Teaching History in Reverse

This web log is dedicated to exploration of the idea and practice of learning and teaching history from present to past, i.e., in reverse chronological order from what is traditional. It is believed that this approach may be advantageous to learning history, to an appreciation of history, and to the empowerment of the learner.

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Location: Boise, Idaho, United States

I am a teacher, writer, activist, and philosopher.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

A Proposed Method

Teaching History from Present-To-Past (PREPARE)
A Proposed Methodology


Rationale: According to the Idaho Standards, the importance of knowledge about history rests with the learner’s ability to use it to make better decisions that influence public life today and tomorrow. History is normally taught as a narrative that begins in the past and proceeds toward the present. A critical weakness of this approach is that it will be difficult for most learners to see the relevance of historical dynamics to their own lives. History becomes entertainment, at best. History lessons are remembered as a jumble of events, dates, and personalities. Thus, even while the Standards are fulfilled, the core purpose of studying history remains unfulfilled.

The proposed methodology involves a spiral curriculum in which history is learned from present to past through inquiry, with recursive links created forward to the present at every phase. It is maintained that this approach will make history more relevant to learners and increase their ability to make use of history. It is further maintained that this greater sense of relevance, combined with more active learner inquiry, will result in an improvement of learners’ long-term knowledge of salient events, developments, and personalities when compared with conventional history pedagogy.

Description of the Methodology

Present-to-Past (PREPARE) involves a spiral approach with six steps in each phase. Teacher preparation for this methodology involves reviewing the salient concepts and facts for each standard and for each chapter of the textbook, and mapping these in an “effect-and-cause” order.

Steps in the Methodology:

1. Begin with a presentation and discussion of Current Situations. Current Situations is a deeper and broader assessment of the present than what is typically afforded by “Current Events.” Current Situations should focus on things that will be salient to the lives of learners – things that they care about and which are consequential to significant numbers of people on a national and international scale.

2. Students collaborate to develop Inquiry Questions. These are questions that will guide an inquiry into the causes of current situations. The teacher will assist the students in developing questions that are complete, relevant, penetrating, and of a suitable scope. The class, aided by the teacher, will select one or more of the proposed inquiry questions to pursue.

3. Students engage in Exploration of historical developments, events, and personalities in order to develop hypotheses that can answer the inquiry questions. In Exploration, students begin to map relationships between present and past.

4. Explorations should include use of the textbook and other available information sources, but should also help learners become centered in and bring to life the era and chapter being explored. This is called Visiting. Films, photographs, speeches, music, art, old newspaper articles, biographies, and performances could be used and exhibited by groups of students. The class, assisted by the teacher, will use these to develop the most useful theory to define that prior era/chapter and to explain the present day situation.

5. Students Review Forward the causes and effects from the era studied directly (not through subsequent eras) to the present day (return to Step 1).

6. Students Retrace Inquiry Questions back to the last era visited (moving through every era previously studied), review their knowledge of that era, and begin working backwards from that era with Step 2.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

some "history in reverse" references

Here are some references to the subject of teaching history "in reverse":

http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2000/0003/0003tec1.cfm

The above is an article titled "A Teaching Strategy: Teaching U.S. History Backwards," by Annette Atkins. It is from the March 2000 issue of the journal Perspectives.


I understand that the following book was written from the present to the distant past:

Longworth, Philip (1997) The Making of Eastern Europe (2nd Edition). NY: pub n/a.


Other articles that may be of interest:

Davis, G.H. & Laushey, D.M. Tampering with the Temporal Order. History Teacher 5(3), pp.40-44. March, 1972.

Greenwood, B. Adventures in Learning - History in Reverse. Gifted Education International, 12(1), p. 39. 1997.

Pfannkuche, C.L. A Modest Proposal for History Teachers. Social Studies 62(6), pp. 243-46. November, 1971.



Monday, July 26, 2004

Welcome to Teaching History in Reverse

Greetings. This group blog has been set up to foster dialogue and sharing of ideas regarding the concept and practice of teaching history in reverse chronological order.

The reasoning behind teaching history "backwards" is that it transforms the study of history from a distant narrative - whose relevance to the learner may not be apparent - into a compelling inquiry into why things are the way they are, and why they became the way they did.

Some teachers have already had success with this method. Others are intrigued by the idea. Perhaps our inquiry will give rise to new ideas for curricula and curricular materials like textbooks that are tailored for the "history backwards" approach.

If you wish to join this Blog as a contributing member and have not yet been invited, feel free to e-mail me, Matthew Shapiro, at mshapiro@follettfoundation.org.