Commoning history education: Developing in-curriculum and beyond-curriculum thinking skills

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the relationship between history learning and thinking skills. Through a review of the literature, this paper seeks to understand how the study of history can enhance critical thinking, problem solving, and other cognitive skills. The paper begins by exploring the definition and importance of thinking skills, highlighting their role in education and daily life. It then discusses the various ways in which history education can foster the development of these skills, including through the analysis of primary sources, the construction of historical narratives, and the consideration of multiple perspectives. Additionally, the paper considers the potential challenges and limitations of using history as a means of improving thinking skills, including the risk of bias and the need for contextualization. It concludes by summarizing the key findings and suggesting directions for future research in this area.

The applications of Historical Thinking Skills in teaching and History learning have become more attention among researchers in Malaysia after the Standard Curriculum of Secondary Schools for History education was launched by the Ministry of Education in 2016. Historical Thinking Skills are consisting five skills such as understanding the chronology, discovering historical evidence, making interpretation, imagination, and rationalization that can help the students cognitively to understand the process of using the historical information, it's including deciphering context, perspective, point of view, and the perceived facts to understand the past or thinking like as historian. Furthermore, Historical Thinking Skills have been more important as the appropriate skills in history learning, especially for students on how to learn the history subject authentically and dynamically than only memorizing historical facts and events. On top of that, Historical Thinking Skills were compulsory skills which are used in teaching and history learning who must be mastered by students and also teachers in Malaysia with desired the students' aspirations in which embodied in the Malaysian Education Development Plan (2013-2025) can be achieved which is to develop thinking skills among them. As a history teacher, the applications of Historical Thinking Skills must be fostered to their students in which also was emphasized in Standard Document for Curriculum and Assessment of History subject. However, the applications of Historical Thinking Skills in teaching and History learning having many issues, problems, and challenges that acquired by researchers whether it becomes more rhetoric or reality which be the points in our discussion.

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of historical thinking skills practice and acquisition among the students based on four dimensions of learning styles such as input (visual and verbal), processing (active and reflective), observation (sensing and intuitive) and understanding (sequential and global). The design of this study is a descriptive survey method involving a total of 865 forms two students from 30 secondary schools in a state of north Peninsular of Malaysia using simple random sampling technique. Two adapted questionnaires and a performance test which has been verified by the content expert and have a good reliability value, discrimination and difficulty index are used in this study. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS version 24. The findings of this study indicated that the historical thinking skills practice at a moderate level and the historical thinking skills acquisition at the lower level among the students. Therefore, historical thinking skills practice also at a moderate level and historical thinking skills acquisition at the lower level based on four dimensions of learning style among students. This study is also expected the history teacher will designing a more effective teaching and learning method in order to improve the level of historical thinking skills based on students learning the style in the ways they receive, understand and implement the knowledge and skills.

History learning that is still dominated by conventional, teacher centered approaches tends to cause student boredom and does not optimally support the development of critical thinking skills, particularly among Generation Z learners. This condition highlights the need for innovative, interactive, and contextual learning media. This study aims to analyze the validity, practicality, and effectiveness of a game based interactive E-Book as a history learning medium in enhancing senior high school students’ critical thinking skills. This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) method using the 4D model, consisting of the define, design, develop, and disseminate stages. The research subjects involved eleventh grade students and history teachers. Data were collected through questionnaires, expert validation, and achievement tests, using validation sheets, response questionnaires, and objective test instruments. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive quantitative analysis, paired sample t-test, and N-Gain analysis. The results indicated that the developed media achieved a very high level of validity and practicality, with student and teacher responses exceeding 98%. In addition, the findings demonstrated a significant improvement in students’ critical thinking skills after using the media, with the N-Gain value falling into the effective category. The study concludes that the game based interactive E-Book is suitable for use as a history learning medium that supports active and meaningful learning. The implications of this study suggest that integrating game-based digital media can serve as a strategic alternative for fostering higher-order thinking skills in history education.

The research explores the potential of incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education approach and critical thinking to enhance historical consciousness. The study employs an ex post facto quantitative method, specifically a correlational design to analyse the variables. The research population comprises 425 students from diverse backgrounds in Banten Province schools that have implemented the STEM approach. A sample size of 202 students is determined using a predefined error rate. Data collection involves tests and questionnaires assessing historical thinking skills, STEM approaches, and historical consciousness. Statistical analysis, including partial and simultaneous multiple correlation tests, reveals a significant and very strong positive relationship between STEM approach, historical thinking skills, and historical consciousness. This suggests that the interplay of these factors enhances history learning and encourages a deeper understanding of historical events, promoting critical thinking, and historical consciousness. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating STEM methodologies into history education to provide students with a holistic understanding of historical events and their societal implications. Such an approach bridges the gap between STEM and history, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and promoting informed and empathetic citizens. Future research should explore diverse samples, employ qualitative methods, and investigate curriculum designs and teaching strategies that effectively integrate STEM and history education.

