Why Do Learners Hate Learning History?

In the world today, history teachers can unanimously agree that most students have a hard time learning history. Students will either portray this through the failing of history exams, not paying attention in the history class, not asking questions at all, not taking their assignments seriously and in extreme cases, hating you.

History is among the most informative, interesting, and engaging subjects there is today.

Why do most students have a hard time learning history?

According to a research conducted on why students have a hard time learning history, students gave the following reasons;

1. It is not practical.

Most history students say that History is not practical at all. Let’s face facts, yes, History is not as practical as Physics, Geography or Biology. In History, we deal with facts of events that occurred very many years ago or people who achieved various milestones centuries ago. There is nothing tangible to show your students actually to make the subject easily memorable.

Geography, Physics, or Biology involve the practical viewing or testing of facts. This makes them more memorable. In History, students complain that they have to perfect or enhance their ability to memorize to pass a History exam.

2. Most teaching methods are unfavorable.

History is deep. This explains the huge books used in History classes. This means that most of the time, the teacher will be in front of the students reading and dictating a lot of information without the use of visuals or audios to break the monotony. This results in boredom among students. Boredom is what drifts the attention of the students, meaning that they will capture very little information from the reading and dictating.

When students are left to read their notes and notebooks, they are forced to memorize a lot, since History involves names, dates, and events that happened many years ago. Remember, for a student to pass a History test, they have to quote dates, names, and events as told in the various History subject references.

3. The notion that History is not relevant.

Most students hold the belief that History will not help them in the future. This is not true at all. History subject was drafted to show us our origin. This is the subject that gives us the purpose to work for a better tomorrow. Furthermore, were it not for History we wouldn’t be here. It is through History that we get to respect and protect our heritage. We are the product of what happened centuries ago.

Moreover, when we study about events such as the World Wars that threatened the existence of our grandfathers, we get the motivation to champion for peace.

So, how do we improve the learning process of the History subject, just to make it exciting and a favorite among our students?

History is among the most interesting subjects, but only when the teacher finds the perfect teaching techniques to pass information to his/her students. Some of the suggestions to improve the learning process of this important subject include;

I. Learning should be student-centered.

When teaching the History subject, the teacher to pay close emphasis on the points of interest. As a teacher, you should make sure that every student is on-board, by helping them understand topics or subtopics that seem challenging. Remember that students have different absorption, reading, and retention abilities.

II. Use interactive teaching methods.

Dictating and reading huge books is what makes the subject hard for most students. Why not spice this up by adopting interactive teaching methods such as the use of documentaries, audios, or group discussions. These methods have been proved to help students retain information easily.

III. Discover the practical elements of History.

They say that History is not practical; why not discover activities such as visiting Museums where students get to interacts with some of the facts and get tutored by professionals with in-depth knowledge on the particular topics? The tour guides at the Museums may possess some crucial information that may make the subject more enjoyable.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, you may also look for reliable resource persons with extensive knowledge in some fields in History to take your class through on your behalf. This breaks the monotony.

Let’s try to gradually get our students to fall in love once more with the History subject!