Do We Have to Go Back to Move Forward? (Teaching Styles)
Fellow history teachers, I’m 40. Been teaching 8th grade US History for 15 years. Primarily 1600-1900.
This last decade has been driven by inquiry-based learning, 1:1 tech, accommodating and trying different “learning styles,” and efforts to reach small attention spans with snippets of engagement and “interactivity.”
Ten years ago? I loved it. I thought this was the way. Sure, you could still have your moments to lecture with kids taking notes, but this made up 10-20% of my class lessons.
The last several years I’ve felt the burnout. It takes so much more effort and energy to control behaviors and structure a week of lessons that will keep them engaged fully. The tech is better than ever, but it’s killing so much of what our kids actually need in school — focus, attention, and just general awe in having a good teacher deliver information while they listen, take notes, and test to show their knowledge like “the good ole days.”
Next year I’ve considered upping my “lecture and notes” to 80% instead of 10-20%. My teaching style is energetic with the rizz. The kids enjoy me. I enjoy them.
I’d certainly still follow the standards. I have a great admin team who would be cool with it as well.
Basically I want reading, notes, lecture, quizzes, energy, and engagement.
So I have two questions.
First, what are your thoughts about teaching history going back to more of this style?
Second, with AI still being useful yet flawed, have any of you found an efficient way to build lectured slides that can also transfer well to notes and future quizzes/tests?