Richard Miller, who taught in progressive NYC secondary schools for 28 years, talks about teaching students to think like historians, weighing different sources and drawing their conclusions from evidence. The past gives context to the present, and understanding historiography, or how history is interpreted over time, equips students to view current issues from multiple perspectives.
Overview
00:00-00:33 Intro
00:33-03:18 Why teach history?
03:20-06:04 What do you want students to know when they leave school?
06:04-10:42 Relationship between individual students’ understanding and society
10:42-13:39 How goals for the year affect design of units and activities
13:39-17:02 Advice to a new teacher on goal-setting
17:02-20:27 Historiography and its importance
20:27-22:23 “Hamilton”
22:23-23:24 Historical fiction and films, David Liss’s “The Whiskey Rebellion”
23:24-29:32 Teaching writing as an ethical obligation
29:32-33:17 Reading the NY Times front page
33:17-42:18 Assessment: test, quizzes, project-based assessments
42:18-43:00 Outro
Transcript
Click here to see the full transcription of the episode.
Credits
Painting “The Last Moments of John Brown” by Thomas Hovenden
Soundtrack by Podington Bear