CarlosMedina

Medina1

BrianCahoon
SeniorCapstone
March23,2016

ChallengesofTeachingHistory
Whatarethechallengesahistoryteacherfacesinmakinghistoryinterestingtoday?
Historyisveryoftenasubjectthatisdifficulttoteachforanyteacherbecausethesubject
canbedateintenstiveanddry.Historyistheunderstandingofpasteventsandseeingtheircauses
andconsequencesandhowtheyaffectpeopletoday.AccordingtoDanCarlin,afamous
podcaster,historydoesntrepeatitself.Insteaditfollowsarhythmthatcanbeunderstood(Dan
CarlinHardcoreHistoryPodcastBlueprintforArmageddonepisode3).Itisthejobofahistory
teacherofmakingsurethatstudentsunderstandthisrhythmandseehowtheycanpreparefor
similarsituations.Studentsareoftentheleadersofthefutureandisnecessaryforthemto
understandtheserhythms.Yetteacherstodayfacechallengesinmakinghistoryinterestingfor
students.
Thechallengesforteachinghistorytodayisthewayitsoftenpresentedand
taught
.Historyisoftenshownasnothingmorethandatesandboringolddeadwhitemen.This
challengecanbefacedbyusingnewalternativemethodsofteachinghistory.

Howhistoryiscurrentlypresentedhasproventobeachallengeforhistoryteachers.
Historyisoftenshownasnothingmorethaneventsthathavenomeaningtoeverydaylife.
Studentsoftenwonderwhatimpactwilllearningaboutthepyramidshaveontheirlives.For

themthatdoesnotinfluencewhatjoborhowtheirlifehappens.Learningaboutancienttombs
hasnorealpurposeforthem.Theonlypeoplewhowouldbeinterestedinthepyramidsarethose

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whowanttoEgyptologists.Historyisnothingmorethanasubjectthatonemusthavetolearnin
schooltopassthegrade.Formanystudentsthiswillmakethesubjectinstantlydullandnot
worththetimelearningabout.Dullnessistheenemyofanyteachertryingtoteachanysubject.
Fordullnesswillinstantlymakeanystudenttrytoignorewhatisbeingtaughtandfocusonother
thingslikehowmanylikesdidtheirprofilepicturegetonFacebookoriftheygotanynew
storiesonSnapchat.
Thesecondissuewithmakinghistoryinterestingisthewayitstaught.Inthetraditional
classroomsetting,historyistaughtusingmainlydates.Studentswillbetoldthatthisevent
happenedinthisyearandthatthispersondiedthisyear.Historyinsteadofbeingtaughtas
eventsinvolvingrealpeopleissimplifiedtonothingmorethannumbers.Insteadofbeingabout
peopleitistreatedlikeamathunit.Forstudents,memorizingdatesisabslutelyboringandis
nothingmorethanawasteoftime.Hearingnothingbutdatesmakesstudentstreatthosedatesas
iftheywereappointments.Inotherwordsnotatallimportant,justnumbersonehastoremember
fortheoccassionandthatoncetheneedforknowingthempassestheywillendupforgotten.
Anotherissuewithhowhistoryistaughtisthatstudentswillthinkthatitsnothingmore
thandeadoldwhiteguys.WhyisitimportanttoknowthatAndrewJacksonwasanopponentof
thecentralbankisaquestionthatseveralstudentswillask.Forthemhisantinationalbank

stancedoesnotaffectthematall.Whatevenmakesitevenmoreirrelevantforthemisthefact
thatAndrewJacksonwaswhite.Nowadaysalotofstudentsareofminoritygroupsinsteadofthe

