It's Just the Facts, or Is It?

The two very different teaching styles presented in "It's Just the Facts, or Is It?" by S.G. Grant were interesting to think about. The first example reminds me of most of the classes that I had in middle and high school, as well as college. George Blair’s style raised questions in my mind about the extent to which history is a narrative. I think that it is important to give the presentation of historical events at least some element of storytelling in order to engage the students, but at times the discussion seemed almost scattered. From the description provided of the following days, it also seemed like he backtracked a lot.

In contrast to this, the description of Linda Strait’s lesson stood out as much more hands-on and had a great deal of student involvement. Because she focused extensively on one topic, her students were more likely to have a deeper understanding of the causes and effects of the Civil Rights movement.

The biggest difference that stood out to me was the different types of knowledge that students in each classroom ended up with. Students in Blair’s classroom may have ended up with a larger collection of facts that they were able to recite, but because the Civil Rights movement was treated so superficially, it is unlikely that they would have gotten a grasp of the underlying causes. The type of knowledge they gained would seem to be more suited to passing standardized tests or winning Trivial Pursuit games. In contrast to this, Strait’s teaching seemed to be focused on teaching the students to think critically and analyze the facts and events of the era. This ability is invaluable, and I believe that it is what we should strive to impart in our students.

The reading addresses the problems of lesson structure and teaching style. One of the challenges of history teaching is deciding how to organize all of the information into coherent units that students can comprehend. The two teachers studied used different methods of organizing their lessons, and this influenced the type and depth of knowledge that their students gained. Their teaching styles and classroom management techniques also played a role in determining the extent to which their students learned. I think that it is very important to assess what type of knowledge I want my future students to gain and tailor my teaching and organizational methods to ensure that that goal is accomplished.