A (theory and pedagogy) essay on the (history) essay

Abstract

Everyone who writes anything – even non-fiction! – knows you discover things as you go along. Writing is a heuristic. Writing history is no different. Yet senior-secondary and tertiary exponents of the teaching and learning of history are often strangely tongue-tied on the matter of writing and thinking as engines of discovery in historical studies in particular, and in the humanities and sciences in general. The quirks and customs of the actual research and writing practices underpinning knowledge of histories, whatever the genre, are less often modelled and explicitly discussed in advanced classrooms than the products of the historical research, the so-called history ‘content’. This essay re-considers the theory and practice of writing essays in general, and history essays in particular. Specific ways in which writing enables discoveries and ways in which it deepens interpretations are explored. Conclusions are derived for a better agenda, other than offering more content, for an advanced-level history education.

How do we integrate skills and content in classics? An inquiry into students’ use of sources

“…Through this process, students would be increasingly more active in finding their own sources ( exploration ), as well as practised in explaining why certain literature has been chosen ( articulation ). In time, students would be able to discuss their sources, not just cite them, demonstrating their development as competent and independent learners who have been successfully taught subject-specific skills (Jones, 2018: 229; Wingate, 2007).…”

“…Comparable studies of students in second and third years of university would create a picture of the development of this vital skill over the course of the degree programme. Finally, it would be useful to dig more deeply into how students are using sources, not merely which ones and how many they use (Jones, 2018). Ancient historians do not just cite sources, they use them in particular ways to argue interpretations of historical events.…”