Past, Present, Future
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Past, Present, Future
History
can also be taught from three perspectives; the past, the present and the
future. Most often textbooks take a
“presentist” view of the past, which means that they are only interested in the
past insofar as it helps explain our present situation. The major problem with
this approach is that it tends to lead to the causation paradigm, which was
criticized above. Another problem with
this approach is that it encourages us to judge the past with the values of the
present. Newton provides a good example
of this. In a textbook he is simply a scientist, while in actuality he was also
an alchemist and deeply religious thinker.
Also, there are other important reasons for studying history besides
just seeking to understand how we got to where we are. If we wish to teach skills such as empathy
and cross-cultural understanding, it pays to teach history from the perspective
of the past. This means asking students
to step into the shoes of people in the past and try to imagine what life was
like. This perspective is really the
only way to emphasize choice and agency in history, but one must read carefully
and avoid the pitfall of justifying immoral acts.
Additionally,
the study of history is useful for helping to predict and influence the
future. As Lamartine said, “history
teaches everything, including the future.”
From this perspective history is useful because it provides a examples
that can guide future behavior and inform predications. The Industrial Revolution unit as conceived
above is built on a mixture of all three approaches. Students are encouraged to step back into
time through creative writing prompts, especially those dealing with imagining
the pain and anguish of people facing tough choices. The unit also seeks to explain how the world
came to be so economically disparate, while also encouraging students to use
the ideas of the time period to approach problems of the future such as income
inequality, social security, and population control.