I took 2 big ideas away from class this week, first one is never take a source at face value. Just because it is a primary source, it does not mean it is accurate. I would never, ever, have second-guessed a primary source, so this has been very eye-opening. I wonder as a teacher can we say this to our students? I feel like this puts teaching history in a whole new perspective, and I am excited to explore along with my students!
Second, is to always consider the historical context when analyzing a primary source. Always consider the why, how, where, and who, along with the time period and other social and political elements. If we did this with everything we heard, read and saw, I bet we would have a whole new perspective on a range of topics.
Kelly, your big takeaways regarding primary sources and historical context were ideas we had hoped you would glean. I wonder though, what were some of the specifics that occurred to lead you to these takeaways? Was there a specific part of the lesson that made you shake your head saying to yourself, “Wow!”
One comment you made, ” I wonder as a teacher can we say this to our students? ” I would like to respond to. The great thing is that you do not need to say anything to your students. As a teacher it is your responsibility to facilitate a lesson where students come to recognize or discover things on their own. By talking it out with classmates and clarifications made by the teacher students can come to their own realizations about history and the learning process. What you experienced in class was a deliberately planned process on the part of Dr. Stohr and I to help you all see how teachers can be a facilitator of learning and not always one to just disseminate knowledge.