Teaching History in the Digital Age

Recently, as many of you know, Lendol Calder paid a visit to our class blog, during which he asked the question: “Calder makes history teaching seem so technical, so architectural in its emphasis on design, a critic might conclude. Is this close to what you meant by “scientific”?” I would say “no,” and here is why: Often times, the best and most enriching classes do not fit a specific design or archetypal structure.

After rereading Lendol’s article, Uncoverage: Toward a Signature Pedagogy for the History Survey, I would claim that learning history isn’t as scientific as the question suggests; I believe that he holds a more flexible viewpoint, based on the reading. Moreover, I personally think the point he was driving at was not alluding to a rigid and highly-structured scientific design for learning history, but a design that takes shape gradually over time as students learn what they are being taught. Does this make sense?

For example, Calder states:

“Historical thinking, like other forms of disciplinary thinking, begins with clear-eyed wonder before the world. But questioning is an extraordinarily difficult skill for most students, probably because for their whole lives teachers and textbooks have posed the questions for them (”Write an essay on the following question . . .”). Feeding students a steady diet of other people’s questions is a sure-fire prescription for mental dyspepsia. So the first move students need to learn is that of asking good historical questions. To this end the first meeting in every unit is designed to intensify students’ desire to inquire.”

I think this very concept is important to consider. I would venture to say that most students do not approach learning history based on scientific inquiry. Rather, their minds are more receptive to the information at first, and then logic slowly falls into place, which could resemble a kind of scientific process, based on however one chooses to define “science.” But to think of learning history as something technical? I don’t think I can fully accept that idea, and I am glad that Calder asked the question.

Cheers,

Matt   

Hello all!

My friend, Dr. Cathy Waegner, who lives in Germany recently sent me an email in regards to my post on Utopia. Dr. Waegner conducted research on Utopia a few years ago. Dr. Waegner is a professor of English at Siegen University in Germany.
Her comments are as follows:

“Dear Matthew and Sal, Thanks to you, Sis, for forwarding Matthew’s email. I looked into the blog and the DAACS database – hot stuff! First of all, I loved Matthew’s description of his relationship to Utopia (and Sal’s excellent photos brought back memories for me too…) Secondly, the database was mind-boggling – and to think that Utopias 1, 2, 3, and 4 are just a stone’s throw away from 160 John Browning! I noticed that Garrett Fessler and his James River Institute for Archeology will be excavating a new site (First Settlers’ Campground) in Williamsburg in 2007. Do you know where that venue is? Maybe Matthew can be in on that from the beginning. There are also two other slave cemeteries which have been researched by Colonial Williamsburg – I’d like to locate them the next time I’m in W-burg. That database didn’t exist when I did my modest work on Utopia, but Garrett Fessler gave me photocopies of his findings and reports which obviously were fed into the database. (By the way, I noticed that his name is listed as “Dr. Garrett Fessler” – he was too busy to complete his doctorate back when I was interviewing him, but I’m glad to see he finally did it!) I have to quit now, but we can keep in touch on all of this. Good luck with your investigations, Matthew–

Lots of love, Cathy

P.S. I was also fascinated by your sleuthing with regard to your English grandmother!”

I would like to personally thank Dr. Waegner for her kind words.

Muchen is an article written in 1942 by my late grandmother, Elisabeth Gravely. I would love to share this with all of you.
My grandmother was an aspiring actress while growing up in England and always was inspired by the arts. She was casted in some early British films playing the roles of Bessie Surtees and Grace Darling. (I have looked fervently for copies of these movies, but I haven’t had any luck.)
She moved to America in the late 30’s-early 40’s to marry my late grandfather, Dr. William Gravely. While living in America she started her career as a freelance writer for The Post, and afterwards she subsequently became a famous local muralist, whose work was exhibited in such places as The Capitol Lodge and The Reeve Gouche (a once bustling restaurant located in Georgetown that played host to a number politicians.)

This is one of the few articles of hers that I found while conducting a search on Pro-Quest Research Database about a year ago. Thanks to Dr. Kelly’s History 312 class, I found out about this wonderful tool that led me to a gold-mine.

Munchen

The fellow Karl that she speaks of was a suitor of hers. The story in my family is that when he visited my grandmother in England, he spent a lot of his time studying the British coast line while sailing with my great-grandfather. As it turns out, he was a spy for the Nazis – or at least this is how the story goes. In a letter written by my great-uncle Nory (or, as he calls himself both “Fish Taco” and “S32″…no, seriously) he mentions this account:

“I think my parents were afraid that E was going to marry Karl when she went on that Munich safari. Before that my Dad had taken Karl sailing on the Walrus all the way up the north east coast to Lindisfarne. Karl took continous photographs of the coastline – even when there was nothing to see except sand dunes. That puzzled everyone. Just recently I’ve been reading about Hitler’s invasion plans of England. The main Nazi thrust was of course to be in the south around Dover, but a divisionary strike was planned from Norway to exactly the northeast coastel area that Karl had been so busily documenting. Little did my Dad know that he was entertaining a spy!” -Nory a.k.a- “Fish Taco”, a.k.a- “S32″

Hi everybody:

I ran across this article while reading The Virginian-Pilot this morning. I have to say that I am a little appalled at this school system in Frisco, Texas.

Here is the link to a Dallas newspaper that covered the story back in August:

School teacher is fired…

Is it just me, or does anybody else have a problem with this teacher losing her job over some angry parent’s decision to make a big deal out of this? It’s called ART for heaven’s sake….I really don’t want to lose faith in the public education system, but stories like this one make me wonder…
My mom is a middle school art teacher who has taught in the Virginia Beach School System for over 30 years. I just can’t help but think that something like this could easily happen to her.

I feel extremely sorry for this teacher whose only crime was taking her students to an art museum.