint George’s Magazine 2011-2012
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