What Makes a Bad History Teacher?

[Josh]

I'm curious-- what makes a "bad history teacher" in your experience?

[stevekimes]

Ones who forget that hi-story is a story that should be told, not facts to be memorized.

[shirley]

A teacher who doesn't acknowledge or teach to her diverse audience. The "bad ones" taught as if the only people in the room were the two or three history graduate students. Boring, assumptive and arrogant.

[Kirby]

Boring, assumptive and arrogant.

That is just a bad teacher, not limited to history.

[shirley]

Agreed, they just happened to be history teachers in my case....and my last two math teachers, I lost interest in that too.

[Josh]

Jun 12, 2012 20:24:33 GMT -8 shirley said:

A teacher who doesn't acknowledge or teach to her diverse audience. The "bad ones" taught as if the only people in the room were the two or three history graduate students. Boring, assumptive and arrogant.

In your case, what kinds of things did they teach about that weren't relevant to you; and which kinds of things would have been more relevant?

[Douglas]

having had to teach history several times ive been able to see when i have the students attention and when im putting them all to sleep. I find that when i focus only on events people nod but when they can see the key people within the story and see that those people where not all the different from themselves they tend to find it much more interesting. I think history, well taught, can give us a foundation for understand ourselves but if its just a list of dry "important" events with no connection to anything it is actually of very little value.

[shirley]

I noticed I never answered your question. It wasn't necessarily the topic as the way it was presented like Douglas said, making the subject matter relevant makes it more interesting, and makes it sound like the teacher is teaching to us, rather than at us.

Assumptive - assuming we know more and care more about the topic than we are asked to; arrogant - not caring that we don't, looking down on us for not; boring - the way it is taught makes it seemingly irrelevant to our current lives.

[Josh]

This leads me to the question of who is responsible for the enthusiasm of the student: the teacher or the student or both?

[shirley]

I would say that in an ideal world parents would instill, students would pursue, and educators would inspire an enthusiasm for learning.

I imagine any teacher would wish that their students would come to class with enthusiasm. But the reality is many are there because they are fulfilling a course requirement and not because they have an innate interest and then many students have had their enthusiasm for learning beat out of them years ago. I don't think it excusable for a teacher to speak only to the few who are fascinated; it is still the teachers job to inspire.

As a college math tutor (many many years ago) I did not expect my clients to be enthusiastic about math, they were enthusiastic about passing their tests so they could remain in their sports program. I took what I could get.


But, as my child enters kindergarten, the topic of a students enthusiasm brings up a lot more to me than simply academic interest...it is hard to learn when you don't feel well, physically - internally and externally, emotionally, and mentally. A teacher cannot guarantee that all those things will be addressed with their students. Everyone, parents, teachers, and students, have to do their best according to their knowledge, accept realities, and work with what you can get.

[rbbailey]

Jun 5, 2012 20:50:51 GMT -8 Josh said:

I'm curious-- what makes a "bad history teacher" in your experience?

One that does nothing but show movies all the time in class? ...like me? 

sbhshistoryfilm.blogspot.com/

(It's a work in progress, don't judge too harshly -- long story.)

[Josh]

I'd be the last to critique your methods. My room is often darkened with a cinematic glow

[rbbailey]

I picked up my love of history between the old WWII flicks I would watch as a kid, Stephen Spielberg in the 1990's, and Mr. Robinson's class in high school.

I show lots of 5-10 minute clips in my U.S. History class.  But this class is actually based on watching full length films and comparing the real story with the Hollywood production.  I proposed it last year and got the district to let me teach it.  But they didn't give me any time to put it together -- three days -- so I'm scrambling now!

[leesajohnson]

The teacher who never try to make the lesson interesting.