Preserving History

What and how to teach in the K-16 classroom history has been a perennial and at times heateddebate. Beginning as early as 1892 the question of what knowledge is of the most worth andwhat should be the central function of the history curriculum became a focus of many interested ineducation. It was felt that the teachers needed to move away from traditional methods of teachinghistory such as rote memorization and the dry and lifeless system of instruction by textbookand find new and engaging ways to broaden and cultivate the mind. Unfortunately theserecommendations faced many critics and did not take hold in K-16 classrooms at this time orfrankly at any point since then.Even though we tend to have a nostalgic memory of earlier time periods and in turn the educationalcapabilities of the children from various times in our nation's past the results from multiple studies examining the historicalknowledge base of America's youth has remained fairly discouraging. Much of the lack of knowledge present stems from the mannerin which history is traditionally taught. Ineffective instructional methods greatly impact the interest levels or more frequently the distastegenerated for learning about historical content and thus the public's corresponding perception of the importance of historywithin K-16 curricula. This book makes an effort at overcoming the persistent boredom and lack of historical knowledge present in ourstudents by focusing on ways in which history instruction can be improved.