What is history? Development of critical thinking through the inquiry-based learning methodology

Abstract

This work illustrates an history teaching path carried out in a third-grade primary school through inquiry-based learning methodology. The project developed the theme of the history of the School of Scanzorosciate, which emerged from the interest of the children themselves. The students planned and conducted interviews with experts, re-elaborated the information collected and, through brainstorming and class discussions, co-designed with the teacher the next steps to finally write the screenplay for a documentary. The incipit of the project was a laboratory on the archaeologist work, an expert that the children decided to invite after a discussion on the history sources. The analysis of the pedagogical documentation collected provided evidence of the skills acquired by the pupils, both disciplinary and transversal, related to the goals reported in the National Indications, with a specific focus on the development of critical thinking, which the Eurydice report of 2017 indicates as the most underestimated transversal competence in the European national curricula of elementary school.

Keywords

• local history
• historical sources
• inquiry based learning
• transversal skills
• critical thinking