Make history come alive

Lee Krishnan

Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. – Edmund Burke.

This being said, the onus of responsibility then falls largely on history teachers, to teach history in a way that students don’t just learn, but learn from it.

Some of the common questions that history teachers are asked repeatedly are, “Why do we have to study history? What’s the point of studying about dead people? Who cares what happened in the past?”

During revision classes, you would quiz us and we were only allowed to leave after providing an answer. If we needed help, we could open the textbook, but an answer was mandatory. This technique made the revision process fun and urgent and contributed to the development of our photographic memory. You discussed all the relevant historical events that took place globally during a particular time frame even if it meant going beyond the textbook’s contents. This encouraged us to read and research online and engage in conversations outside the classroom. Your knowledge of literature, geography and other subjects enabled you to connect the relevant dots in history and create a web-like learning experience. This approach made the learning process more enjoyable and easier to comprehend. Shivam Kabra Class of 2018

To these, I had a standard answer. I’d tell my students that I’d answer every one of their questions provided they performed a simple activity first. The instructions were simply to close their eyes and imagine what life would be like if they had no clue about the past before they woke up that morning. They had to describe what their lives would be like, first in words and then in terms of what they would do and how they would feel.

The responses would generally be that they would be confused, scared, lost, and uncertain. Other responses were that they wouldn’t know their families, there’d be no inventions, and people would repeat mistakes from the past because they wouldn’t be able to learn from them.

At this point, I’d tell my class that history is so much more than just a litany of dates and events, but the story of everything that man has done from the time he made his appearance on this earth. I’d relate it to the development of the smart phones and devices that they loved, and couldn’t live without and the technologies that made life simpler. Invariably, and predictably, they’d make the connection between building on previous technologies which would be known through the study of history.

Dear Lee Miss, As I look back on my school days, I am filled with a sense of nostalgia for the amazing experience I’ve had learning History from the most incredible teacher – Lee Miss. Lee Miss engaged us in the most exciting quizzes. As the questions would start rolling in, we would settle into a groove, drawing upon our knowledge of history and considering each answer. The adrenaline would kick in when we found ourselves racing against the clock to answer each question before the opposing teams. The competitive spirit of the game motivated us to study harder and delve deeper into the topics. Lee Miss also engaged us in a role-playing activity based on the World War to immerse ourselves in the events and to experience the decisions and their consequences of the past in an interactive way. We were assigned countries based on our personalities and provided a series of scenarios that simulated the key events of the war like the Treaty of Versailles. Miss acted as a mediator providing historical context to help us understand the complexities of the war and international politics. The most incredible aspect of my history class was the sense of community and brotherhood that our teacher fostered. Miss’s approach and her methods encouraged us to think and work collaboratively and learn from one another and build team spirit. What sets apart Lee Miss, is her ability to make the subject relatable and relevant in today’s time. We learnt that history is not just a collection of facts and dates but a living, breathing and evolving story that continues to shape our lives today. Ultimately, enjoying history comes down to having a teacher whose passion for the subject is contagious. Thank you for your tireless dedication to teaching, for always going above and beyond to ensure that your students are engaged and for instilling a lifelong love for history. “The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” Yashvi Maru Class of 2016

The proverbial light bulbs would turn on and I’d hear comments like, “Wow, I never thought of that.” Comments like this, and their thoughtful expressions would tell me that they had begun thinking differently. But this is not enough.

It’s also important for history teachers to be passionate about their subject, to be well-read, aware of current affairs and be able to relate content to other subjects like literature, geography, economics, etc.

I taught history at high school and college levels. As a college lecturer, I designated one day a week for debates. My students got to pick the topics provided they were related to what we were studying. The coming down of the Berlin Wall, Glasnost and Perestroika, the Tiananmen Square massacre, current affairs, nothing was off limits. The rules for the debate were simple. Raise your hand, if you want to speak, back up what you say with evidence, do not be insulting or offensive, and above all listen. Ultimately, the administration asked me to stop the debates. The reason, non-history students were bunking their own lectures to attend.

When I was teaching civics to Grade 10 ICSE students a few years ago, I had talked to them about the need for a strong opposition. After the elections of 2019, a former student who had looked at the numbers in Parliament messaged me saying he had finally understood the need for a strong opposition. Practical demonstrations of election processes always help. Get students to create their own ‘political’ parties with election manifestos, assign symbols, and have their campaigns, complete with speeches, debates, and voting. Then let them draft bills, and resolutions and get them passed. ‘Question Hour’ or a specified number of minutes is always fun and helps to reinforce content and concepts.

