, The Five Historical Skills. Five (5) Historical Skills Learners Are To Acquire From Engaging With Primary And Secondary Sources

1. Critical Thinking Skills: According to Waring and Hartshorne (2015), learners tend to develop an ability to analytically evaluate information when dealing with primary and secondary sources. This skill occurs because learners are directly exposed to multiple perspectives, to contradictions, to biases, and to the complexity inherent in real historical sources, which require a critical evaluation. 2. Research Skills: Waring and Hartshorne (2015) argue that engaging with primary and secondary sources can help learners develop a range of research skills. These skills include the ability to identify a relevant source, to understand its context, and to extract and interpret important information. 3. Interpretation Skills: The complexity of historical sources can encourage learners to develop their interpretation skills, as suggested by Waring and Hartshorne (2015). These skills include the ability to make sense of ambiguous or complex information and to understand the meaning of a source in its broader historical context. 4. Evidence-Based Argumentation Skills: Handling primary and secondary sources can help learners become proficient at creating evidence-based arguments. As Waring and Hartshorne (2015) explain, learners may learn how to use sources to back up their claims and to effectively express their historical understandings. 5. Understanding Historical Context: Finally, by closely dealing with primary and secondary sources, learners can better comprehend the historical context of an event or era. This is because genuine historical sources can provide detailed and authentic insights into the past, which can enhance learners' understanding of different historical contexts (Waring & Hartshorne, 2015). Reference: Waring, S. M., & Hartshorne, R. (2015). Teaching and learning with primary sources. In Information Age Publishing, Teacher knowledge and practice in middle grades mathematics