Using inquiry-based instruction to encourage teachers' historical thinking at historic sites

This study explores the use of inquiry-based instruction for constructing historical understanding in historic site-based teacher professional development programs. In an historic site-based professional development workshop, fifteen teachers of grades 5 through 12 engaged in guided inquiry with documents drawn from said historic site. Participants showed significantly increased curiosity about the site and use of problem-solving strategies in interactions with the site and staff, but no improvement in other elements related to historical thinking at historic sites. Improvements correlated to neither length of teaching experience nor testing group characteristics, indicating broad applicability for improving historic site-based professional development programs. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.