Historical thinking is the “historical habits of mind” that trained professional historians possess and are trying to pass along to their students. Stanford professor Sam Wineburg points out that “the kind of textured interrogation that comes automatically—-but not naturally—-to historians is a very special skill.” Therefore like any skill, it can be learned, improved, and taught.

What does that “textured interrogation” look like? What are those habits of mind? What *is* historical thinking?

Before clicking on the links below, take some time to articulate and write down what YOU think the mental processes and foundational concepts of “thinking historically” might be.

Here are several different formulations for historical thinking created by different educators. Take your time reading / viewing through them.

WATCH

What Is Historical Thinking? (National History Education Clearinghouse) – 7:41 minutes
Why Historical Thinking Matters (History Matters) – skip the polls by clicking the Next Arrow – approx 10 min

READ
Historical Thinking Concepts (Canada Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness) – take the time to explore all 6 sidebar links to each concept
What Does it Mean to Think Historically? The 5 C’s (AHA / Carnegie Teachers for a New Era)
History Discipline Core Competencies (AHA / Tuning the Discipline Project)