Lindsay Gibson

Biography

Dr. Lindsay Gibson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. Prior to starting at UBC on July 1, 2019 Lindsay was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta from 2015-2019. He completed his PhD in Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC in 2014, and taught secondary school history and social studies in Central Okanagan Public Schools (Kelowna, B.C.) for twelve years.

For more than a decade Lindsay has collaborated with various organizations including The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2), Historica, and others to develop learning resources and professional learning opportunities for pre and in-service teachers that promote historical thinking and historical inquiry. Lindsay has worked on K-12 social studies curriculum writing teams in B.C. and Alberta over the last five years, is on the Executive Board of the Historical Thinking Project, and organizes the annual Historical Thinking Summer Institute in partnership with Canada’s History.

Lindsay’s research focuses on various aspects of history and social studies education including curriculum design, assessment, historical thinking, historical consciousness, teacher education, inquiry, difficult history, and teaching and learning. He has published several journal articles and book chapters about historical thinking, historical inquiry, historical narratives, history teacher education, the ethical dimension of history, and assessment of historical thinking.

Several research studies and funded projects Lindsay has been a co-applicant and principal investigator on have received funding. Most recently, Lindsay was a co-investigator on the “Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future” project that was recently awarded a $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant (2019-2026). This grant will bring together various constituencies involved in history education including academic historians, history education scholars working in faculties of education, Indigenous scholars, graduate students and highly qualified personnel (HQP), museum educators, teachers, ministries of education, policy makers, and local, provincial and national history and heritage organizations to achieve the following goals and objectives:

1. Map the terrain of history education in K–12;
2. Ascertain to what extent history and social studies teaching helps students engage with the key issues or problems facing Canadian society today;
3. Identify and develop evidenced-based practices in history teaching, learning, assessment, and resource development, and evaluate their efficacy in providing powerful and engaging learning experiences for students, particularly in terms of building trans-systemic understanding across knowledge systems;
4. Cultivate communities of practice with pre and in-service teachers, that are grounded in theoretical and empirical research on history education pedagogy to promote engaged and critical historical thinking; and,
6. Using findings that emerge from the research, make evidence-based policy recommendations for history curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment through proactive connections with ministries of education, faculties of education, museum educators, Indigenous organizations and stakeholders, publishers, other curriculum developers, and practicing teachers.

Invited Presentations

Gibson, L., Peck, C.L., & Duquette, C. (2018, November 15). The big six +1: Narratives and historical interpretations. Invited presentation at the “Next 150” conference organized by the Ontario History and Social Studies Association (OHASSTA) and the Association for Canadian Studies/l’Association d’études canadiennes (ACS/AEC), Toronto, ON.

Gibson, L. (2018, May 28). Can you teach public history? L’histoire publique, ça s’enseigne? Panel discussion at the at the annual meeting of the Canadian Historical Association/Société historique du Canada, Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Regina, SK.

Gibson, L. (2018, April 9). Small cards, big picture: Constructing students’ narrative frameworks. Invited presentation University College London Institute of Education
(IoE) History Special Interest Group Seminar, London, UK.

Gibson, L. (2017, November 21). Thinking historically for Canada’s future. Invited presentation as part of the “Making the Case for History Education” panel discussion at the 10th annual Canada History Forum, “Making History Relevant” held at the Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC.

Gibson, L. (2017, April 5). Introduction to historical thinking. How do we know what we know? Implementing historical thinking in Museum Programs. Canadian Museums Association Annual Conference, Gatineau, QC.

Gibson, L. (2017, January 26). An in-between space: British Columbia and Alberta. Invited speaker at the Next Generation of Alberta’s Programs of Study: An international conversation hosted by the Alberta Teachers’ Association. Edmonton, AB.

Gibson, L. (2016, October 22). Design principles for high quality historical thinking Assessments. Association for Canadian Studies/Association d’études canadiennes/Manitoba Social Studies Teachers’ Association Conference, Winnipeg, MB.

Gibson, L. (2016, July 2). Assessment of historical thinking and learning in Canada and the United States. Invited speaker. HiTCH (Historical Thinking and Competences in History) Conference: On the way to an internationally shared assessment of historical thinking. University of Hamburg, Hamburg.

Peck, C.L., Gibson, L. (2016, April 23). SSHRC partnership grant letter of intent (LOI): Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future. Invited speaker. National Meeting of Past
Recipients of the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Gibson, L. (2016, March 12). Constructing historical reference frameworks. Invited speaker. Coming of Age: Life/Time/History. An international history education symposium held in Vancouver, Canada to celebrate the career of Peter Seixas.

Peck, C.L. & Gibson, L. (2016, March 11). SSHRC partnership grant letter of intent (LOI): Thinking Historically for Canada’s Future. Final meetings and conference of The History Education Network/Histoire et Éducation en Réseau (THEN/HiER).

Gibson, L. (2016, March 11). The progeny of THEN/HiER. Invited speaker. Final meetings and conference of The History Education Network/Histoire et Éducation en Réseau (THEN/HiER).

