ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

One of the joys in life is the ever-expanding pool of friends. I have many friends and colleagues who shaped my work on critical thinking and history. I fear I will not recall or recognize them all, but here are some I do recall.

My history professors in graduate school at Northern Illinois University had a great impact on me. Most of them were very liberal and critical of US policies, and some were Marxists. This was 1973, with Watergate and the Vietnam War dominating the news. Every class, it seemed, presented a challenge to what I believed about the United States and its history. There is nothing like being challenged to get you to reexamine your assumptions and beliefs. I kept thinking that if these contrary views were wrong, what was wrong with them? I wanted to develop critical thinking skills for students so they could begin to answer that question.

Robert Swartz came to our school to teach teachers about critical thinking. That course had a profound impact on my teaching and thinking ever since. Prior to the course, I had focused on fallacies in thinking from David Hackett Fisher’s book, Historical Fallacies. But after reading a book assigned in Dr. Swartz’s course, Argument: A Guide to Critical Thinking, by Perry Weddle, I decided that critical thinking is better taught by focusing on broad categories, such as causation, evidence, and analogy, than by teaching fallacies and then assigning students to find those fallacies. It was a fundamental shift.

I am indebted to Dick Aieta in particular and Hamilton-Wenham in general for their support over the decades. Dick hired me to teach history and he supported me in my initiatives. Dick loved the focus on critical thinking and sent ideas and brochures my way on a regular basis. Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School supported me with three sabbaticals in my 35 years there. My colleagues in the history department were a great support, and their professionalism made me a better teacher. The department agreed to all teach the same acronym for evaluating sources = PROP. Students who graduated from Hamilton-Wenham were all exposed to this method for evaluating sources. It was a beautiful thing. I am particularly grateful for the professional support and insights of Vinnie Bucci, Lori Maney, Ken Portnoy, Alice Schlossberg, Jim Sunderland, and Kristen Borges. Thank you for sharing your lesson ideas with me and for trying out my critical thinking ideas in your classes.

Even more important, my students constantly reinvigorated my study of history. Both in my classroom and in their participation in National History Day projects, students generated different perspectives and asked great questions. On their NHD projects, I pushed them for better evidence to support their claims and they came through. Such great memories!

I am indebted to taxpayers for the National Endowment for the Humanities year-long sabbatical to study the industrial revolution. Much of the study was on the causes of the industrial revolution, which expanded my understanding of causation in history.

Being able to attend critical thinking conferences over the years was a great gift. I was able to listen to such luminaries as Richard Paul, Robert Ennis, David Perkins and Robert Swartz. Walter Parker and Diana Hess have been great mentors with their tireless work to promote student discussion rather than teacher-dominated lecturing. They have also been supportive of my efforts. Barry Beyer was particularly helpful in providing step-by-step practical strategies for teaching critical thinking in social studies. It is not easy to apply general ideas about thinking skills to specific subject domains, such as history. Barry was a master. I spoke with him several times and was always struck by his wisdom.

To the many teachers I’ve worked with at other schools, thank you. Todd Wallingford and the history department at Hudson High School, Jon Bassett, Scott Ames and the history department at Rockport Middle/High School, Hugo Smith at O’Malley Middle School, Beth Beaulieu at Salem Schools, Maryanne Wolfe at North Reading High School, and Jim Kirkaldy. Charlie Newhall of St. John’s Prep is a true scholar, one of the most knowledgeable people I know on US History and historiography.

Aaron Willis at Social Studies School Service took a chance on me decades ago by distributing my materials and then by contracting with me as an author. His support has made a huge difference.

Donna Robinson of Gordon College has been one of my closest colleagues over the entire length of my career as a teacher and writer. Many, many times I have turned to Donna as a sounding board and for advice. She always has creative ideas!

My dear wife of 52 years has been my rock and support for all my projects. I love my family with all my heart, and especially my wife and soul mate, Lynn.

I believe in American democracy and am honored to be able to contribute in some small way to educating more thoughtful citizens in order to preserve our democratic experiment. These critical thinking and decision-making lessons are my love letters to America.