The Applications of Historical Thinking Skills in Teaching and History Learning: Between Rhetoric and Reality

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Historical Thinking Skills, Teaching and History Learning, Issues, Problems and Challenges.

References

  • [1] Abdul Razaq Ahmad. 2010. The Acquisition of Conceptual Understanding of Historical Thinking in the Context of multi-ethnic students in Malaysia. Historia: Jurnal Pendidik dan Peneliti Sejarah, 10(2), 108-119.
  • [2] Anuar Ahmad dan Nelson Jinggan. 2015. Pengaruh Kompetensi Kemahiran Guru Dalam Pengajaran Terhadap Pencapaian Akademik Pelajar Dalam Mata Pelajaran Sejarah. Jurnal Kurikulum & Pengajaran Asia Pasifik, Vol.3, No.2, 1-11.
  • [3] Bain, R.B. 2000. Into the Breach: Using Research and Theory to Shape History Instruction. In Stearns, P.N., Seixas, P. and Wineburg, S. (eds) Knowing Teaching and Learning History: National and International Perspectives. New York: New York Press.
  • [4] Bloom, B.S. 1956. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David Mckay Co.Inc.
  • [5] Centre of Curriculum Development. 2002. Description of KBSM Lesson Syllabus; Form 4 & 5. Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
  • [6] Cooper, H. 2000. The Teaching of History in Primary Schools: Implementing the Revised National Curriculum (3rd ed.). London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.
  • [7] Cooper, H and Dilek, D. 2004. Children’s Thinking in History: Analysis of a History Lesson Taugh to 11 years Old at Ihsan Sungu School, Istanbul. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research, 4(2).
  • [8] Cuban, L. 2001. Why Bad Reforms Won’t Give Us Good School. The American Prospect. 12, Winter. Retrieved from http://www.prospect.org/prin/V12/l/cuban-html [Sept, 03 2019]
  • [9] Drake, F. and Brown, S.D. 2003. A Systematic Approach to Improve Students’ Historical Thinking. The History Techer. 36(4).
  • [10] Department of Curriculum Development. 2016. Standard Document of Curriculum and Assessment of History Subject Form 1. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.
  • [11] Fahim, M. and Masouleh, N.S. 2012. Critical Thinking in Higher Education: A Pedagogical Look. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol.2 (7). 1370-1375.
  • [12] Fink, N. 2004. Pupil’s conceptions of history and history teaching. Analysis, 17,9.
  • [13] Fisher, R. 1998. Teaching Thinking: Philosophical Enquiry in the Classroom. Cassell: London.
  • [14] Felder, R.M and Brent, R. 2003. Learning by doing. Chemical engineering education, 37(4), 282-309.
  • [15] Karaagac, M.K. and Threlfall, J. 2004. The Tension Between Teacher Beliefs and Teacher Practice: The Impact of the Work Setting. Proceeding of the 28th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematic Education. 3.137-144.
  • [16] Kaziva, M. 2019. Hubungan Penerapan Elemen Kemahiran Pemikiran Sejarah dalam Proses Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran terhadap Pencapaian Mata Pelajaran Sejarah dalam kalangan Murid. Jurnal Kurikulum & Pengajaran Asia Pasifik, Vol.7, 1, 30-38.
  • [17] Lisa Yip Shukye. 2014. Kajian Tinjauan Kesediaan Guru-guru Sejarah Menerapkan Kemahiran Pemikiran Sejarah dalam kalangan Murid-murid. Jurnal Pendidikan Kent, Bil.13/2014.
  • [18] Lee, P. and Ashby, R. 1999. The Pittsburg Conference on Teaching, Knowing and Learning History. Teaching History, 97, 13-15.
  • [19] Lowenthal, D. 2000. Dilemmas and Delights of Learning History. In Stearns, P.N., Seixas, P., and Wineburg, S. (eds) Knowing Teaching and Learning History: National and International Perspectives. New York: New York Press.63-82.
  • [20] Malaysian Examination Board. 2018. Analysis Reports SPM examination results from 2013 until 2017. Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Education.
  • [21] Ministy of Education, Malaysia. 2013. Malaysian Education Development Plan: Preschool Education until Secondary School. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education.
  • [22] Muhamad Yazid Bin Khalil. 2018. Tahap Pengetahuan Guru Sejarah Sekolah Rendah Dalam Kemahiran Pemikiran Sejarah. Retrieved from https://upikpolimas.edu.my/conference/index.php/icompex/icompex_2018/paper/viewFile /381/245 [Sept, 15 2019]
  • [23] Paul, R. 1994. Teaching critical thinking in the strong scene. In S.K. Wlaters (Ed), Re-Thinking Reason: New Perspectives in Critical Thinking. Albany: SUNY Press.
  • [24] Rosy Talin. 2014. The Teaching of History in Secondary Schools. International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 2(3),723,78.
  • [25] Schleifer, M. 1997. Philosophy and community education. Analytic teaching, 17(2), 93-100.
  • [26] Seixas, P. and Peck, C. 2004. Teaching historical thinking. In A. Sears and I. Wright (Eds.), Challenges and Prospect for Canadian Social Studies, 108-117. Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press.
  • [27] Sharifah NorPuteh, Nooreiny Maarul, & Elisabeth Tak. 2010. Students’ Perception of the Teaching of Historical Thinking Skills. Pertanika Journal Social Science & Humanities, 18(S), 87-95.
  • [28] Siti Hawa Abdullah. 2008. Takrif dan Ciri-ciri Pemikiran Sejarah. Pendidikan Sejarah, 9(1), 98-106.
  • [29] Vieira, R., Tenreiro-Vieira, C., and Martins, I. 2011. Critical thinking: conceptual clarification and its importance in science education. Science Education International, 22(1), 44-54.
  • [30] Warren, W.J. 2007. Closing the Distance Between Authentic History Pedagogy and Everday Classroom Practice. The History Teacher. 40(2).
  • [31] Wilen, W.W. 1991. Questioning Skills for teachers. (3rd edition). Washington DC: National Education Association.
  • [32] Wineburg, S.S. 2000. Making Historical Sense. In Stearns, P.N., Seixas, P. and Wineburg, S. (eds) Knowing Teaching and Learning History: National and International Perspectives. 307-325.
  • [33] Wineburg, S.S. 2004. Crazy for history. Journal of American History. 90, March.
  • [34] White, P.L. 2002. Reflections on Forty-Odd years of Teaching History and on Training Prospective PhDs to Do So. The History Teacher. 35(4).
  • [35] Yeager, E.A. and Foster, S.J. 2001. Why people in the past acted the way they did: An exploratory subject in historical emphathy. Journal of Social Education, 13(2001), 8-24.
  • [36] Zahara Aziz & Nik Azleena Nik Ismail. 2007. Kajian Tinjauan Kesediaan Guru-Guru Sejarah Menerapkan Kemahiran Pemikiran Sejarah Kepada Para Pelajar. Jurnal Pendidikan, 32(2007), 119-137.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.32698/GCS.01101