The Pedagogical Value of Museums in the Teaching and Learning of Secondary School History: A Historical Thinking Perspective

AbstractUsing historical thinking for analyzing the teaching and learning of secondary school history, this paper contributes to literature and debates on the pedagogical potential of museums in this endeavor. Despite the existence of museums and expansive literature on their historical significance in various world settings, there has not been much effort to connect history teaching and learning to this institution. Drawing our arguments from literature on historical thinking and museum studies, we explore the value of museums in the teaching and learning of secondary school history. We commend the inherent value in museums if their educational programs are packaged effectively for this purpose. Apart from connecting learners to cognitive activities as well as fostering an understanding and application of its disciplinary competencies, museums also engage with elements of historical thinking. Disciplinary competencies of history include critical thinking, extrapolation, evaluation of sources and detection of bias. Elements of historical thinking which makes museums stand out as potentially significant in secondary school pedagogy are empathy, historical significance, primary source evidence, cause and consequence and continuity and change. However, despite their esteemed pedagogical value, operationalizing teaching and learning of history using various museums facilities comes with several challenges which include high cost of organizing lessons, a strain on the school timetable, complexities associated with logistical and legal demands of out of school visits. Nonetheless, several innovations can be used to deal with such challenges.Keywords: History educationhistorical thinkingmuseumspedagogy AcknowledgmentsThe ideas discussed in this paper primarily stem from the individual research projects conducted by Tendayi and Hlengiwe. Tendayi’s examination of the pedagogical value of museums in teaching secondary school history benefits from the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council with the grant reference number AH/T005459/1 in which BaTonga Museum is a key partner. Hlengiwe’s application of the historical thinking perspective stems from her current doctoral studies at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.Disclosure statementWe declare that we have no known conflicting financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the research presented in this paper.