“History Is within and around Us:” High School Students Actively Engage the Past in New York City

Background/Context: Research on history education in the United States context has focused narrowly on history as a cognitive practice. This body of research assumes that it is difficult for students to “think like historians” (Wineburg, 1999) and is largely focused on advancing a discrete set of historical thinking skills through curricular interventions. Largely ignored in this discourse are the ways in which students engage with the past in out-of-school contexts. Purpose/Objective: This study examines students’ engagements with history in out-of-school contexts. It is my hope that better understanding and describing how students experience history outside of school spaces will suggest pathways toward more relevant and engaging models for classroom history instruction Research Design: This research drew upon principles of practitioner research and used qualitative case study methodology. The case was a small group of secondary school students from two different schools, engaging in four different history experiences throughout New York City. Conclusions: Findings suggest that students are well positioned to engage with the past on substantive levels in non-academic contexts. Students engaged multiple epistemologies, using imagination as well as reason to come to know in history. Space, place, and material culture supported students’ ability to imagine and access the past, as did examining history at a smaller scale. Students came to appreciate the contingency and subjectivity inherent in the process of making history. Ultimately, students adopted a transformative view of the discipline, sensing their power to change the future through their engagement with the past.