Treating Students as Equal Partners

What does it take to get a group of teenagers interested in history? 

(And is that even the right question to ask?) 

Steven Kreis, author of The History Guide, begins with this observation:

"Let's face it, our first experience with History is that it is a course that we have to take in order to graduate. As a junior and senior high school student we are confronted with American history, state history and perhaps even a general course in western civilization or world history. We didn't have a choice. And the fact that we are forced to take history puts us on the offensive. We begin to build that grandiose brick wall that will prevent us from getting anything important out of history." (Section 1.2, "Why Study History?")

As a student, I never liked teachers who talked down to me, as if my youth and inexperience somehow made me stupid or insignificant. It often seemed as if they had no idea what was going on in my head. Assumptions were made about what I "needed" to know and what the teacher would teach, regardless of what I already knew or wanted to learn more about. So little was within my control when I was in school—to do the homework or not, to raise my hand in class or not. Not surprisingly, even the most erudite lectures lost their appeal when I was compelled to attend, forced to endure long-winded orations that seemed irrelevant to my own life. Aside from my desire to receive high marks in the class, what reason did I have to pay attention? 


I don't think much has changed over the years. Students are still sitting in classrooms, listening to teachers telling them what they need to know. It all seems so backwards to me. Shouldn't we start with what the students are interested in learning and go from there?

For the past four years, I've been experimenting with a different approach, and I'm happy to report that it seems to be working well. The class is very small, and my students are homeschooled, which means I have much more freedom than I would in a formal school setting. Every fall, I meet with the students and their parents so we can plan the scope and major themes for the course. I ask the students what they are most interested in, what they'd like to learn about, and what type of class format would appeal to them. We build on common interests and decide how to handle differences. Once the class starts, I encourage the kids to delve into topics of their own choosing in more detail. Periodically, I ask them to give me feedback on what is and isn't working for them. 

This year, the course is Early Modern European history ("The Real Wealth of Nations"). From the very start, I made it clear that I would not be giving long lectures or frequent tests. Instead, I promised them I would work hard to find excellent materials—good books and articles to read, interesting websites, relevant videos—and thought-provoking questions for our discussions. The rest is up to the students, who happen to have a diverse set of interests (for example, there's one student who is passionate about the history of art and science, another who loves debating political and economic theories, and another who is fascinated by literature and biographies). We started with what seemed like irreconcilable differences and found our way to common ground.

The success of the class depends largely on how committed the kids are to making it work. Overall, the students work hard. They do the recommended readings, work independently to research topics (related to a predetermined theme but tailored to their own interests), and participate enthusiastically in debates, role-playing exercises, and group discussions. The quality of their work generally ranges from very good to excellent. (One year, we had a student who showed up for class week after week without having done any serious studying. She wasn't able to add much to the discussions, and her lack of effort was frustrating to the other students, especially when she was needed as a debate partner. Luckily, this was not a compulsory attendance situation, so she was able to withdraw from the class and pursue a different approach to studying history.)

What has impressed me the most is the way in which the students have taken responsibility for their own education. They are not dependent on me to continue their learning once the class ends. I don't have to come up with any tricks to get them interested in history, because they have the ability to pick and choose what they will study based on their own interests. And, as historian Peter N. Stearns writes in his own response to the question, "Why Study History?"

"Some history depends on personal taste, where one finds beauty, the joy of discovery, or intellectual challenge. Between the inescapable minimum and the pleasure of deep commitment comes the history that, through cumulative skill in interpreting the unfolding human record, provides a real grasp of how the world works."

I believe that by treating students as equal partners and giving them opportunities to influence the direction of their own education, we enable them to find real meaning in their studies.