The second article, Teaching for Historical Lieteracy, had and interesting quote teaching a mile wide and an inch deep. This is something I feel is common in most History and Social Studies classes. In viewing a typical text it may cover hundreds of years, various cultures, and events that occured throughout this time. If a class just reads through the book, this can become extremely boring, with nothing being retained.
The article talked about information becoming knowledge. Many history classes are spent memorizing dates, terms, and events. This does not allow students to learn or relate to experiences during that time. Instead of cramming hundreds of years into hundreds of hours, have the students understand and get them thinking about what is beign taught through their own experiences, ideas, and writings.
I couln't agree with you more. What insight! You seem to have a very solid grasp of how our educational system operates. Yes, I do think the children have difficulty retaining information. We need to spend more time on a few topics and really allow the students to absorb the material more, but that is not always an option unfortunately. Good stuff Mike!!
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