Definitions


 * All concepts and definitions in this section are derived from “Teaching About Historical Thinking” (Denos & Case, 2006). **
 * 1) **// Historical Thinking Concepts //****// : //**** A conceptual framework focusing on six core interrelated concepts. These concepts are; evidence, historical perspective taking, historical significance, cause and consequence, continuity and change, and moral judgment. **
 * 2) **// Evidence //****// : //**** “//The validation, interpretation and use of primary and secondary sources of historical information in the construction of historical accounts and arguments//.” (p. 16). Evidence consists of five dimensions: (1) ** Historical evidence is not the same as historical information. (2) Evidence is derived from two sources of information. (3) Primary sources are our connections to the past. (4) Information can be drawn from traces or accounts of the past. (5) The validity of evidence depends on its source and use. ( pp. 16-18 )
 * 3) **// Historical Perspective Taking //****// : //**** “//Historical perspective involves the viewing of the past through the social, intellectual, emotional and moral lenses of the time//. Historical perspective requires that we remain mindful of the potentially profound differences between our own worldview and that of past worldviews” (p. 46). Historical perspective taking consists of four dimensions: ** (1) Presentism is the antithesis of historical perspective. (2) Historical perspective is concerned with understanding the prevailing norms or the time more than it is adopting a particular person’s point of view. (3) There are diverse historical perspectives on any given event in the past. (4) Adopting an historical perspective requires suspending moral judgment. (pp. 46-47)
 * 4) **// Historical Significance //****// : //**** “//The factors that determine what and who should be remembered, researched, taught, and learned//.” (p. 10) Historical significance consists of six dimensions: ** (1) Determinations of significance are unavoidable. (2) Significance depends upon one’s perspective. (3) Significance depends upon purpose. (4) Significance varies with time. (5) Significance is not simply a matter of personal reaction. (6) Significance depends on context. (pp. 10-11) **﻿**
 * 5) **// Cause and Consequence //****// : //**** “//The concepts of cause and consequence address who or what influenced history and what were the repercussions of these changes//” (p. 35). Cause and consequence consists of four dimensions: (1) ** Events have a myriad of different and often unappreciated causes. (2) Prior events may have no causal influence on subsequent events. (3) Looking for broad underlying factors is as or more important than identifying immediate particular causes. (4) Actions have unintended consequences. ( pp. 36-37 )
 * 6) **// Continuity and Change //****// : //**** “The concepts of continuity and change are //the basis for exploring how lives and conditions are alike over periods of time and how they changed from the people and societies that come before or after//” (p. 28). Continuity and change consists of five dimensions: (1) ** Change and continuity are ongoing and ever present. (2) Change can occur at different rates. (3) Change and continuity can be both positive and negative. (4) Comparisons can be made between points in history and between the past and the present. (5) Periodization is a way of marking historical change and continuity. ( pp. 28-29 )
 * 7) **// Moral Judgment //****// : //**** “In history, //moral judgments are attempts to make ethical assessments of the past or of implications of past actions in light of our present values and sensibilities and with consideration of the norms and conditions operating at the time of the events//” (p. 54). Moral judgment consists of five dimensions: (1) ** Moral judgments are a particular kind of evaluative (or value) judgment. (2) Value judgments are often explicit but they may be implicit. (3) Moral judgments about the past must be sensitive to historical context. (4) There is value in withholding moral judgment until adequate information has been acquired. (5) Determining cause is different from assigning responsibility. ( pp. 54-56 )

=﻿Other Definitions:=
 * 1) **// Inquiry //****// : //**** (1) “ ‘Any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem’ ” (Harvey & Daniels, 2009, p. 55). (2) “ ‘Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world’ ” (Alberta Education, 2004, p. 1). **
 * 2) **// Inquiry Model //****// : //**** The Inquiry Model is a conceptual framework consisting of six phases; Planning, Retrieving, Processing, Creating, Sharing and Evaluating. Reflecting on the model is at the center of this process, giving consideration to “both the affective and cognitive domains associated with metacognition” (Alberta Education, 2004, Chapter 2, p. 11). The Inquiry Model: (a) ** is an instructional model which provides cont ent ** for scaffolding instruction; (b) ** is a framework for assessment and inter vention ** in the affective domain; (c) ** establishes ** a common language for inquiry; (d) ** is a guide for students, and (e) is a guide for monitoring student engagement in the inquiry process. (Ibid, Chapter 2, pp. 7-9)
 * 3) **// Assessment //**** : **The “process of collecting information on student achievement and performance that includes a variety of assessment tasks designed to monitor and improve student learning” (Alberta Assessment Consortium).