Beyond the Looking Glass: Bringing Students into the Conversation of Historical Inquiry

Abstract

This article is an examination of the divide between high school students' conceptions of historical inquiry and those articulated in current proposals for curricular and instructional reform. The author argues that students acquire stubborn misconceptions in the course of schooling about what constitutes historical knowledge; specifically, students learn that historical truth is taught by teacher and text, and that photography and film provide a mirror of the facts. Such learning impedes students' grasp of the contextualized, creative, intentioned, and tentative nature of historical interpretation and representation, and so constitutes a significant obstacle to reform. Drawing upon data from a case study of one class that seemingly exemplified the spirit of reform, upon theoretical perspectives of inquiry and representation, and upon empirical research about teaching and learning across the curriculum, the author maintains that successful reform requires instruction that both shifts the locus of authority from the teacher and text to a shared process of critical inquiry, and through this process of critical inquiry directly challenges students' beliefs about knowledge and representation.