making it relevant
I must be earnestly seeking the connection between academics and out of classroom life. Since I am an information junkie, a card-carrying geek, I don’t always need to know why something matters before I’m interested in learning it. I like learning for its own sake, useful or not. Normal people are not like this. Many teachers are. Thus the disconnect between teachers and taught, and between those who write textbooks and those who toil over them. So is history really really important? Who cares that an eloquent preacher named Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut in 1636? It’s a great little fact to file away in my information loving brain, but honestly, who cares?
Anon. wrote:
Ditto. So why are you teaching that stuff? Come on, don’t you think every piece of knowledge is a key that might open up some door, someday? It’s up to you to make that stuff interesting, especially since Rod&Staff does such a good job of making it boring.
Posted on 13-Dec-07 at 6:42 pm | Permalink
sprkplg wrote:
>Who cares that an eloquent preacher named Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut in 1636?
I do.
But hey, that’s just me.
8-)
Posted on 15-Dec-07 at 8:53 pm | Permalink
misst wrote:
You obviously do, if you like information and facts. But yeah, I know, it can be difficult to make it relevant. But not impossible!
Posted on 17-Dec-07 at 1:43 pm | Permalink
javan wrote:
It’s not the fact that matters. History class is not about the memorization of random sequences of information bits. It is about listening to and evaluating the stories–the stories that have shaped cultures and us as we are both positioned in a culture and interact with other storied cultures.
That’s my take. -another non-normal history freak
Posted on 18-Dec-07 at 10:21 pm | Permalink
Urie Sharp wrote:
Darrell,
You’re brother to Daniel and Eric, I’m told. I’ve been on board with Scotland Yard, collecting evidence in Virginia, using “blood hounds” to follow your tracks. Don’t be surprised if an agent comes knocking on your door. To date there is no cause for alarm; just an alertness….. No need to take your mind off your books or students…yet.
Posted on 02-Jan-08 at 11:19 am | Permalink