21st Century Historical Thin
By Sabba N
I
n the 1970’s a group of social and cultural
historians and educators began asking what
they wanted students to learn in regards to
history and perhaps more importantly how
they wanted students to learn and think
about the past. They said that if the goal of
teaching a nation’s history was to shape
students national identity by exposing them
to only certain accomplishments then the
teacher served no purpose other than
lecturing about the past. Moreover, they argued that this approach diminishes student
motivation in learning the subject. They proposed instead that history in the classroom should
be an investigation of the past and the social world in which students live.
T
oday we are asking ourselves this question again. With the introduction of the Common
Core Standards, an educational initiative in the United States that details what K-12 students
need to know before they graduate, the choice about how to teach history no longer exists.
The Common Core now demands that we no longer simply lecture about past events but
rather we must create opportunities that allow students to investigate the past. The Common
Core presents a unique opportunity for history teachers to re-evaluate and reflect upon their
teaching practices and reignite the field that has for so long been neglected.
I
t is this neglect that has led to a generation of passive and submissive citizens who sit
disengaged from the political process. I am often surprised at the lack of outrage from those
around me. Why do we not see outrage when the banks were bailed out while millions of
Americans were forced out of their homes? Why was there no outrage when the promises the
President made were not fulfilled? Why was there no outrage at the actions of the NSA?
I
t then dawned on me, how is one to know what is being taken away when one does not
know what they have? How is one to know how valuable what they have is, if you don’t
know how you came to have it in the first place? How is one to appreciate the rights and
liberties they enjoy if you don’t know the struggle it took to attain them?
Very simply put, you don’t.
I
n 2008 Common Core surveyed 1200, 17 year olds and 33% did not know that the Bill of
Rights guarantees freedom of speech and religion. Statistics like these are staggering to say the
least, what most would regard as the foundational principles of our country, one-third of our
youth don’t even know these principles exist.
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