(7)+Development+of+Historical+Research+Skills

Development of Historical research skills

 * // Develop a plan that would encourage and build historical research skills for students considering taking History Extension. //

Students studying history currently have a basic scope of historical skills and are continuing to develop them. Students choosing to study Extension History will have the opportunity to build on the outcomes they will be currently studying in Modern History Stage 6, in particular those relating to historiography and historical enquiry and communication. Historical research skills provide the framework for successful inquiry in History Extension. Students can access a variety of media for historical purposes however students must develop skills to analyse information for its reliability and accuracy, examine sources with subjectivity and account for differing perspectives in historical accounts. For those students hoping to take Extension History the following year it can be extremely beneficial to introduce students to specific skills and procedures evident in the Extension History course.

The aim of HSC History Extension is to enable students to evaluate the ideas and processes used by historians to produce history and to apply what they have learned to enquire into areas of historical interest with increasing independence. It is important for students to identify the criteria of the Extension History course, this should be made available to the students that show increased motivation in the area. Through the study of HSC History Extension, students will: **learn about** • significant historiographical ideas and processes **learn to** • design, undertake and communicate historical inquiry **appreciate** • the way history has been recorded over time • the value of history for critical interpretation of the contemporary world • the contribution of historical studies towards life-long learning.
 * __What is Extension History?__**

Some ideas and issues students can think about when deciding whether to take the subject. It is important to introduce students to these differentiating perspectives and historical inquiry methods throughout the course to build student foundations to aid in the progress of historical research skills. It is important to allow those students who show interest and motivation in the area of Extension History to develop skills an become acquainted with the course by imbedding skills into lessons or allowing students to access extension tasks specifically targeting these skills. Students can access the below content throughout the year through the teacher or by being displayed throughout the room. Some historical perspectives on history you can explore in an Extension History //'Since historical reconstruction is a rational process, only justified and indeed possible if it involves the human reason, what we call history is the mess we call life reduced to some order, pattern and possibly purpose'// ~ G. R. Elton ‘//The function of the historian is neither to love the past nor to emancipate himself from the past, but to master and understand it as the key to the understanding of the present//.’ ~ E. H. Carr
 * __Is it for you?__**
 * Is Extension History for you?**

__**Issues to think about**__ • Viewing the past through the present • Problems of interpretation; moral judgments • Does History have any meaning? – cycles, patterns, repeats? • Is history an art or science? • Branch of literature: emphasized by some; scorned by some • In what modes does a historian produce statements of "truth"? • How does the medium influence its meaning?

__**How can a you (a student) judge a historian and their perspective?**__ //(i) What type of history?// //(ii) What historical techniques?// //(iii) Language and style?// //(iv) What does the historian see as the purpose of history?// //(v) What impact has the historian had on historiography?//

To implement the above content, students must also be aware of specific research skills, these skills can be implemented in every historical inquiry lesson or within extension tasks specifically targeted for students interested in studying the Extension History course: **Research skills in on the web** The web has endless volumes of resources available to students, it is important to scaffold specific skills in order for students to identify relevant and reliable information in regards to the area of interest. For most student providing a list of pre- identified websites or online books prevents students from accessing irrelevant information. However for those students who have increased motivation it is important to encourage scaffolded independence. This can be achieve through identifying research methods to use on the net such as identifying the traits of a trustworthy historical website (e.g. using websites with org. or edu. in the URL address, or using properly referenced websites or online books). Training students to research using relevant reliable information will encourage students to use this method with all research techniques especially those in the personal research project. Teachers can also provide students with a scaffold for a bibliography of web based sources, as it is important to acknowledge all sources in a specific format. ** Written media ** As noted above the importance of acknowledging sources, providing students with instruction on constructing a bibliography as the one below. How do you write a bibliography? __Bibliography __
 * __Research skills__**
 * Begin your bibliography on a new page at the end of your assignment.
 * Type the word Bibliography, centred, at the top of the page.
 * Include all the works used in your assignment.
 * List sources in alphabetical order.
 * What does it look like? **

Author. //Title.// Place of publication, year of publication. Author. //Web page title//. URL. Date accessed.
 * Book or article
 * Website

For other sources see your teacher. It is also important for students to become familiar with the format of a library, and being able to navigate around the library with confidence. ** Analysing sources ** When researching it can be extremely helpful to follow a plan such as the POCMAR (Perspective, Origin, Context, Method, Author and Reliability)method, specific questions to ask when researching a source or piece of information. This method can be developed throughout class and should be visible to students around the room. This method is an easy to remember acronym pronounced Pok-mar, it examines all points of historical source investigation which would be very useful to those students not sure where to start.
 * P

Is the source form a particular side, is there any Bias evident ? || O

What type of source is it? || C

Explain who or what is depicted in the source? || M

Why was the source made? || A

Who wrote or made the source? || R

Is it reliable and what does this source tell you about the topic? ||