Historical Fieldwork as Reflection on the Uses of History

University of New Brunswick PhD Dissertation, 2015

This case study explores the link between historical thinking and historical consciousness at middle school level, over a 14-week unit of study. It builds upon an existing body of empirical research within Canada and internationally, including the recently published Canadians and Their Pasts national survey, as well as The Historical Thinking Project. With regard to historical thinking, this dissertation focuses on historical narratives, evidence, and sources—since these historical thinking concepts are often encountered within informal learning settings such as community history museums. Indirectly, the concept of historical significance is also relevant to this inquiry. In keeping with instrumental case study design, the findings provide insight into pragmatic applications for historical thinking within a community history museum. Findings also reveal the phenomenological meaning that both middle school students and volunteer heritage community members drew from the experience. The methodology is informed by a sociocultural theoretical perspective. As a result, research procedures were framed around Falk and Dierking’s (2000, 2013) Contextual Model of Learning—during the data collection phase; as well as by Rüsen’s (1987; 1993; 2004) typology of historical consciousness—during the data analysis phase. The ultimate intent was to map out any changes that may have occurred over time regarding participants’ relationship with their past, present, and future. Through the adoption of a series of scaffolding tools designed around a Material History Framework for Historical Thinking, students became actively engaged in: (a) discovering and deconstructing the narratives that they encountered within the museum, (b) analysing the artifact sources behind such narratives, and (c) reconstructing their own narrative claims. Through this experience, students’ social roles were transformed from passive listeners to active historians. In turn, adult participants became engaged in: (a) responding to students’ questions, and (b) modelling historical thinking. Through this experience, adult social roles were transformed from information-transmitters to collaborative agents, as they developed a sense of empathy for the students as historical researchers. As a result, the authority of the museum was challenged in a constructivist way, and the community of inquiry was opened up to include students as active members of the community. Over the course of this inquiry, students’ narrative interpretations became explicitly focused upon the artifact, as a source of evidence to support their narrative claims. Students also came to recognise complexity in interpreting the past. With regard to Rüsen’s typology of historical consciousness, their narratives for remembering Canada’s past shifted away from traditional—toward exemplary—templates, while their narratives for remembering New Brunswick’s past also shifted away from traditional—toward genetic—templates. Through the lived experience of historical thinking, history became something that students envisioned doing for themselves. These findings have implications for classroom teachers, museum educators, and history education researchers. They support the assertions of Seixas (2001) that students can be empowered to “read [and re-write] the [informal] texts that structure their lives” (p. 561).

Historical Encounters, 2017

This dissertation explores the link between historical thinking and historical consciousness at middle school level. Over a 14-week unit of study, one entire class of seventh-grade students (n=24), along with a group of adult community history museum volunteers (n=5), engaged in historical thinking with a museum collection. Regarding historical thinking, this inquiry focused upon historical narratives, evidence, and sources—since these concepts are often encountered within informal learning settings such as community history museums. Indirectly, the concept of historical significance was also relevant to this inquiry.

University of New Brunswick PhD Dissertation, 2015

This dissertation explores the link between historical thinking and historical consciousness at middle school level. Over a 14-week unit of study, one entire class of seventh-grade students (n=24), along with a group of adult community history museum volunteers (n=5), engaged in historical thinking with a museum collection. Regarding historical thinking, this inquiry focused upon historical narratives, evidence, and sources—since these concepts are often encountered within informal learning settings such as community history museums. Indirectly, the concept of historical significance was also relevant to this inquiry.

Title of PhD thesis: Sensitive History under Negotiation: Pupils' Historical Imagination and Attribution of Significance while Engaged in Heritage Projects (awarded ‘Best PhD thesis of the year 2014’ by the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities). Although little is known about the ways in which pupils learn history during museum visits, people have many expectations of it. This mixed methods multiple case study examined pupils’ learning about sensitive history, specifically the history of slavery and WWII, while engaged in heritage projects including a museum visit. The study focused on the ways in which pupils imagine a particular history and attribute significance to this history. The data were collected using questionnaires, individual interviews and observations of pupil group work and museum educators. The study revealed that the heritage projects enriched the pupils’ images of the past and made them more concrete. Also, many pupils were stimulated to empathise with the people from the past. However, they had little attention for the historical context of these people and they had difficulty to take other perspectives than their own present-day perspective. The heritage projects provided insight in the different ways in which significance is attributed to the past in current Dutch society. The projects enabled the pupils to explore their own ideas regarding significance and how these were related to their identity. However, the possibility to find the heritage unimportant remained undiscussed, although many pupils found this an interesting perspective and did not necessarily attach great importance to the preservation of the heritage. This empirical study contributes to theories regarding the learning of history and creates an empirical basis for a discussion about the constraints and benefits of learning history in heritage projects. The insights of this study can inform pedagogies of history teachers and museum educators.

2014

2011

Canadian Journal of Education, 2017

This article presents findings from a recent case study involving seventh-grade students ( n = 25) and a group of community history museum adult volunteers ( n = 5). Over 14 weeks, participants engaged in a series of scaffolding activities designed around a Material History Framework for Historical Thinking. The purpose of the inquiry was to explore pragmatic applications for historical thinking within a community history museum. Data collection included pre- and post- Canadians and Their Pasts surveys, written assignments, photovoice photography, in-depth interviews, and a final class - room museum project. Conclusions are discussed within the context of Rusen’s (1987, 1993, 2004) typology of historical consciousness. This article presents a “call to action” for community history museums in Canada. It points to ways in which students can be empowered to become active members of a museum’s community of inquiry.