UMBCCenter for History Education

History Labs

A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom

What is a History Lab?

In this video students and teachers describe the benefits of History Labs. Their enthusiasm speaks volumes about how the History Labs approach increases student engagement, promotes critical reading and thinking skills, and leads to thoughtful, persuasive writing assignments.

A preponderance of research in the field of history education has demonstrated that effective teaching of the subject relies on active student learning of the reading, writing and analytical skills involved in historical inquiry. By actively investigating the past, rather than passively memorizing ready-made facts or accounts assembled by others, students strengthen their critical reading and writing skills, and improve their ability to handle and retain vital content information. They also develop a sense of control and ownership of the knowledge they assemble that fosters genuine and lasting interest in the subject.