Research and High School Students

To the editor:

In the December 2009 issue, Caroline Walker Bynum completely demeaned high school history teachers. She claimed that high school history students do not really “do research” because they basically cut-and-paste, and she argued that because incoming undergraduates don’t know much beyond facts, college instructors must teach “critical thinking” and “introduce the very concept of an expert opinion or a primary source.” As a high school history teacher, I take great offense at these gross generalizations.

First, here at my high school, we place a heavy emphasis on analyzing primary sources. We teach the students the difference between primary and secondary sources, how to look for bias or point of view within the sources, and how to use the sources to write an essay. Students also learn about change and continuity throughout history. We do not merely teach “facts.”

Second, when I have my students conduct research, I do not just let them pick a topic and go to it. We discuss how to form a research question, how to look for resources, how to integrate quotes, and how to cite sources. During this semester-long process, I also take them to the archives and library at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.

Third, apparently Bynum believes that it is only high school students who cut-and-paste from Google. I can assure her that college students do it as well. Most students are aware, however, that all an instructor needs to do is type a phrase into Google, and if a student got that phrase from a website, it will appear as a search result.

Finally, I hope that this attitude of the superiority of college instructors over high school teachers does not pervade the AHA. If anything, we need to work more closely together to ensure that students at all levels obtain the skills necessary to think like historians.