Basics: A New Look at the Study of History

Studying history is more than memorizing names and dates. Although it’s important for citizens to know about great people and events, the enjoyment of history is often found in a “story well told.” Here are some suggestions to make the study of history more enjoyable:

Original sources make history come alive. Reading the actual words that changed the course of history and stories that focus on the details of time and place helps children know that history is about real people in real places who made real choices that had some real consequences, and that these people could have made different choices.

Less can mean more. An old proverb tells us that, “A well-formed mind is better than a well-stuffed mind.” Trying to learn the entire history of the world is not only impossible, it discourages children and reduces their enthusiasm for history. In-depth study of a few important events gives them a chance to understand the many sides of a story. They can always add new facts.

History is hands-on work. Learning history is best done in the same way that we learn to use a new language, or to play basketball: we do it as well as read about it.

“Doing history” means asking questions about events, people and places; searching our towns for signs of its history; talking with others about current events and issues; and writing our own stories about the past.

Children do well to ask “So what?” Much that we take for granted is not so obvious to children. We need to clarify for them the reasons we ask them to remember certain things. They need to know why it’s important to get the facts right. Encouraging children to ask, “So what?” can help them understand what’s worth knowing—and why—and so help build critical thinking skills. Being able to think critically prepares children to:

• judge the value of historical evidence;
• judge claims about what is true or good;
• be curious enough to look further into an event or topic;
• be skeptical enough to look for more than one account of an event or life; and
• be aware that how we look at and think about things are often shaped by our own biases and opinions.

By Barbara J. Feldman

Barbara J. Feldman is a syndicated columnist and the publisher of Surf Net Parents, Surfnetkids.com and 51+ other family-friendly sites. She has been creating websites since 1996, and loves teaching others how to solve WordPress problems.