Reading and History

As a history teacher, I see reading as an intrinsic skill for any student. So much of what we do as historians is linked to the reading of sources. 

Literary sources need to be read in order to explore their content and theme before engaging with critical analysis. My concern is that students are becoming numb to the importance of reading. With so much visual stimulation available to a student, are they at risk of seeing reading as optional?

I therefore ask the question to teachers, how do you engage your students with reading? How do you frame the role of reading in  your classroom with disengaged teenagers? I am hearing the term “flipped” classroom discussed a lot at the moment. In reflecting on my teaching practices, maybe I need to be designing classroom practices that require reading in a different context to allow for more discussion/analysis in the classroom. Often when reading takes place in the classroom, the discussion/analysis process is limited to the end of the period and not completed.

I believe that the reading of literary sources is crucial for any historian. I acknowledge that visual sources are also key, however, literary engagement is of primary importance. Maybe there is a way in which reading historical sources can be engaged with through Web 2.0 technology.

I don’t necessarilly have the answers yet, rather I wish to document my thoughts on this topic.

Please feel free to leave any feedback.

Image accessed from:

http://www.shortfacts.com/2013/03/10/top-5-benefits-of-reading/