Bruce A. VanSledright published a short article entitled, "What Does It Mean to Think Historically... and How Do You Teach It?", in the journal Social Education 68(3) 2004: 230-233. Aimed at social studies teachers, the article explains the historian's role in researching the past, making it obvious that this involves the use of archives, museums, and libraries.
"Source work is a complex undertaking, requiring a form of critical thinking." (230). He supports this statement by explaining how to work with historical sources by identifying the type of source and how it can help with research; understanding context and authenticity of sources; searching for bias in a source; and, corroborating sources for their reliability.
He argues that teachers need to empower students with the knowledge of how to assess sources. (I would argue that these skills are required far beyond historical thinking.) Students who are trained in critical thinking have an advantage. The author briefly discusses engaging students with sources to build on the critical thinking skills. He suggests that, to guide this engagement, teachers should apply well developed questions and assignments.
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