Testing Historical Thinking
Assessment in history education can do far more than check recall of facts. That said the key principle driving these assessments are that they are context bound. The assessments linked here measure discipline specific skills such as the ability to source a document, check reliability, corroborate sources, and use evidence to support or critique a historical argument. If you are looking for tests of specific knowledge or exam style essay questions you will find them contained within the other sections of the website. While these tests of historical thinking are designed around Indonesian history, they may be of use for more general courses as well. Many of these assessments are inspired by the outstanding "Beyond the Bubble" site.
Conditions in Rural Java before the 1825 Java War
This assessment is based on "The First Thanksgiving" from Beyond the Bubble. As with its 'parent' it is intended to measure students’ ability to source a document, and assess the strength of the evidence it contains. This assessment focuses on conditions in countryside before the Java War of 1825-30; Conditions in rural Java are seen as a key cause of the Java War. This Historical Aptitude Test checks whether students understand the importance of time gap between when an event happened and the creation of the source which depicts it.
Similar types of assessments: The Great Post Road
Similar types of assessments: The Great Post Road
Connecting the Battle of Surabaya to the End of World War 2 in the Pacific
This assessment is based on "Connections to the Philippine American War" from Beyond the Bubble. As with its 'parent' it aims to assess students' historical knowledge, but by making connections between events rather than recalling isolated facts. This assessment asks students to draw on their knowledge of the past to construct an argument about how two events are connected.
Similar types of assessments: Indonesian boys undergoing military training; Greater East Asian Cooperation
Similar types of assessments: Indonesian boys undergoing military training; Greater East Asian Cooperation