1. Problem-Based History
Facilitating Historical Thinking and Modeling History
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

2. What Problem-Based History is
Taking a key issue of the past and posing it as a problem
Students use previous knowledge and their intellectual curiosity to attempt to find a solution
Why use this technique?
Gets students to think about the past in a new way
Fosters critical thinking and looking at history from multiple angles from causation to consequence
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

3. Comparison Student-centered Teacher as facilitator and coach
Problem-Based History
Problem-Based Learning
Student-centered
Teacher as facilitator and coach
Personal engagement and responsibility
Engage prior knowledge and historical context to help solve problem(s)
Student-centered
Teacher as facilitator
Collaborate to solve problems
Discover the nature of the problem
Reflect on the process used to solve the problem
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

4. What we will be doing
Looking at a key event, era, or historical issue as a complex problem to be solved
Learning background information
Examining and analyzing documents
Discussing possible avenues of action
Studying the historical result
Gaining an understanding of the short and long-term impacts of the issue
Drawing conclusions
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

5. “The Plan” Background Information Introduce the Problem
Avenues of Discussion
Introduce Documents
A.R.T.I.S.T. + R.&B.
Document Conclusion
Historical Result
Impact(s)
Conclusion
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

6. This PowerPoint presentation is designed as a template or shell
This PowerPoint presentation is designed as a template or shell. If you so choose, you can cut out the information in this presentation and add in the material that you will use in your lesson.
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

7. Getting the information necessary to work with the historical problem
Background
Getting the information necessary to work with the historical problem
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

8. Information Provide students with background information
This can include what led to this issue
It can include bios of important people
It should include facts, figures, and evidence that a problem exists
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

9. Information
The background information is not the focus of the lesson but…
There should be enough material to provide students a decent foundation in the problem
The material should be derived from a number of sources and even across disciplines and media
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

10. Information
You can “chunk” the material or use S.P.E.E.C.H. in developing the background information if it can work for your situation
Social
Political
Economic
Environmental
Cultural
Historical
Social
Political
Economic
Period or Event
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

11. What are we going to “solve”?
Introduce the Problem
What are we going to “solve”?
If you were _____________ what would you do?
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

12. Introduce Pertinent Documents
And a quick and easy means of analysis of each document
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

13. ARTIST + R&B Author Reason To Whom Immediate Effects
Subsequent Effects
Time Period
© 2010 AIHE

14. What is R&B? R&B is the logical extension of the ARTIST analysis.
R&B stand for Reliability and Big picture ideas respectively.
It is absolutely imperative that students have a grasp of the reliability of historical documents as well as the big picture ideas contained in them.
© 2010 AIHE

15. Reliability
After students have applied the A.R.T.I.S.T. process, ask them to draw conclusions from the document or source.
Ask leading questions to get your students to fully process the document and its place in history.
Attempt to determine the reliability of the document(s).
Should include possible biases and unique points of view
© 2010 AIHE

16. Big Picture Ideas
After students have applied the A.R.T.I.S.T. process –AND- have determined the reliability of the document, ask them to draw big picture conclusions from the document or source.
Ask leading questions to get your students to fully process the document and its place in the larger scope of American history.
Actively discuss the main ideas embodied in the document or source.
© 2010 AIHE

17. Document A You should provide documents of a variety of types:
Primary Sources (written, visual, audio, etc)
Quotes
Secondary sources that work with the problem
Visuals (pictures, drawings, paintings, etc)
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

18. Document B Don’t use too many documents. 3-4 is plenty. Too Many
Too Few
Too Many
Blah
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

19. Document C
Make sure that the documents are not so long that using A.R.T.I.S.T. becomes tedious
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

20. Document D
It can also be useful to ask a couple of probing questions about each document to start the thought process off in the right direction
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

21. Document Conclusion
It is always a good idea to formally conclude the document analysis portion of the lesson to make sure that the students have a complete understanding of the material
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

22. Alternate answers to help “solve” the problem
Avenues of Discussion
Alternate answers to help “solve” the problem
This is the point where students should propose their solutions to the problem.
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

23. Alternate “A”
Once student ideas have been exhausted, or if they do not generate any logical solutions, you should have two or maybe three alternate actions available
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

24. Alternate “B”
The alternate avenues and student-generated possibilities lends itself to powerful discussion
Wrap up the discussion to introduce what really happened
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

25. What actually happened
The Historical Result
What actually happened
Brief explanation of what historically happened
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

26. Outcome Explain what the historical outcome was
May be useful to explain the intended and unintended outcomes
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

27. Short-Term Impact(s)
It is a good idea to differentiate the short-term impacts
Impacts that almost immediately arise from the decision
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

28. Long-Term Impact(s)
As with the short-term impact(s) it is a good idea to trace the impact of the events and actions long-term
These may be years after the fact
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

29. Conclusion As the title implies, this is a time to wrap up the lesson
You should be very explicit in explaining what you intended the students to derive from the lesson
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

30. Where this technique works well
Events
Movements & Ideas
Beginning of the American Revolution
The Constitutional Convention
The Louisiana Purchase
The Nullification Crisis
The Decade of Crisis
Ft. Sumter
Entrance into WWI
Cuban Missile Crisis
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
1968 Election
Manifest Destiny
19th Century Reforms
Reconstruction
American Imperialism
Progressivism
New Deal
Civil Rights Movements
© 2010 AIHE, 2008 R. Brown

31. Using this Outline
Cut out the directions, information, and other material
Add your own content, scenarios, and ideas that fit your class and students