How do we know what we know?

One of my favorite 2022 Track Talks is from middle school teacher Crissy Calera. It's called Assessing Historical Thinking with One Crucial Question.

I have only taught high school, but I'm really impressed with how simply and methodically she tackles how to question history...and ourselves. Her ideas are a fantastic way of unpacking the claim testing process that many of us are familiar with.

Have you seen this one yet? What do you think?

Top Replies

  •   this was a fantastic Track Talk, and definitely one that moves beyond the bounds of middle school and into every facet of life today.  I loved how you moved from the familiar at the start of…

  • So far, this has been my favorite Track Talk! Crissy takes the concept of sourcing and authority to a really personal level to create a meaningful connection with students from the start of the year. T…

  • This is such a great Track Talk! Chrissy's method of starting with issues familiar to students and building on those with each unit is such a great strategy to help middle school students understnd claim…

  • This is such a great Track Talk! Chrissy's method of starting with issues familiar to students and building on those with each unit is such a great strategy to help middle school students understnd claim testing.  ,this Talk sounds very similar to your approach to claim testing in middle shool.

  •   this was a fantastic Track Talk, and definitely one that moves beyond the bounds of middle school and into every facet of life today.  I loved how you moved from the familiar at the start of the year to then expand upon the various topics students would cover throughout the course of the rest of the school year.  The best part of this Track Talk was the overall idea that the "historian" is not the end-all-be-all of the history classroom.  In order to understand How We Know What We Know, it takes an Interdisciplinary Approach to come to a truly honest and real understanding of the past, as well as a belief that "history" is a narrative that is fluid.  It is not set in stone, but like a river, carves out and plots its course as new and more relevant facts are uncovered.  Fantastic job and keep fighting the good fight.

  • So far, this has been my favorite Track Talk! Crissy takes the concept of sourcing and authority to a really personal level to create a meaningful connection with students from the start of the year. The notion of thinking about aspects of your personality or hobbies and determining how you know them to be true is an excellent hook. I have found that some of my students have gotten bogged down with all of the names of disciplines and keeping them all sorted, so I was inspired by the idea of doing a bit more research into how long it takes to get a particular degree or what types of things you need to know in order to pursue and achieve that discipline path. I will probably add that to some of the work I do with disciplines. To not blindly accept facts, and instead question where and who they came from may be one of the most important skills to teach to students in this digital era. Very inspiring message with great applications!

  • This Track Talk really inspires me. The first day of school students are often asked questions about themselves, but this big question (that really applies to any history class) goes a step further by asking how they came to be themselves. What a great way to get to know students the first day as they explore the sources of truth. Although I teach AP World, I will use several of the activities she described -- the Truth Points 4 Corners, ranking historical fact sources, and the Danger of a Single Narrative are all great first days activities for high school students who are putting their historical thinking caps back on and diving in to contextualization and sourcing skills.

  • Thank you so much, Zachary! I really appreciate your encouragement and am so glad it resonated with you!

  • Thank you so much, Meaghan! Your words mean so much to me, and I'm so happy to hear that you were able to take away something you can use in your classroom!

  • Thank you so much, Kathy!

  • Thank you so much, Melissa! I am happy to hear that some of the activities I described are applicable to your subject and studetns!

  • Thank you, Erik! I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read this! I try to be really intentional with my students, especially when it comes to thinking critically.

  • I found  Crissy Calera's scaffolding and preparation for her question to tie directly to ways I could teach claim testing.  I teach older students, so I might not have physical corners, but I definitely think its helpful for them to think through those questions of sourcing and authority.  I love the book "Seedfolks:", but I hesitate to use it with high school. I think older students would think it beneath them. Any one had success?  I also have found the video, "The Danger Of A Single Story," to reach students and generate conversation.