Curious Mammal

First check out this video on the Kindle 2 to get an idea for what it is capable of: Now I know most people aren't too hot on the idea of giving up on their books for an electronic book, but lets consider a couple of things. As an educator I am well aware of the disconnect between the classroom and the world outside. Not only are our social structures outdated but they are woefully under prepared to meet the needs of a dynamic student body. I remember once watching a video on the French Revolution with a class and watched as they and I both lamented at the prospect of watching a video for 45 minutes with information that they could just have easily accessed on the internet and in a fraction of the time. Our schools need to reflect the changing world around us. With the advent of technology we can imagine a classroom that includes students connecting to different sources of information instantly, posing and answering questions immediately, cross-checking different sources wire...

This post was originally going to touch on the differences between Teaching History vs. Practicing History. But as I began writing I realized that there is very little to distinguish between the two as both require the elements below to be considered good History. Teaching History only differs in that the Professor is not employing literary skill but, and perhaps more difficult, verbal and organizational skill. Adding this social element to presenting History in an interesting manner while maintaining the interest of your student body is a worthy subject for another post, especially in light of our present battle with shortened attention spans and a spectacular media. The art of teaching History is one that needs to treat the subject with reverence and caution in light of overstatement of truth and boring students to death with seemingly useless facts. In light of the social aspect of History a teacher must accentuate the lessons of History, adding insight and relevance, while cautioni...

The theory that is involved in science and history is not the type where they are set in stone, but rather that which are open to refutation, verifica tion, and modification. All hypotheses are subject to revision in light of this thinking. The question whether History can be considered akin to science as a legitimate pursuit of knowledge must be addressed in order to truly understand the discipline of history, its methods, flaws, and complexities. This five part blog will focus on the issues surrounding this discussion. 2. History has no lessons The argument that History can provide no verifiable lessons or generalizations about the world has been the cornerstone of any argument in favor of denouncing History as a scientific discipline. Of course, it is correct that History and the humble historian cannot predict the future. We do not know when the next revolution will occur. We do not know when the financial collapse will hit rock bottom. This realization does not, however, st...

One: The Scientific This aspect deals with the collecting and weighing of facts. We are talking about what happened in an individual manner. This is the necessary function of History. Without this we are shooting in the dark. Though the historian chooses the facts, interprets the stories, and comes to a conclusion based on comparative and regressive methods, one can be assured, to a high degree, that these chosen facts and events are valid. Two: The Speculative It is impossible not to separate things when discussing matters of the world and material universe. In doing so we create a cosmos that is intelligible to us. History is no different. Upon creating the framework of a history one differentiates and classifies certain aspects of the world (i.e. classes, nations, time periods, revolutions, political movements, land masses, elements, etc). These constructs help us navigate and come to a greater understanding of the world around us. Just as words help us explain the greater tru...

Historiography, or the history of History and it methods, is an essential piece of a great puzzle. If one is to take a page from the relativists notebook, History is an ever changing animal, one that is not objective but subjective to both the historian and the present. Given this point of view, the student of History must understand their particular point in time. Historiography is the light that illuminates this aspect of the art. In a more direct matter, students can learn that the fact that they are even privy to History as a subject matter has not always been the case in history. History, for the better part of its existence was a grooming tool for kings, politicians, and despots. It never penetrated through the walls of governance to the masses. More so, its subject matter reflected the patrons it serviced and dealt mainly with political and constitutional maneuverings. Only after the Enlightenment and "Age of Reason" did the laymen become interested in historical stu...