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whitemajoritythathasexistedformanyyears.Severalstudentswillfeelthatthecontributionsof
theirethnicgroupstothecountryneverhappened.Insteadalltheyhearisaboutarethe
contributionsofwhitemenwholivedoveracenturyago.Theirliveshavenorelevancetothem
ortheircareers.Knowingwhenacertainwhitemanwasbornanddiedhasnomeaningtothem
andassuchhistoryshouldnthaveanymenaningtoiteither.Learningaboutdeadoldwhiteguys
hasimportancetoanyoneexceptforthosewhoareinterestedaboutit.Thushistoryandlearning
aboutisnothingmorebutawasteoftime.
Historyteachersoftodayinordertomakehistoryinterestingmustchangethewayitis
taught.Forstudentshistoryhastobeshownasthestoriesofrealpeopleandnotjustpastevents
anddates.Alltoooftenhistoryisnotrememberedasthingsthatimpactedthelivesofeveryday
people.Thereforealternativemethodsofpresentingit.Manypeoplehavebeentryingtomake
interestinginterestingandfuntolearnaboutagain.ForexampleonYoutubethereareplentyof
channelsthatpresenthistoryinfunandnontraditionalwaysoflearningit.OneexampleisExtra
CreditshasExtraHistorywhichdealswithhistoricaltopicsviacartoonlookinganimationlike
thepreludetoWorldWar1.InoneepisodetheydescribedhowRussianministerSamsonov
beggedGermanministerGottliebvonJagowtostopthemadnessasallofEuropewouldbe
destroyed.(ExtraCreditsHistorySeminalTragedyPart4)AnotherchannelistheGreatWar.
TheyareachanneldedicatedtofollowingWorldWar1asithappenedweekbyweekasit

happened.Inittheyoftenusediaryexcerptsofthesoldierswhofoughtinthewartogivea
humanperspective.Inoneepisodewhiledescribinga1915Frenchoffensivewhichcausedover
200,000deadthehostIndieNiedellstatedthatimagineifonelivedinatownof200,000onlyto
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seethatthenextdaythattheyarealldead.Theywerepeoplethatlivedwithintheir
neighborhoodonlyforthemtobegone.(TheGreatWarweek25)Formoreevidenceof
alternativemethodsofteachinghistoryisthechannelHistoryBuffs.Thatchannelreviewsfilms
thathaveahistoricalbasisandcomparesthemtowhatreallyhappened.Thehostevendoes
fantasyshowslikeGameofThronesandsayingwhatinspiredthem.Forinstanceintheepisode
thatdealtwithGameofThrones,itwasstatedthattheRedWeddingsceneoftheshowwas
basedofftheinfamousGlencoeMassacreofScottishhistory.(HistoryBuffsGameofThrones)
ThenthereisEpicHistorywhichusesanimation.Oneoftheirepisodesusingtheanimation
showedtheBattleofWaterloo.IntheepisodetheystatedhowthegeographyfavoredtheBritish
defensivepositions(EpicHistoryBattleofWaterloo)Allthesechannelstaketopicsdealingwith
historyandusemodernformsofmediatomaketheminteresting.
Usingtheseresourcesahistoryteachercanmakehistoryinterestingforstudents.A
suggestionishavingstudentsreaddiaryexcerptsofpeoplewholivedthroughacertainevent.
Thiswillremindthemthatthesewererealpeoplewithactuallivesandnotjustsomebland
figurewhoseemsinhuman.Readingtheirstorieswillletstudentssometimesseethehorrorsthat
certaineventscausedforpeopleandputsthemintheirshoes.Alsousingpodcastsandonline
videoswillallowthemtoexpandthewayhistoryistaught.Usingmoderndaymediaalsoallows
theteachertoconnectwiththeirstudentsinawayneverseenbefore.Inatraditionalclassroom

notallthestudentswouldlearnbyreadingatextbook.Insteadbyusingresourceslikethe
internetandpodcaststhosestudentsmaygetengagedinhistory.Studentswouldlearnthat

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historyimpactsthemtodaybecausetheworldtheyliveinwasshapedbypastevents.Not
knowingthepastwouldcausefuturemistakestooccur.
Historyteachershaveachallengeofmakinghistoryinterestingformoderndaystudents.
Thoughitisnotaneasytopictoteachandpresent.Thisisduetohowimportantthesubjectisto
everyoneslivesandhowtheircountryisrun.Yethistoryhasbeenpresentedasboringandvery
dateintensivetostudents.Thishascausedittobetaughtthewrongwayinthecurrentday.
Alternativemethodsofteachinghistoryexistandmustbeexploredandusedwithstudents.
Studentsmustseethathistoryhasarhythmthatcanrepeatandwillhavelongterm
consequences.Learningtheseconsequnceshelpspreventthesamemistakesfromoccuringagan.

Citation
Carlin,Dan,narr.
BlueprintsforArmageddon
.HardcoreHistory,2014.Web.28Mar.2016.

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