Historical thinking, digital methods: The new history pedagogy

Slides used for presentation at the Virtual Symposium on Information and Technology in the Arts and Humanities, held April 22 and 23, 2015. The Symposium was co-sponsored by the ASIS&T (Association for Information Science and Technology) Special Interest Group for Arts and Humanities (SIG AH) and the Special Interest Group for Visualization, Images, and Sound (SIG VIS).

This essay reviews major, recent publications in the field of history that promote the teaching of historical thinking with digital technology. First, it summarizes the work of Sam Wineburg, the leading proponent of historical thinking, a philosophy that emphasizes empathy. Subsequent sections show how Wineburg’s work has influenced prominent historians and inspired new online history projects and resources. The essay concludes by explaining the importance of the library and information science field in supporting the work of history education reformers and promoting historical thinking.