The teaching of history education in America’s public
schools is an endangered species. There
is quite a bit of finger pointing to go around. One of the culprits is the high
stakes testing programs that require teachers to spend a great deal of the
preparing students for the tests, primarily in language arts and mathematics.
That leaves history on the short end of the stick. Noted American historian
David McCullough lamented the growth of historical illiteracy among school
students and even college students. McCullough noted that students today do not
know basic facts about American history. His assessment strongly corroborates
the research that former Univ. of VA professor Hirsch discovered and wrote about
in his book Cultural Literacy.
One of the oft cited complaints is that history is boring as
students have been required to memorize a litany of dates and places with
little or no understanding of their context within the framework of the
American experience. According to McCullough as many as 80% of US colleges no
longer require history courses. In the bigger picture, He agrees with a number of
university officials that teachers should be required to obtain an academic
degree in the subject they are going to teach rather than a degree in
education. In other words content area trumps pedagogy in his view. He also believes
that the traditional “lead weight” textbooks have become obsolete.
Students need to be taught history in more engaging ways.
They need to realize that there is the history of art, of music, and of
literature. Educators need to heed this caveat.
If we do not teach about America’s history through its unique place on
the world stage, we are depriving our children of the legacy and heritage that
is needed if we are to continue that concept, that idea known as America.
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