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The “Starving Time” Wikinquiry: Using a Wiki to Foster Historical Inquiry

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The “Starving Time” Wikinquiry: Using a Wiki to Foster Historical Inquiry Social Education 72(3), pp 144–146, 158–160 ©2008 National Council for the Social Studies The “Starving Time” Wikinquiry: Using a Wiki to Foster Historical Inquiry Jeremy D. Stoddard, Mark J. Hofer, and Molly G. Buchanan During our careers as teachers, professional development specialists, and teacher their textbooks. The objectives for the educators, we have made perpetual attempts to develop instructional strategies and Wikinquiry are: (1) to engage students tools for engaging students in historical inquiry. Emphasis in recent years in the field in developing skills in historical inquiry of social studies education has been on the development and use of digitized histori- through reconciling incomplete and con- cal documents in facilitating the inquiry process and developing skills in historical flicting accounts of the past with primary thinking, and to a lesser degree on models of web inquiry including Web Inquiry and secondary sources; (2) to utilize the Projects (WIPS) and WebQuests.1 These models often promote student construction collaborative nature of a wiki for Papert’s of new historical knowledge and can be powerful examples of teaching and learning, idea of “constructionism” by having stu- but don’t necessarily instill in students an understanding of the nature of history and dents reconstruct textbook accounts into how it is commonly encapsulated in various historical texts (e.g., textbooks, films, more detailed, comprehensive, nuanced, or journal articles).2 In other words, these models help students to approximate the and often accurate historical accounts;6 work of historians, but do not necessarily help them to develop an understanding and (3) to help students understand the of how history is constructed in commonly accessed historical texts. In this article, nature of historical work and the ways in we promote a model of historical inquiry utilizing a wiki as a tool for collaboration, which history is encapsulated in media communication, and construction of knowledge. such as textbooks, digital documents, and video. The Wikinquiry model forces stu- Historical Inquiry researching skills in assessing and inter- dents to evaluate sources while also helping Historical inquiry, in this case, refers to preting historical sources and the ability them gain an understanding of the nature the process of teaching students “how to to articulate a well-warranted argument or and limits of history textbooks. In addi- find information, how to evaluate sources, historical account. Although the emphasis tion, the Wikinquiry emphasizes reading how to reconcile conflicting accounts, how in recent years has been on the interpreta- and writing, both fundamental in social to create an interpretive account.” 3 There tion of primary sources, students also need studies education.7 The wiki site allows are many models of teaching historical to critically evaluate secondary sources greater collaboration during the inquiry inquiry, but most include two basic tenets: such as historical accounts, textbooks, and between students within and across classes (1) students are engaged in assessing the media (e.g., television and film), as skills in in addition to easy access to media sources. validity and trustworthiness of historical historiography are essential for thinking This model can be used successfully in primary and secondary sources and iden- critically about the past.5 both middle and high school with varying tifying the perspective of the author, with levels of difficulty based on the inquiry the goal that students are able to separate The Historical “Wikinquiry” problems and sources selected. a “warranted belief from that which is not” As part of this instructional model, and the bias present in that belief;4 and dubbed Wikinquiry, we have students What is a Wiki? (2) students are able to separate out what evaluate primary and secondary sources A wiki is essentially a web-based publish- is significant about an event and place —not to construct a new historical account, ing tool that enables multiple contribu- it within historical context. The overall but to edit an existing historical account tors to quickly add or edit content on the goal is for students to develop critical in a medium that they know all too well, web without any software or knowledge of S OCIAL EDUCATION 144 web page authoring. Wikipedia expands Why a Wiki? a wiki is that the site administrator (a.k.a. on this definition noting that a Wiki is a Wiki sites are based on the belief that col- the teacher) can access the previously “type of website that allows the visitors laborative knowledge building will lead to saved versions of the text from the vari- themselves to easily add, remove and greater access to information (both quality ous periods and revert to previously saved otherwise edit and change some avail- and quantity); however, because of its open drafts if anything is lost or inadvertently able content, sometimes without the need nature, public wikis, such as Wikipedia, altered. Additionally, the administrator for registration. This ease of interaction have come under fire for allowing non- can view contributions of specific authors and operation makes a wiki an effective experts to edit content--some of which over time, increasing accountability for tool for collaborative authoring.” 