The Student Guide to Historical Thinking: Going Beyond Dates, Places, and Names to the Core of History

Learning history as only a collection of dates and names prevents us from seeing the true value of the past. The Student Guide to Historical Thinkingreveals the study of history as a mode of thinking with real current-day implications. It begins with a focus on important historical understandings and then presents strategies for fostering fair-minded historical thinking. Students learn to engage with the past in a way that promotes critical thinking about the present and future.

As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fair-minded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.

Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and internationally recognized authority on critical thinking. She has been president of the Foundation for Critical Thinking for 25 years, and has coauthored four books on critical thinking, as well as all 23 titles found in the Thinker’s Guide Library.

Dr. Meg Gorzycki is a consultant at the Center for Teaching and Faculty Development at San Francisco State University. She has taught history, psychology, and ethics and media at secondary and junior college levels. Dr. Gorzycki’s research interests include ethical literacy, the pedagogy of higher education, and the history of the Cold War.

Dr. Richard Paul was a foremost advocate for critical thinking and, through his work and legacy, remains a distinguished thinker in the field. In 1980, Paul founded the Center for Critical Thinking, followed by the Foundation for Critical Thinking; Paul authored numerous articles and books on critical thinking.