AP AMERICAN HISTORY                                   EXPLORING THE PAST

CLASSROOM METHODS

History is a vast and rich subject that is primarily accessed through reading and discussion.  I have been influenced by many things in terms of “how” I teach, but as you become involved in any of my classes, it is probably good for you to know what to expect as we get into the subject.   

First and foremost, realize that READING is central to what we do in history.  We will rely on a very sound (and, I think, witty) secondary text (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey’s American Pageant).  That will be supplemented with documents (portions thereof) and frequent references to the works of great contemporary or past historians.  You will be exposed to a lot of that type of thing in class throughout the course.  How will we take what we have read and “make it our own?” 

ON THE ONE HAND . . . .

I learned almost exclusively via the lecture method as a young student and my history teachers and professors in high school and college primarily taught that way.  My preparation courses in college also emphasized the lecture as a very sound method of teaching – when done well.  And, that’s the key.  Good lecture is good teaching.  Bad lecture is bad teaching.  When you take classes from me, then, be aware that I do use this method.  The lecture is used to help you interpret and to synthesize difficult material.  You will need to take notes during lectures.  How much you write is up to you, but you will need to write something.       

ON THE OTHER HAND . . .

That’s only one part of the story.  Beyond lecture, history classrooms must be active and engaging.  Discussion is terribly important when studying history.  Engaging with other students of history is critical.  Therefore, realize that from the very first day we are together – until the last moment – we will be in conversation for much of the time.  How do we make that effective?

Beyond my six principles of REFLECTIVE ENGAGEMENT, my philosophy of teaching really centers on two approaches to the subject matter. 

First of all, I am a CONTEXTUALIST.  Contextualism refers to the idea that any authentic learning that we do must take place in the context of our lives – our day to day existence.  In other words, we must constantly apply what we are learning to our world.  This isn’t hard to do when studying history, but I will need to guide you along that path. 

Second, I practice something called the THAYER METHOD in my classes (named for Sylvanus Thayer, Superintendent of the US Military Academy back in the early 19^th century).  The method is very simple.  Students are expected to teach themselves PRIOR to class and then are questioned on the material during class.  In other words, prior preparation is central.  I was introduced to this method back in my college days and always found it a very effective way to learn.  We will work together on this as we proceed.

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