I finished up Patton's Prayer and am currently working on A. Wilson Greene's Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion: The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign. Greene's book has excellent maps and a detailed narrative involving more than just the final offensive against Petersburg. The final battles and skirmishes increased dramatically following Lee's failure to capture Fort Stedman. Grant knew it was the right moment to attack and break their lines. I focus on various historical events, but this week is more about the methodology of teaching history.
I regularly teach secondary history courses for those of you who do not know. I have three preps: Civics, U.S. History, and World History. In the past, the primary focus was on dates, names, and memorization. While it's crucial for students to understand the chronology of events and remember key players, I'm striving to enhance their analytical skills in the classroom. Since COVID, students' reading abilities and analytical thinking skills have decreased, partly due to the negative impact of technology. To counter this, I've introduced daily bell work that encourages conversation between students and teachers. Students are often required to research and teach in class, while the rest of the class takes notes or asks questions. While I appreciate the 'Prussian Style' learning techniques, it's vital that students learn the importance of individual initiative, empowering them to take charge of their learning.
Tests are no longer multiple choice; my students must know how to write a well-thought-out essay. I let them choose between four prompts and answer the question in paragraph form to the best of their ability. Many professors say that many incoming college students need more of a well-thought-out essay and correctly cite the information. My students think a bibliography is a list of sources, just a link to where they found it. Wikipedia and AI are these students' favorite because much of the information is automatically provided. However, it requires little thinking and perpetuates plagiarism. Furthermore, I am greatly concerned about a decline in critical thinking skills. More concerning is the inability to read at grade level of some students.
I am hopeful that more lessons will be purposeful. Teachers are aware that more meaningful lessons give students the ability to practice writing and thinking skills. They take more time than simply providing an individual assignment. However, one of my recent assignments forced students to answer questions that led them to ask questions and write a thesis. It takes a lot of practice for them to understand a thesis to understand how a thesis is supposed to look. The 21st-century classroom has changed dramatically, but I see positive results when relying on old story-telling techniques as well as simple discussion. This commitment to meaningful lessons is what keeps us motivated and dedicated to our profession.
Comments