• Seema Sharma
• Prof(Dr) Vandana Gupta

In senior secondary education, gaining a historical understanding should go beyond simple memorization to foster a disciplinary approach that prompts students to think critically, question, analyze, and interpret like historians. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2005) and NCERT’s Social Science Position Paper (2006) highlight the importance of teaching history in schools to cultivate critical reasoning, interpretive skills, and interaction with sources, rather than presenting a singular authoritative narrative. The National Education Policy (NEP, 2020) supports this perspective, promoting inquiry-based, analytical, and reflective learning across various subjects. Yet, much of the traditional approach to history education casts the teacher in the role of storyteller—someone who narrates events and conveys information instead of involving students in the processes of assessing evidence, interpreting data, and engaging in discussions. This article advocates for a reimagining of this traditional role, transforming the teacher into a historian who demonstrates inquiry, critical reasoning, and the creation of historical knowledge. Research on history education indicates ongoing challenges in making this transition. Ünişen (2016) found that many prospective history teachers rely on textbook-driven pedagogies shaped by their own experiences of traditional instruction (p. 203). Boadu (2015) also noted that students oftendescribe history as "boring" when teachers rely heavily on narration and offer limited opportunities for analytical engagement (p. 38). These patterns highlight the necessity for teachers to move beyond recounting historical events toward practising and modelling the historian's craft. This article provides a conceptual framework for comprehending this change. It integrates historiographical viewpoints (Sreedharan, 2004), instructional frameworks (Black, 2011; Boadu, 2015), research on teacher identity (Ünişen, 2016), and critical educational theories (Apple, 2024) to express how educators can embody the role of disciplinary practitioners. In this regard, it places the teacher-as-historian at the core of developing historical thinking and creating learning environments that promote interpretive, analytical, and reflective skills among senior secondary students. Historical thinking lies at the heart of disciplinary history instruction, enabling learners to analyze evidence, grasp context, assess viewpoints, and construct well-reasoned historical arguments. In senior secondary classrooms, fostering historical thinking is particularly vital since students encounter intricate topics—such as nationalism, colonialism, identity, economic transformation, and political change—that demand interpretive depth over mere factual recall. This article conceptualizes the teacher's role as a historian and explores how educators, utilizing the practices of historical inquiry, can influence students' disciplinary comprehension. The article contends that showcasing historical thinking is fundamental to effective teaching. Guided by the NCF 2005 expectations, NCERT's Social Science Position Paper, and NEP 2020, the article presents theoretical underpinnings, pedagogical implications, and practical strategies for embedding historical inquiry in senior secondary classrooms.

Historical thinking; teacher as historian; disciplinary inquiry; multiperspectivity; historiography; senior secondary history education; teacher knowledge; India

"Developing Historical Thinking Skills in Senior Secondary Classes: The Teacher as Historian ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 12, page no.d342-d350, December-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2512345.pdf

"Developing Historical Thinking Skills in Senior Secondary Classes: The Teacher as Historian ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 12, page no. ppd342-d350, December-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2512345.pdf