Making Every History Lecture Engaging | Teachinghistory.org

Abstract:

The lecture has fallen on difficult times . . . it relies too heavily on auditory input and makes students passive as opposed to active learners. —Silver, Strong, and Perini.

As history teachers we may often use the lecture format, and perhaps many of us had our first excitement about history ignited by an incredible lecture that sparked our interest in the past, but students learn best if they are actively processing what they are hearing.

Mike Yell introduces the Discrepant Event Inquiry model and the Media Hook as ways to open a lecture and immediately engage students in an interactive encounter with history. He then provides several strategies to ensure that the lecture is not a passive experience for students.

Subject:

Humanities, Social Sciences

Grade Level:

Post-secondary

Collection:

Center for History and New Media