8 While is not all that accurate or is purposefully student work. For the reasons identified many wikis are “democratic” in nature (i.e., misleading.9 Despite these concerns, we above, and many others, we have found they are designed to be edited by anyone), recognize the benefit of wikis because of wikis to be powerful tools for engaging it is also possible to configure them in a the easy accessibility (both economically students in collaborative inquiry. way that restricts who can edit or view and logistically) to wiki sites and because wiki content. of their relative ease of use. One feature of The Model: Historical Wikinquiry There are four steps to a Wikinquiry: (1) Posing the problem, (2) Exploring Sources, Table 1. Wiki Sites and Features (3) Analysis and Re-Construction, and (4) Debriefing and Comparison of Accounts. Wikispaces PB Wiki Seed Wiki They are discussed below using an exam- wikispaces.com pbwiki.com www.seedwiki.com ple Wikinquiry on the Jamestown colony’s “starving time.” Description Straight-forward PB’s (short for Customizable wiki space tool to develop a peanut butter) that allows creators to wiki quickly, with pledge is that design the look and feel Posing the Problem a minor learning you can create a using a Word-like user With any inquiry activity, it is essential curve wiki in the time interface it takes to make to have a powerful and engaging inquiry a peanut butter question. For this example, we chose the sandwich timely topic of “What caused the ‘starv- Fee Free, ad-free space Free account has Free account is ad free; ing time’ in the Jamestown colony?” 10 for K-12 educators ads; $5/month $10/month for more con- The starving time refers to the winter for ad free, more trol over the permissions. permission con- of 1609-1610 when the vast population trol. of colonists in Jamestown was reduced User With free K-12 Limited user No user control with free from around 500 to 60. There are Control account, the creator control with free account—all pages are varying accounts of the exact number can set up different account—all public and editable by of colonists who died and competing level viewing and pages are public, anyone editing permissions but editing can interpretations as to why so many settlers be password perished. We chose this topic because of protected our campus’s proximity to the historic site Ease of Use Very user friendly Basic editing is Editing of pages is very (it is five miles away) and because of the —simple word-like straight-forward, easy using a full-fea- recent 400th anniversary of Jamestown’s toolbar allows users but creating tured Word-like editor, to edit the font size, links requires but creating and linking establishment as the first permanent style (e.g., bold), a basic under- to new pages is slightly English colony in North America. Other alignment, images, standing of wiki more complicated Wikinquiry examples include “Who hyperlinks, etc. commands fired the ‘shot heard ‘round the world’?” Flexibility Excellent in terms Very flexible— Extremely flexible and on Lexington Green and “What caused of uploading a vari- ability to incor- customizable--the most the Great Depression?” These questions ety of files to link to, porate various of the three wiki services but limited in terms kinds of images; reviewed here share several key attributes: (1) they are of customizing the templates for questions that have multiple and compet- look and feel of the educational uses ing legitimate answers or perspectives, (2) site are available all have readily available primary and Best For ... Quick and easy cre- A well-designed, Users that wish to cus- secondary artifacts and accounts to draw ation of web pages clean and robust tomize their sites and with a high level of site for people are not as concerned on, and (3) they relate to events or topics permissions control who don’t mind with controlling access traditionally included in textbooks in a dealing with and editing narrow, closed, or neutral way. some basic cod- ing A PRIL 2008 145 The actual inquiry could be structured settlers. The settlers did not dare English to hide in their fort beyond the in a variety of ways. We place students leave the fort. During the “starv- simplified explanation of “aggressive in the roles of “expert” historians hired ing time,” the colonists ate rats, Native Americans.” to make the textbook more interesting, mice, and snakes. Only 60 of the in-depth, and hopefully, more accurate. colonists were still alive when two 3.
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