<p><span>The 21st century needs pupils with learning ability and necessary skills, particularly critical thinking skills instead of content focused. The study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education approach can lead teachers to a new teaching approach in history learning. Through this approach, the teachers can create a new way of teaching history integrated with STEM. This study used a qualitative approach. Data collection in this research using pupil’s work samples, interview, and the teacher journal. This research was conducted in two high school and two vocational school in the urban area. The findings showed that the teachers integrated one of the historical thinking skills and understanding history. The skills are still in the lower level of historical thinking skills. For historical teaching skills to be effectively integrated in history learning, teachers need to be trained so the pupil's historical thinking skills can be enhanced through the integrated history learning with the STEM approach.</span></p>

The Effectiveness Of Using Differentiated Instruction Strategies - based Program In Teaching History for developing some of the Historical Concept and the Creative Thinking skills among Second year of preparatory school students The present study aimed at investigating The Effectiveness of Using Differentiated Instruction Strategies - based Program in Teaching History for developing some of the Historical Concept and the Creative Thinking skills among Second year of preparatory school students. The study sample consisted of (38) pupils among the second-grade prep stage pupils. The study tools was a test to measure some of the Historical Concept ,and a test to measure some of Creative Thinking skills among the second-grade prep stage pupils.The study tools were conducted as pre-application and post-application. The study findings and results showed that: - There was a statistically significant difference at the level of (α 0.01 ≥) between the pupils' scores means in the pre-application and theirs in the post-application. This means that the program was effective in developing developing some of the Historical Concept among the second-grade prep stage pupils. - There was a statistically significant difference at the level of (α 0.01 ≥) between the pupils' scores means in the pre-application and theirs in the post-application. This means that the program was effective in developing developing some of the Creative Thinking skills among the second-grade prep stage pupils.

This paper aims to guide how the history teacher facilitates his student to compose their map and develop their spatial thinking skill. This paper is divided into three sections of Hikayat Tanah Hitu, visualizing the narrative map of Ambon and teaching how to compose the historical map to strengthen student’s spatial thinking skills. The first deals with the historical context and the characteristics of Hikayat Tanah Hitu. Second, the researchers aim to narrate their experience to compose a digital map, by Geographical Information System (GIS), based on the narrative map of Hikayat Tanah Hitu (Hitu Chronicle). The last refers to the researchers’ suggestion for history teachers to teach their students. The researchers also suggest that the next researcher analyze all place names mentioned in Hikayat Tanah Hitu and visualize them into several digital maps.

Digital Promise sought to create and validate two sets of Historical Thinking Skills rubrics for use in its evaluation of Gates Ventures’ World History Project (WHP) curriculum: one for evaluating teacher-assigned activities, and another for evaluating the student work those activities produced. Adopting a principled assessment development approach called Evidence Centered Design (Mislevy et al., 2003), the Digital Promise team began by conducting an academic literature review to inform rubric design, then piloted the draft rubrics to test their validity by having expert world history teachers score a sample of world history assignments and associated student work and provide feedback on the rubrics and scoring process. We found that scores that trained raters assigned to activities and student work were generally consistent across scorers, and scorer feedback indicated that the rubrics did indeed measure valuable historical thinking skills. Based on an analysis of rubric scores and scorer feedback, our team revised the draft rubrics to their final form.

Historical thinking refers to a cognitive activity or process that integrates general thinking with specific thinking activities unique to the history discipline. Historical thinking skills, therefore, represent the ability to solve problems demonstrated within the context of historical thinking activities. Cultivating high school students’ historical thinking skills requires teachers to familiarize themselves with the fundamental characteristics of students’ historical thinking, guide them in deeply understanding the basic concepts and principles of historical thinking, refine their cognitive structures, innovate teaching, learning, and evaluation methods, and stimulate intrinsic motivation for learning. This is not only a vital field of theoretical research in high school history education but also a key aspect of the reform and development of history teaching in secondary schools.

