When I was in school, I remember having a hit-and-miss experience in my history classes. In elementary school, my history teacher had a very monotone voice and focused on areas of the history curriculum that interested him, but were not engaging for many students. Outside of school, I loved watching “Horrible Histories” and history documentaries, but in class, I could not pay attention. I struggled to reconcile these two versions of history, so, going into high school, I was indifferent to having to take history in Grade 10.
Luckily, in Grade 10, I took a unique integrated English and history class that ran during the first two periods of the day. With the added class time, my teachers were able to create engaging, interesting lessons in both subjects. Throughout the class, I fell back in love with history! My teacher was very passionate about history and educating students, using various digital games to engage us when learning. Her strategy made my classmates, who previously hated history, enjoy coming to class every day.
I think for a subject like history, it is incredibly important to engage students using some of the many available digital resources. Students today love to use technology, whether playing video games, using social media, or browsing online. To meet students at their level, teachers must integrate digital platforms when teaching.
For history in particular, there are many online resources with a wide range of uses. My personal favourite to use is video games, as there is something out there for everyone. For example, a teacher can suggest (or buy and give to students) Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour. The Discovery Tour Vikings is rated E for everyone, Discovery Tour Ancient Greece is E10+, and Ancient Egypt is T for teens. When supplemented with lessons, these resources can be great for sparking interest in students who generally do not like history.
Another great resource to use in class is War Museum Canada’s Over the Top video game. It explores life in the trenches during WWI, and the avatar relies on students' prior knowledge to survive. Using this in class as a pre-test review is great for encouraging students to reflect on their learning in a fun way.
For subjects that aren’t mandatory for students to continue to take, it is incredibly important that teachers put in the effort to make their classes educational and engaging. As mentioned in class on Thursday, it is vital that teachers connect with students' individual interests. If students begin to associate their individual interests with the lesson or subject, then hopefully it will set them on the path of establishing a lifelong interest in history.
References:
IMDb.com, INC. (n.d.). Horrible Histories (TV series 2009–2025) - IMDb. Horrible Histories. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1400819/.
The game / Over the Top. Canadian War Museum. (n.d.). https://www.warmuseum.ca/overthetop/.
Ubisoft. (n.d.). Discovery tour by Ubisoft: Teacher Learning Resources: Ubisoft (CA). Ubisoft. https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/assassins-creed/discovery-tour.
AbbieH@OTU
No comments:
Post a Comment