History teachers can literally make history classes come alive with simple strategies for their teaching and projects. Given below are a few suggestions.

Do not, I repeat, do not go to class unprepared. There is nothing more damaging to the teaching of history than a teacher who goes to class and then asks students to ‘read’ the text aloud in turn. Take the trouble to prepare, and prepare well.

Begin with a quote, a game, a quiz, or an activity. Let me list a few of my favourites. To recap the previous lesson, use the game, Hangman. It’s simple, pick an important word or phrase and ask students to guess in turn. Rewards can range from a reduction of work, extra free time if they finish the assigned work early, even sweets, a ‘pass’ to get out of trouble. Be creative.

If you are required to check notebooks, make it a competition. Reward those who complete their work accurately, in class. Make the students work in pairs or groups and make them responsible for each other. While most of the teachers at my former school used to complain that students did not complete their work, I had students chasing me to submit their books. I had a simple system of ‘Saves’. All those who completed the assigned work on time and submitted it, (of course neatness and accuracy were mandatory) earned smileys. Three smileys from me were equal to a Save, which they could use to ‘save’ themselves or their friends if they got into trouble with me, or with some of my very kind colleagues who also accepted their ‘Saves’. For example, they could trade in their ‘saves’ if, for example, they hadn’t completed a task and it was time for the break, or if a friend was in trouble for some minor mischief, or if they had forgotten to do homework that was assigned. It always worked.

Play games group-wise. Kids love competitions. Groups ensure that no one is left out. You can also find something to appreciate each group for. However, you must have clear rules and timelines to complete the work. Monitoring is essential, to see that everyone pulls their weight.

Ask students to quiz each other. Decide what type of answers you want. For example, you might decide that the answer must be a name, a place, or a date. Groups are best. Give them time to frame questions and refer to their texts to find the answers. Tell them that if the page numbers are visible, or that their discussions are audible, you will not penalize the groups that use these to their own advantage. This takes care of discipline and is a lot of fun. Again, reward the winning group.

You helped me to understand the importance of history by asking me to close my eyes and imagine myself without a history. You then prompted me to ask myself who I was, what I was, where I was, and why. Without a history, I had no answers to these questions, highlighting that history is the answer to everything. It provides answers to every mistake, possibility, future opportunity, and everything that is happening. History is the key to understanding the world around us and the events that shaped it. Siddh Vadecha Class of 2018

Take them outdoors. Teach them using relay races, passing the ‘ball’ and advancing with each correct answer.

Let students pick their own project topics and submit proposals to you for approval. Limit the number of pictures so they are not just filling space with pictures. This will ensure a much better quality of the work done. You can also tell them that if a student has submitted a project proposal which has been approved, no other student can do the same project. Have a viva based on the project to ensure that they have done it themselves.

A great revision tool is asking students to ‘set’ papers for each other. Give a limited amount of time, then have them answer each other’s papers and also ‘rate’ the question papers in terms of accuracy, how challenging it was, how neatly written, etc. (*If you are comfortable, have them rate your exam papers as well. I had a scale on which students had to rate my papers – horrible, bad, average, good, fun and challenging.)

If you are showing a video, watch it together, prepare a quiz based on it beforehand and always encourage them to draw their own conclusions.

Integrate maps into the study of history. It helps students to understand why. Play ‘Truth and Dare’ with content.

Use picture study of current events to ensure that they read the news. Ask them to bring and show a picture of current or past events for ‘Show and Tell’.

Relate history to current professions – journalism, archaeology, filmmaking, the possibilities are endless.

There’s no dearth of activities on and offline that a teacher can use to make history fun and relevant. Planning however is key. Remember, students do not want to be passive receivers of multiple online tools. The more active and involved they are, the easier it is.

Above all, let them see that you love and see value in the subject, let them discover its joy and excitement, and encourage them to share their opinions even if they differ from yours. Teach them to think, don’t do their thinking for them.

In the end, it’s up to you. How do you want to be remembered? What’s your legacy going to be?

Finally in the words of Robert F. Kennedy, “Few of us will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”

The author is an education consultant. She can be reached at leekrishnan@gmail.com & https://www.linkedin.com/in/leekrishnan/