“History is like an old story!”: Navigating the trajectories of historical epistemic beliefs through epistemic network analysis in Taiwanese high school students' perspectives

<p><em>The learning strategy applied by the history teacher basically affects the process and learning outcomes of students. Moreover, in the 21st century, various challenges arise so that the concept of 21st century education is needed to face these challenges. One of the efforts that history teachers can do in facing the challenges of 21st century education is to promote critical literacy. This article is a theoretical study written using the literature study method. The purpose of writing this article is to try to embody the two discussions. First, provision of critical literacy for prospective history teachers. Second, the strategy of history teachers in promoting critical literacy to students. Based on the results of the study of literature, it can be concluded that history teachers basically have the potential to promote critical literacy to students through the concept of historical thinking skills and controversial historical discourses. Considering that, in the education process at the tertiary level, prospective history teachers are very familiar with critical literacy so that they have the opportunity to transmit the implementation of critical literacy to students in secondary schools.</em></p>

This community service project aims to improve the quality of history education at SMA Negeri 1 Rengat Barat through the training development and implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions based on historical thinking skills for teacher. The initiative was driven by the low ability of students to think critically and analyze historical events in depth. The method used involved intensive training and mentoring for history teachers over three days, including HOTS theory workshops, question development sessions, and classroom implementation simulations. Evaluation was conducted using pre-tests and post-tests for students, as well as classroom observation of teacher practices. The results showed a significant improvement in students’ ability to answer HOTS questions, alongside increased teacher enthusiasm in applying historically grounded teaching approaches. The implication of this program highlights that structured and practical training can empower teachers to create meaningful and intellectually stimulating history instruction. This model is expected to be replicable in other schools as a strategic effort to better prepare students for the complexities of the 21st century.

This paper compared the 2009 edition and the 2018 edition of Japanese high school course of study, and analyzed the reinforcement of theme-based learning in Geography and History and the change in history education thereof. The results of analysis are as follows; First, instead of abolishing the four history subjects (World History A·B, Japanese History A·B) of the 2009 edition of the high school Geography and History, the required subject, Modern and Contemporary History, and optional subjects, Advanced Japanese History and Advanced World History, were newly established. These three subjects introduce the content composition and learning method with theme-based learning as the key element. Second, while the 2009 edition described the purpose of theme-based learning as cultivating historical thinking skills as before, the 2018 edition reflects the nature of the competence-based curriculum and presents the qualities and abilities (knowledge and skills, thinking skills, judgment, expressive power, etc.) to be fostered in history subjects. Third, from the perspective of content composition, the 2009 edition relates to theme-based learning on the premise of syntactic composition as before, but the 2018 version shows a switch to a new composition that relates the entire content centering on theme-based learning, instead of syntactic composition. Fourth, in the 2009 edition, the learning method was systematized to improve learning ability and learner''s subjectivity step by step, while considering the characteristics of each subject, which was passed on to the 2018 edition too. The biggest change in the 2018 edition was to develop a new type of learning activity, connecting content composition and learning methods focusing on theme-based learning. The major items of each subject were organized in the form of unit learning with theme-based learning as an important element. In addition, the 2018 edition connected major items so that students can develop independent learning activities step by step. Fifth, the prerequisites and tasks to settle theme-based learning in the schools are; ①improvement of history textbook composition system and description method, ②changeover from teacher’s fact-delivery class to course that promotes students'' independent learning and exploratory activities, ③providing various and abundant teaching materials, ④ implementation of teachers’ training to develop skills necessary for new types of class, etc.

History teachers’ epistemological beliefs are considered to be greatly influential on their instructional practice and a necessary requirement to foster their students’ historical thinking skills. In examining this relationship, two issues arise. First, adequately capturing teachers’ epistemological beliefs remains a challenge as existing instruments appear not to be always valid and reliable. Some researchers suggest to distinguish between formal and practical epistemologies, which requires different measuring instruments. Second, it remains unclear how teachers’ epistemological beliefs influence their teaching practice as several studies found there is no straightforward relationship due to the influence of other beliefs. At the same time, the role of teachers’ own understanding of historical thinking in fostering this thinking among their students has not been extensively studied. Through a qualitative research with 21 history teachers, this study examines the relationship between teachers’ formal and practical epistemologies, their understanding of historical thinking and their instructional practice. It thereby reflects on methodological issues related to mapping teachers’ epistemological beliefs. Data analysis shows that teachers’ epistemological beliefs remain difficult to capture, due to inconsistencies in and between measuring instruments. It could be concluded, nevertheless, that, while most teachers acknowledge the interpretive and constructed nature of history, they generally do not include this in their own descriptions of historical thinking. The research supports the idea that nuanced epistemological beliefs are required for interpretive history teaching, but are not a sufficient precondition. While other beliefs and contextual factors are indeed at play, it also appears necessary to support teachers’ competence in designing materials to foster their students’ historical thinking, including epistemological reflection. The article reflects on the implications for teaching training and professional development programs.