Historical Foundations of Teaching

 Just as we learn about some of history’s most horrific wars to ensure that history does not repeat itself, it is important that we are familiar with educational framework and teaching methods were done in the past to ensure we do not return to poor practices, or we ensure that good practices stay in current. As Theodore Christou mentions in his article Reflecting from the Margins of Education Faculties, “Educational history is … a broad testament to how much, and how dramatically, practices and policies in pedagogy change.” (Christou, 51) It is important to be familiar in how things have changed in teaching as it can “deepens understanding by deepening our knowledge of what has been” (Broom) which is important to be familiar with to conceptualise why certain practices are obsolete and why some have proven to still be effective and relative today. Further emphasis of this can be seen in the way “history of education liberates us educationists from assuming that the educational institutions and aims with which we operate are the only, or best, ways of educating.” (Christou, 51) It inspires innovation and creativity in the way we do things, it reminds us that common practices now, are not always how they have been, and are not always how they need to be – prompting innovation for improvement. (Christou, 51)

 

Broom mentions in her article History from a Philosophic Perspective that the way history was being taught, was not generating students who were “taught to think, to question, to see in a new light … if we do not have our students reflect on what has been.” (Broom) This brings into question the quality of the teaching and learning that is occurring in the classroom. Producing students who are proficient in “memorizing materials documented in foundations textbooks” (Christou, 53) is not neutering minds to crave knowledge. Similarly, Christou touches on the “involvement of government and the Ontario College of Teachers in the certification and regulation of education faculties in an emphasis upon standardization and control of what subject’s teacher candidates will study” (52) limits the opportunity for creativity and innovation in how teacher candidates are learning to teach the future generations.

 

Without the opportunity to study the evolution of teaching, we are hindering the expansion of the field itself. If we do now know the “educational history {that} demonstrates that pedagogical change may not be linear and progressive” (Christou, 52) we are missing out on potential innovation brought on by learning about past methods of teaching. We tend to learn from our mistakes and by analyzing the history of teaching, we can determine “whether the changes occurring in a society are indeed progress, or improvement.” (Broom) Which further inspires the creativity needed to be innovated in the field.

 

The history of education is vital to the deeper understanding of teaching and learning. It shows the evolution of pedagogy and curriculum, it shows the change in priorities in our society through what was taught and how. We can see this shift in the methods that are being utilized today. Outdoor learning practices that we use today can be directly connected to methods of outdoor learning that were used in the 1920s. With out educational historical studies, we would not know this or know what they did that worked and what did not. History is an irreplicable resource in teaching., learning and innovation.

 

 

References

 

Christou, Theodore Michael. “Reflecting from the margins of education faculties: Refiguring the humanist, and finding a space for story in history.” Brock Education Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, 1 July 2010, pp. 49–63, https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v20i1.145.

Broom, Catherine. “History from a Philosophic Perspective” Canadian Social Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, Fall 2008