History is an interesting subject.
Before you laugh, however, hear me out.
History is a record of mankind’s journey from the time they appeared on
the earth, fought wars for kingdoms and ushered in the age of
technology. It has all the elements of a potboiler, therefore it should
be a subject that children are eager to learn. But for most students,
history is by far one of the most boring subjects in school. And of
course it is demoralizing as a teacher to walk into a class and see a
sea of blank faces.
Teacher wearing a costume
Here are 6 ways in which you can make History class a fun and engaging time for your students.
1. Help children memorize dates by using fun mnemonics – History has an endless number of dates that need to be remembered. Seeing a list of them alone
can be extremely off-putting. So how can you help your students
remember them better? One way is by using mnemonics, which is a way of
translating information into a form that the brain can remember better.
2. Find interesting trivia when teaching topics that might become too dry
– Some history topics are unavoidably dry. For instance teaching
students about the American War of Independence, the Boston Tea Party
etc can be an exercise in patience, simply because there is nothing that
ties India to these events. Consequently, students have no interest in
learning about these events. So how can these topics be made more
interesting? While teaching them, you can slip in interesting facts
about them. What constitues an interesting fact depends on you and your
students of course.
History in visual media
3. Use visual media to aid your teaching –
One good thing about history is that film makers have an unabashed love
for the subject. There are plenty of films available in the historical
genre. In case you want your students to understand how serious the
Holocaust was, you could possible show them Schindler’s List, The Diary
of Anne Frank or even The Pianist. After the film or tv show that has
been watched, you and your students could have a discussion on the
historical accuracy of the film and the parts they enjoyed and the parts
which resonated with them.
Caution – While some
historical films have excellent material, they might be emotionally
heavy for some children so take note of the ratings and as much as
possible try to show them U/PG-13 material. If any of your students are
agitated by what is being shown on screen, stop the screening
immediately.
4. Battles and scenes in present times
– Theoretically battles and historically scenes are interesting but
when they are placed within the context of a textbook, they become a
jumble of words that seem to run on together. To liven up a sleepy
classroom and pique your student’s interest, gather a few children
together, and make them act out scenes. Let the acting be as
melodramatic as possible because if your students understand the lesson
and laugh about it too, that’s just an added bonus.
Field trip to a historical museum
5. Treat history as if it were an ongoing news story –
While plenty of history’s allure comes from the fact that it happened a
few hundred years ago, for many that is history’s biggest downside too.
It’s uncommon to hear a child go: “But that happened so long ago, I
don’t need to know it!” To stop complaints like these coming your way,
treat historical events as if they were events happening in present time
and present the fact to your students in the manner of newly received
sound-bites or breaking news. By teaching your lesson like this, you
should have 40 interested faces listening to your every word intently
instead of 40 sullen faces!
6. Take a field trip –
One with a historical twist that is! You can’t always keep taking your
class outside but once in a while, in order to help children understand a
lesson or an event better, take them to a museum. Looking at historical
artifacts makes history a lot more real to children and there will also
be a guide at the museum who can offer your students a different
historical perspective!
How do you make history fun for your students? Share your suggestions with us in the comments below!
