Lisa Walker, Gifted Resource Teacher
Tallwood High School
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“Give the pupils something to
do, not something to learn;
and the doing is of such a
nature as to demand thinking;
learning naturally results.”
--John Dewey, 1915
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Walker (2013), Tallwood High School
Conley’s Standards of Success (based on hundreds of college
syllabi and interviews with students.)
Four primary intellectual skills common among all disciplines
for academic success:
Read to infer/interpret/draw conclusions.
Support arguments with evidence.
Resolve conflicting views encountered in source
documents.
4. Solve complex problems with no obvious answers.
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Walker (2013), Tallwood High School
What does it mean to
think like a historian?
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Walker (2013), Tallwood High School
What does historical
thinking look like in a
classroom?
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March 2013
Walker (2013), Tallwood High School
I study records of events and prepare written accounts
based on my research. I attempt to explain the causes and
effects of events and offer interpretations of them. I use
primary sources and secondary sources to learn basic
information and the state of current knowledge. I am
skillful in deciphering and interpreting documents and
objects. I read documents in their original languages, and
routinely master skills from other disciplines, ranging
from art history archaeology to statistics and economics.
I often get statistical information from original records
and translate it into a form that computers can read and
analyze.
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Walker (2013), Tallwood High School
Sourcing
Corroboration
Contextualization
Close Reading
Explicit Instruction
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S identifying author, author’s position, date,
title, type of source
• Is the source useful evidence?
• Would a historian accept the source as
evidence?
• What is the background surrounding the
source?
• Why is it important to know the origin of
the source?
S comparing documents, recognizing
disparities, reconciling disparities
• Could the item be used as evidence?
• How is the source connected to the topic?
• Is the source accurate?
S making meaning, using background
information
• Why might ____ want to do ____?
• Does the source provide supportive
evidence
• Based on what you know about ____, is the
source accurate?
S identify author’s claims, perspectives, biases
S modeling skills, guided practice, feedback
• Do you demonstrate how to THINK
ALOUD as you process material?
• Do you allow time for practice alone, with
partners, and provide feedback?
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What level of instruction must
be present to facilitate the
instructional frameworks
previously mentioned?
What is the instructional driver
of Historical Thinking Skills?
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https://www.teaching
channel.org/videos/re
ading-like-a-historiancurriculum
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Lenhart, Roberts,
and Walker (2013),
Tallwood High
School
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What is the difference
between a
Strategy and an Activity?
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Mini Icons
•Use this page to make
transparencies
•Student guide for depth &
complexity
•Place icons on index cards to use
as thinking or writing prompts.
Patterns
Unanswered
Questions
Changes Over Time
The Study of
Disciplines
Rules
Ethics
Point of View,
Multiple
Perspectives
Details
Trends
Big Ideas
Interdisciplinary
Relationships
What is the Big Idea?
What do other pieces of evidence say? Am I
finding different versions of this? What pieces
are believable?
What word or phrase does the author use to
convince you? What info does the author leave out?
What was it like to be alive at this
time? What else was going on at this
time? What things were different or
the same?
Why, when and where was it written? Who wrote it?
What is the author’s point of view? How do you
know?
The Role of Questions in Teaching,
Thinking, and Learning
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Discussion Strategies for
Student Engagement,
Questioning, and Rigor
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VS
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97% Student talk
Average student response time of
8 to 12 seconds
No teacher approval or
disapproval is offered (affirming
feedback is taboo)
Thinking is paramount and
backed with textual evidence
Students listen to peers
Students “own” the flow of
conversation
Evidence of individual student
understanding is evident
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97% Teacher talk
Average student response time of 2 to
3 seconds
Teacher judgment emphasizes
“correct” response which limits
extended thinking
Rightness is paramount; thinking
ends as soon as one is right
Students primarily listen to teacher
Teacher “owns” the flow of
conversation
Evidence of student understanding is
nebulous; discussion is a “frill” rather
than evidence of student
understanding
In Seminar I…
S come prepared.
S am courteous.
S stay focused.
S back my opinions with textual proof whenever possible.
S listen carefully before I speak.
S think before I speak.
S ask questions about what I read, hear, and see.
S make judgments and defend them.
S tell how I solved a problem or arrived at an answer.
S analyze other people’s opinions.
S ask for help if I do not understand.
S use more than one idea at a time.
S make predictions on what might happen.
S search for relationships.
S willing to change my opinion with the addition of more information or for compelling reasons.
Adapted from Stinnette (1986)
National Center for the Paideia Program
UNC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Opening Question
S How can classroom teachers measure thinking and student
engagement?
Core Question
S Why is questioning crucial when an individual employs
historical thinking?
Closing Question
S How do we teach students to generate deep questions? Provide
specific examples from your current content and experiences.
Thank you for joining us for this
session we hope that the
strategies we have presented will
ignite the fire of innovation so
to actively engage your students
with fidelity and intentionality.
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