Historiographical Thinking: Towards a New Approach to Preparing History Teachers

Abstract

This article draws upon writings by social studies educators and historians to articulate a new approach to training history teachers. We argue that the divide between advocates of historical thinking and of historical content can be overcome through a better understanding of what it means to know history. By examining the nature of the historical discipline, we argue that historiographical knowledge, or learning through reading and criticizing secondary historical texts in relation to each other, may better prepare teachers to think about history. Such an approach can improve teachers' knowledge of the past and their awareness of the interpretive nature of all historical writing. Historiographical training can also give teachers the tools to stay current in the field. This essay defines historiographical knowledge, demonstrates how historiographical knowledge offers a more accurate view of how history is constructed, and suggests how historiographical knowledge can inform a range of pedagogical approaches in social studies and history classrooms.