What ideas or concepts from this week's readings or activities sparked a particular interest?


Teaching History as "A Story"


Over the years I have found that teaching history as "a story" is the most appealing approach for my students.  As I have stated in prior posts, presenting historical figures as one dimensional does not allow students to relate to the figures and history quickly becomes a task of memorization.  Whenever possible, I try to present historical figures as characters and tell his/her "story" from multiple perspectives highlighting the good and the bad.  This makes "characters" more relatable as they are humanized and we all know that once students begin to make connections, comprehension is achieved.


The activities and readings from this week intrigued me and will help me present the story of John Brown and the topic of slavery in a more relatable way in the future.  I really liked the Digital History site "John Brown: Hero or Terrorist" because it allows students to explore the many facets of his life and hopefully arrive at the conclusion that, like most of us, he is neither a hero or a terrorist.  By reading through letters written in his own words as well as various opinions in the "public response" section (both excellent primary source documents) and exploring his trial and execution, students can launch their own investigation and arrive at a conclusion that is both meaningful and personal.  I will absolutely be taking a trip to the computer lab next year and developing a lesson plan around this site.  I always begin my course with a few lessons under the subtitle: Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?  After two days of reading/presenting/watching/discussing primary source accounts praising or villainizing Columbus, students must write a 5 paragraph essay on the topic.  I am always amazed that the majority of students will gloss right over the "ugly truths" they have encountered and are very quick to label Columbus as a hero.  I have yet to find a way for students to truly investigate the character of Columbus in a meaningful way that will allow them to be more reflective in their essay assignments.  I believe the Digital History approach to teaching John Brown is far more meaningful because it drives students to make connections on their own terms.


I also really enjoyed the interactive webquest through National Geographic on the Underground Railroad.  Again, because students are inserted into the time period, take on the identity of a runaway slave, and must make decisions and face the consequences of those decisions, they are able to make meaningful connections.  It reminded me of my first trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. my junior year in high school.  When entering the museum you are given the identity of a victim of the Holocaust and you end your journey by finding out the fate of that person.  I had been assigned a young boy and found out that he died in the gas chambers months before the camp was liberated.  I will never forget the emotional experience of that trip and the connection that I made to that little boy.  He was not a one dimensional figure from the past but someone I literally weeped for.  His story meant something to me and that translated into a desire to learn as much as I could about what he had gone through.  


Conversely, I did not really enjoy the "Mission 2: Flight to Freedom" because of its animations.  I think all too often students have trouble relating to figures/events from the past because it does not seem realistic and they are unable to make important connections.  They make comments like, "that could never happen today" and "people are not like that anymore" instead of delving deeper and questioning the how and the why.  My fear is that presenting history in an animated/cartoonish way will engage students much like a video game would but may not allow them to truly relate to the human side or the "story" of the time period and will prevent them from make meaningful connections to the past.