Gibson, L. & Peck, C.L. (2016, February 23). Why Learning How to Teach History Matters. Invited speakers. University of Alberta Department of History and Classics Colloquium.

Gibson, L. (2016, February 9). Introducing the new BC curriculum. Invited speaker. Recorded speech for School District No. 23 district wide non-instructional day.

Gibson, L. (2015, April 28). The ethical dimension in Canadian history education. Invited speaker. Towards an integrated theory of historical consciousness and moral consciousness: Methodology and research network initiating workshop, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.

Selected Publications

Gibson, L. & Case, R. (2019). Reshaping Canadian history education in support of reconciliation. Canadian Journal of Education, 42(1), p. 251-284.

Milligan, A., Gibson, L., & Peck, C. L. (2019). On taking a more encompassing view: A response to den Heyer. Theory & Research in Social Education, 47(2), p. 1-2.

Gibson, L. (2019). Ethical judgments about the difficult past: Observations from the classroom. In M. Gross & L. Terra (Eds.), History and Social Studies Education in a Context of Intolerance: Imagined Communities and Collective Memory (pp. 81-104). New York: Routledge.

Milligan, A., Gibson, L., & Peck, C. (2018). Enriching ethical judgments in history education. Theory & Research in Social Education, 46(3), p. 449-479.

Gibson, L. (2017). The ethical dimension of Canadian commemoration controversies. Canadian Social Studies, 49(2), p. 15-19. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSOiXCgdqIQXV2MlpTMjBJcjN5WUJzWDR2Y2NTa3l5WHow/view

Gibson, L., & Case, R. (2017). Historical hegemony or warranted adaptation? A response to Smith. Canadian Journal of Education, 40(2), p. 1-10.

Ercikan, K., Seixas, P., Lyons-Thomas, J., & Gibson, L. (2015). Cognitive validity evidence for validating assessments of historical thinking. In K. Ercikan & P. Seixas (Eds.), New Directions for Assessing Historical Thinking (pp. 206-220). New York: Routledge.

Seixas, P., Gibson, L., & Ercikan, K. (2015). A design process for assessing historical thinking: The case of a one hour test. In K. Ercikan & P. Seixas (Eds.), New Directions for Assessing Historical Thinking (pp. 102-116). New York: Routledge.

Gibson, L. (2014). Teaching student teachers to use primary sources when teaching history. In R. Sandwell & A. von Heyking (Eds.), Becoming a History Teacher in Canada: Sustaining Practices in Historical Thinking and Knowing (pp. 214-225). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Gibson, L. (2013). Comparing recent Canadian and American social studies curriculum and methods texts: An essay review. Canadian Social Studies, 45(2), p. 37-50.

Gibson, L. (2013). The Canadian heritage committee kerfuffle: A history educator’s take. Canadian Social Studies, 46(1), p. 44-51.

More Publications

Gibson, L. & Case, R. (2019). Reshaping Canadian history education in support of reconciliation. Canadian Journal of Education, 42(1), p. 251-284.

Milligan, A., Gibson, L., & Peck, C. L. (2019). On taking a more encompassing view: A response to den Heyer. Theory & Research in Social Education, 47(2), p. 1-2.

Gibson, L. (2019). Ethical judgments about the difficult past: Observations from the classroom. In M. Gross & L. Terra (Eds.), History and Social Studies Education in a Context of Intolerance: Imagined Communities and Collective Memory (pp. 81-104). New York: Routledge.

Milligan, A., Gibson, L., & Peck, C. (2018). Enriching ethical judgments in history education. Theory & Research in Social Education, 46(3), p. 449-479.

Gibson, L. (2017). The ethical dimension of Canadian commemoration controversies. Canadian Social Studies, 49(2), p. 15-19. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxSOiXCgdqIQXV2MlpTMjBJcjN5WUJzWDR2Y2NTa3l5WHow/view

Gibson, L., & Case, R. (2017). Historical hegemony or warranted adaptation? A response to Smith. Canadian Journal of Education, 40(2), p. 1-10.

Ercikan, K., Seixas, P., Lyons-Thomas, J., & Gibson, L. (2015). Cognitive validity evidence for validating assessments of historical thinking. In K. Ercikan & P. Seixas (Eds.), New Directions for Assessing Historical Thinking (pp. 206-220). New York: Routledge.

Seixas, P., Gibson, L., & Ercikan, K. (2015). A design process for assessing historical thinking: The case of a one hour test. In K. Ercikan & P. Seixas (Eds.), New Directions for Assessing Historical Thinking (pp. 102-116). New York: Routledge.

Gibson, L. (2014). Teaching student teachers to use primary sources when teaching history. In R. Sandwell & A. von Heyking (Eds.), Becoming a History Teacher in Canada: Sustaining Practices in Historical Thinking and Knowing (pp. 214-225). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Gibson, L. (2013). Comparing recent Canadian and American social studies curriculum and methods texts: An essay review. Canadian Social Studies, 45(2), p. 37-50.

Gibson, L. (2013). The Canadian heritage committee kerfuffle: A history educator’s take. Canadian Social Studies, 46(1), p. 44-51.