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Citation: 

Friesen, Gerald. “The Shape of Historical Thinking in a Canadian History Survey Course in University.” In New Possibilities for the Past: Shaping History Education in Canada, edited by Penney Clark, 210-33. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2011.

Abstract/Summary: 

This chapter seeks to tease out the nuances between secondary and university education. Also, the chapter seeks to define “the shape of historical thinking” in a university survey history course as taught by Friesen. The chapter begins with a discussion of two university professors – Erich Vogt, an introductory physics professor at the University of British Columbia and Robert Young, a professor who taught European history for forty-years at the University of Winnipeg. In this section, the abovementioned professors comment on their teaching of introductory university courses. Vogt discusses how first year students are eager to learn and his enthusiasm for the material matches that of his students while Young discusses how different first year university courses and professors are from secondary courses and teachers. Friesen then traces the development of the “historical thinking” movement in secondary schools as discussed by Ken Osborne and Peter Seixas. It is determined through this section that secondary history courses are moving away from the rote memorization of facts and dates and how they should focus more on historical thinking and reasoning. Friesen then discusses the intent behind his own university survey history course and how he does not view it as dissimilar from secondary history courses.

Source/Credit: 
Erika Smith