Laying the Foundation

There are so many great teaching theories and cutting edge technologies in education today that a teacher can't help but feel a little lost.  I am certainly a proponent of the learning theory of constructivism.  This is a theory that supports the idea that students learn effectively and efficiently when they construct their own knowledge of a topic through interaction with peers and by fitting together new knowledge with their own previous knowledge.

This can be a challenge for the history teacher.  Too often we are teaching themes, events, and stories from the past to which the students have no previous background knowledge.  If you try and tackle a theme in history – be it oppression, power, or privilege – without providing enough background to the story itself then students are going to struggle to connect to their past.

The reason I like teaching a topic in history with a presentation/lecture initially is because it lays the foundation upon which everything else will be built.  Sitting in a desk and listening can be incredibly boring for a student and there has been a push to move away from this style of teaching.  But if we can find ways to make it interesting and lay that important foundation in the beginning, then we as history teachers can begin to create so many incredible lessons that the students - having the necessary background - can truly connect with.