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Why Learn History Book Club // Get your copy and join the conversation!

Kathy Hays

Drumroll please! We are thrilled to announce our summer OER Conference for Social Studies Book Club pick! This month you are invited to join us in reading Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone) by Sam Wineburg (IndieBound / Amazon), who happens to be one of our keynote speakers for the OER Conference for Social Studies. 

Since the 1990s, Sam Wineburg has been one of the leaders in research on historical thinking and the teaching and learning of history. He is also one of the founders and directors of the Stanford History Education Group (sheg.stanford.edu), one of the largest providers of free educational resources in the world. Wineburg believes it is essential to provide students with the critical thinking tools necessary to sort through the incredible amount of information being thrown at them every day, and to do so may require updates to traditional teaching practices. 

Our community discussion about Why Learn History will kick off with our first book club questions on July 14 right here in this thread, located in the OER Conference for Social Studies Discussion Forum. We’ll post a new question each Thursday for three weeks leading up to the conference which takes place August 3-4. So, grab a copy of the book, bookmark this thread so you can return on the 14th, and prepare for some rich discussions with other members of the community.

Our first week of conversations will cover Part One of the book. Let the reading begin!

Why Learn History // Week One Questions  

We are excited to start our book club conversation on Why Learn History (When it’s Already on Your Phone) as we make our way to Sime Wineburg’s August 4th keynote address in the OER Conference for Social Studies. Post your thoughts and answers to the questions below or add your own question. Erik Christensen will be leading the discussion and will be checking in throughout the day to respond to the conversation.  

In Chapter 1 "Crazy for History" Wineburg gives a critical analysis of American testing systems (and their effectiveness) and reaches the conclusion that "...no national test can allow students to show themselves to be historically literate."  Further, Wineburg makes the claim that multiple choice tests "convey the dismal message that history is about collecting disconnected bits of knowledge..., where one test item has nothing to do with the next, and where if you can't answer a question in a few seconds, it's wise to move on to the next. [These] tests mock the very essence of problem solving."   

  • How should teachers of history in 2022 test our students?   
  • How do you determine if your students are learning history?   
  • How do you, to paraphrase Wilfred McClay, make those hard choices about what gets thrown out of the story so that the essentials can survive?

Why Learn History // Week Two Questions  

Bloom's Taxonomy is referenced in many professional development sessions, teacher-admin conversations, and there may even be a poster of this pyramid in your classroom. Wineburg suggests that in a history classroom, Bloom's Taxonomy should be inverted so that knowledge is at the top.     

  • Do you agree with Wineburg's thesis - that Bloom's Taxonomy doesn't work in a history classroom?   
  • What would an inverted version of the pyramid look like in your practice?   
  • Is knowledge the result of critical thinking? Or is knowledge needed to think critically?  

Why Learn History // Week Three Questions  

In Chapter 7 "Why Google Can't Save Us" Wineburg dives deep into the internet's ability to deeply confuse expert and novice historians (and everyone else!). He describes several case studies that highlight how difficult it can be to assess information that we come across online.     

  • As more students are conducting research online, how are you managing the information they are exposed to?   
  • Do you teach digital literacy?   
  • How do you practice online reasoning or claim testing? How do you practice it with your students?   
  • What routines or activities have made the biggest impact to negotiating the power of the internet in your classroom?  

Post your response to the questions in the comments below as we complete our final week of the Book Club. Be sure to join us for Sam Wineburg’s Keynote Address on August 4 at 1:00 PM PDT!  

Top Replies

  • +5

    Hi everybody. Figured I wade into this thread because reading everyone's posts and being familiar with Wineburg's book got me thinking. Anyway, I often find myself TL-DR-ing my posts.  I'm sure this…

  • in reply to Gregory Dykhouse +4

    You bring up some interesting points for the start of a discussion. First, I have not read Wineburg's book - yet. I am purchasing today. However, your points on the Zinn book - which I have had for a very…

  • +4

    So far, I am enjoying the book...definitely not finished, but I'm on track(ish) to be ready to respond to Part 2 later this week! :) I find Wineburg's tone and style to be straightforward and comprehensible…

Parents

  • After finishing the first part of this book, it has really made me question the value of any multiple choice tests. It was very eye-opening. I am sure to most educators, a true assessment of student knowledge and skill has to go beyond that, like a portfolio of works throughout the year that assesses the skills of historical analysis rather than snapshot questions. I work in NYS which is bound by state assessments for social studies in high school, but they have been evolving in the last few years to highlight reading and skills more than recall and stand alone facts....but there is still room for improvement! 

    And for the last question in a course required for graduation, it is the state curriculum that does dictate this work as well as the data from state assessments. Our students and teachers are judged by those scores and until the one test no longer holds that much weight, then teachers will feel obligated to make sure students hear as much as possible to avoid the shell shock when the exam shows up.

    The pandemic did give us the opportunity to assess our students without the state exams. And it brought forth some amazing projects form our teachers and incredible work from our students; very student-driven...let them guide their research and analysis!

    As a teacher who also has the privilege to offer electives, it's a completely different ball game! No MC tests, it's more about debate, presentations and written responses. Student choice / class choice on the direction the course is going (within some parameters of course). It's very liberating and also the most enjoyable!

Reply

  • After finishing the first part of this book, it has really made me question the value of any multiple choice tests. It was very eye-opening. I am sure to most educators, a true assessment of student knowledge and skill has to go beyond that, like a portfolio of works throughout the year that assesses the skills of historical analysis rather than snapshot questions. I work in NYS which is bound by state assessments for social studies in high school, but they have been evolving in the last few years to highlight reading and skills more than recall and stand alone facts....but there is still room for improvement! 

    And for the last question in a course required for graduation, it is the state curriculum that does dictate this work as well as the data from state assessments. Our students and teachers are judged by those scores and until the one test no longer holds that much weight, then teachers will feel obligated to make sure students hear as much as possible to avoid the shell shock when the exam shows up.

    The pandemic did give us the opportunity to assess our students without the state exams. And it brought forth some amazing projects form our teachers and incredible work from our students; very student-driven...let them guide their research and analysis!

    As a teacher who also has the privilege to offer electives, it's a completely different ball game! No MC tests, it's more about debate, presentations and written responses. Student choice / class choice on the direction the course is going (within some parameters of course). It's very liberating and also the most enjoyable!

Children
  • in reply to MaryLynn Bieron

    I really like the emphasis on choice that you bring up with electives. My school also offers electives, and there is a WIDE range each trimester. It is exciting to hear the students talk about what electives they want to join and why. It's also a great way to foster new passions. I think that there are possible ways to pull that sort of ownership and choice into academic content too. Maybe the use of menus to select the way that you want to exhibit understanding at the culmination of a unit of study, the choice to work independently or in a partnership/group, providing a list of musts but allowing students to 'pitch' how they would like to share the must-haves to exhibit their understanding...? You brought up some good points that are getting me excited,  !

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