Tommy Harwood's Historical Thinking Skills Part 2

Tommy Harwood is a professor and scholar with high-level expertise on the topics of philosophy, history, and economics. Over the course of his successful career in higher education, he has helped his students learn about history by teaching them the thinking skills they need to truly understand the context of past events. Take a look at part two of Tommy's historical thinking skills.

Historical Comprehension

Historical comprehension requires reading imaginatively in order to visualize yourself as a person who was alive during the period you are studying. When you imagine yourself as a person in history, it becomes easier to understand the motivations behind actions and behaviors of the individuals who existed in a certain time.

Refraining from thinking of historical circumstances as they would be viewed now is an imperative part of using this thinking skill and truly grasping the significance of a historical situation. Comprehending the context of the event in question is also vital to this process, and this can be accomplished by closely reading your historical texts and documents. As you read about a situation, make a point to determine where it unfolds, who was involved, what occurred, and what impact or results emerged as a consequence of the event.

Once you've mastered this first step of historical comprehension, you can move on to derive key questions from historical texts. With your inquiries in mind, you can work towards developing viable conclusions that help you better understand the intentions and viewpoints of individuals of the past.