Sources and Methods of Reconstructing History

Enquiry Routes: What methods do historians use to reconstruct history? What skills and competencies can be obtained from these methods? How can the use of these skills contribute to national development? How do you conduct an interview to gather historical data? What would you identify as the most important method used by historians? How is inter-disciplinary approach useful to historians?
Problem-Based Learning:
- In pairs, learners explain what 'methods' for reconstructing history means.
- Learners brainstorm some methods that historians use in reconstructing African history including conducting interviews, using archival sources, using inter-disciplinary approach, eye-witness accounts, review of existing literature, using surveys and questionnaire, personal observation, and records, etc.
- Learners debate on the pros and cons of relying on the inter-disciplinary method to reconstruct African history.
Project-Based Learning:
- In small groups, learners use the various methods for reconstructing history to collect historical data on aspects of your community's history. E.g., The community's political history, socio-cultural history, gender and women's history, and economic history.
- In a Jigsaw activity, learners reconstruct the historical data obtained from their community into historical prose by analysing, comparing, contrasting, interpreting, and drawing conclusions.
Experiential Learning: With the help of a resource person, learners discuss the skills and competencies that can be obtained through the reconstruction of history, including asking critical questions through interviews, comparing and contrasting different accounts, sampling opinions, forming hypothesis, analysing motives, interpreting historical evidence, writing, and communicating conclusions through different media.
Collaborative Learning: In mixed-ability groups, learners examine how skills/competencies acquired from the process of reconstructing history can provide avenues for national development including producing skilled human resource, building patriotic citizens, promoting tolerance, etc.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Primary and secondary source accounts on major historical events in Ghana. E.g., migration accounts, the (founder's') founding of Ghana, the coining of the name Ghana.
- Sample of historical texts
- Sample of survey and questionnaire
- Old photographs
- A resource person
- A chart showing the 5Ws and how they are establishing contextualisation in history.
- Stationery
- Interview guides
- Voice/audio recorders
Assessment (3.1.2.AS.2). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 1 Recall; Level 3 Strategic reasoning; Level 4 Extended critical thinking and reasoning.