Reflection Of Studying History

Studying history involves both student and instructor in interactive conversations about historical events created by the actions (or inactions) taken by both elite and non-elite people in the course of their daily lives. My role as the teacher is to enable students to obtain an historical context through which they can understand the motivations behind the decisions made by historical figures, critically evaluate those motivations, and assess the significance of the actions taken as they analyze the events themselves. More importantly, I want my students to understand, intellectually and emotionally, that their present lives are the result of these historical events, events created by imperfect beings very much like themselves who often did

When necessity compels a primarily lecture presentation, I intersperse my talk with questions designed to allow students to reflect on important points I have raised during the class session, share their reflections with surrounding classmates, and briefly discuss the insights gained from this "think-pair-share" activity as a group before continuing with my discussion. In order to encourage cooperative and collaborative learning among students in such courses, I facilitate the organization of study and peer review groups as well. By distributing a short outline of the main issues raised in each class and using overhead transparencies to present a "rolling," more detailed outline of any interactive lecture sessions, I allow the student to reflect on the central points of the class session without feeling compelled to concentrate simply on note-taking. Using these "class notes" also allows me the flexibility to pursue important points raised by the students through discussion or incorporate other active learning techniques during a "lecture" without sacrificing coverage of important course