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Do
History
The
most effective way to learn history is to do history.
All
students, regardless of grade level, have the ability to identify
important historical questions and to piece together the past
out of its surviving fragments. Doing history requires each of
us to become a historical detective or investigator. Only in this
way can one develop a genuine mastery of the past.
The
serious study of history involves three distinct skills:
1.
Identifying a Historical Problem:
History isn't simply an attempt to reconstruct the past; it
is also an effort to answer questions and solve problems.
2.
Discovering and Evaluating Evidence:
Historical research begins with primary sources-the surviving
remnants of the past. These may be texts-such as letters, diaries,
newspaper articles, and legal records-or they might be physical,
visual, or oral evidence-music, paintings, photographs, and
much more. Evidence does not speak for itself-rather, it must
be carefully analyzed and interpreted.
3.
Drawing and Presenting Conclusions
The final step is to bring one's insights and evidence to bear
on the historical problem and to present one's findings in a
clear, succinct, and persuasive form.
Doing
History allows you to do history with a wide range of unconventional
sources. It emphasizes active, project-based learning involving
the critical use of material, visual, and audio primary sources.
Here
are some ways of doing history:
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