How do you learn about a historical event if you have never been to its location? If you have never held an object from the time period? Have no personal connection with the past? The idea of abstractiveness and cognitive capacity is a well known topic in educational classes, as all educators learn about Piaget’s theories. My experience with historical teaching shows that Washington’s ride across the Delaware can be as ambiguous as the rings on Saturn. In order to make topics more concrete for students, it is important to immerse them in the experience as much as resources and ability allow. How do we accomplish this? Fortunately, experiences through KEDC Grants have given me opportunities to take this approach. Whether students visit a simulated crime scene, archaeological site, don wigs, or borrow traveling trunks, bringing history alive is worth it, not only for the enjoyment, but for the way it transforms history from an abstract idea into something students can see, touch, and grasp.
Brandy Beam
Woodlawn Elementary
Boyle County Schools
5th Grade
