Fostering historical thinking EADTU 2016

1. Using Online Primary
Sources to Foster
Historical Thinking
Orna Farrell & James Brunton
orna.farrell@dcu.ie @orna_farrell
james.brunton@dcu.ie @DrJamesBrunton

2. • Background
• Primary sources & history
• Digital primary sources
• Learning outcome etc….
• “The History Lab” initiative
Outline

3. Background
•Open Education, NIDL, DCU
•BA (Hons) Humanities, BA (Hons)
Humanities (Psychology major), BA (Hons)
English & History
•Flexible/off-campus learners
•Six BA in Humanities history modules

4. Primary sources & history
•History is the study and interpretation of the
past, and engaging with primary sources is
central to the development of authentic critical
historical thinking. (Wineburg, 1999)

5. Digital primary sources
• Last 30 years millions of primary sources have been digitized sheer
scale of sources material
• Questions about source quality -challenging research environment for
learners
• In Ireland commemoration of revolutionary period = large amount of
digitisation
• National Library’s “1916 Digitisation Project” 90,000 images &
personal papers
• Googles’ Dublin Rising 1916-2016
virtual tour https://dublinrising.withgoogle.com/welcome

6. Learning Outcomes

7. Thinking like a historian
Reismans (2012) study found that instruction with
multiple documents increased students’ content
retention and skills with sourcing
Wineburg (2008)”
“How do we use new digital technologies not only to
make sources more available, but also to cultivate skills
that teach students to read and think about these sources
in meaningful ways?”
Tally & Goldenberg (2005) found that “ using primary
documents gives students a sense of the reality and
complexity of the past”
Wineburg (1999) engaging with primary sources is
central to the development of authentic critical
historical thinking

8. The “The History Lab: Digital Research
Skills” Initiative
• Modelled on Wineburg’s approach
• Aim: support flexible/off-campus learners and
their development of research skills in the six
BA in Humanities (Open Education) history
modules
The History Lab:
1. An interactive guide to online primary
sources
2. An accompanying social bookmarking web
page
3. An online tutorial to practise finding,
evaluating and using online primary sources

9. Interactive guide
•An interactive guide to online
primary sources- a selection of
40 relevant resources in
different topic
areas/countries/time periods
•Made using Atavist-
www.atavist.com
•Embedded videos, links,
interactive tables, mobile ready

10. Online tutorial
• A series of online tutorials to practise
finding, evaluating and using online
primary sources
• Which incorporates supporting videos
explaining how to use those resources
• which will encourage student
visualisation of key concepts
(Henderson et al, 2015)
• Produced usingcombination of Articulate
Studio Camtasia and Youtube and

11. Social bookmarking- Diigo
•Encourage group
collaboration
•making organizing and
saving web resources faster
and easier for students
•Can comment on other
students' bookmarks,
annotate and highlight
interesting sections
•Create a learning community

12. What next?
•Try out the resources on students!
•Collect feedback and improve/change

13. Thank
You!

14. References
• http://www.storiesfrom1916.com/1916-easter-rising/home/
• http://mountstreet1916.ie/
• http://letters1916.maynoothuniversity.ie/
• Reisman, Avishag. (2012). Reading Like a Historian: A Document-Based History Curriculum
Intervention in Urban High Schools. Cognition and Instruction, 30(1), 86–112.
• Tally, Bill, & Goldenberg, Lauren. (2005). Fostering Historical Thinking With Digitized Primary
Sources. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(1), 1–21.
• Wineburg, Sam, & Martin, Daisy. (2008). Seeing Thinking on the Web. The History Teacher,
41(3), 305–319.
• Henderson, M., Selwyn, N. & Aston, R. (2015) ‘What works and why? Student perceptions of
“useful” digital technology in university teaching and learning’, Studies in Higher Education.