Teaching history from a textbook can get boring for both the student and the teacher at times. When learning about the past is reduced to memorizing meaningless names and dates, it becomes a chore for everyone. But sometimes that’s all the curriculum provides. And teachers are left with the daunting task of getting a classroom of bored students to engage in unmotivating topics.
One way to spark interest is to use entertainment in the form of historical fiction books or movies. And some video documentaries are of sufficient quality to fit into this category as well. When you add the human element of excitement, fear, risk, and intrigue, you transport the student into that world to feel those feelings or vicariously experience the thrill or angst of the moment. Then, instead of randomly memorizing inconsequential details, the student cannot help recalling the important facts, dates, people, and setting of particular historical importance that have been found through the media.
Movies are easier to use in the classroom, as the entire class can experience the story at the same time. Instead of watching it all in one sitting, consider breaking the movie up into segments and having a purpose behind each segment. Allow enough time for story-based discussion of each segment in the same class period immediately following the clip. Ask factual questions that relate to the scenes, like “What year did this happen?” or “How many years after [a major war or another significant event] Did the movie take place?” or something similar. Questions with definite right or wrong answers are good and make people think.
Beyond objective questions, also plan questions that engage students on a more human and emotional level. Questions like “What was going on in the world that might have motivated the main character to make those decisions?” or “How did people think about that situation that is different from what our current society would view about that same situation?” These types of questions don’t necessarily have right or wrong answers, but they do encourage students to delve into what was really going on in the world at that particular time and how people thought about life’s problems. It can sometimes lead to a discussion about what kind of technology was available at the time (i.e. telephone or telegraph, car or stagecoach, etc), when did those technologies come about, and how things might have been different if other technologies were available . . At other times, the discussion may turn to which parts of the movie didn’t line up with the true history of the time period.
Historical fiction books provide the same kinds of motivation, but generally need to be used in a different way, since an entire class can’t read the same thing at the same time. The closest scenario is if the class reads the same chapters for homework and then the same types of discussion that are used with the movies can still apply. If students are reading a variety of book choices from a teacher-provided reading list, feedback is usually limited to a written assignment or a class presentation of some kind.
Not only is history and historical topics taught using these methods, but the student is also encouraged to analyze data. Critical thinking comes into play during class discussions. With this in mind, all student input should be respected, and if a student’s statements need to be corrected at any point, the teacher should be careful to do so in a way that does not denigrate or embarrass. Treating all classroom input with respect makes other students feel confident that they too can speak up without fear of humiliation if they get something wrong. Opening the door to class discussions can draw even the most reluctant student into the subject being taught, and entertaining movies and books provide a great doorway to do so.