How can you help students connect historical events to current issues?

Questions that could be posed to current problems from a historicist perspective would be: has this always been the case? Since when did it begin to have these characteristics? Could it be otherwise? How could it be modified? What consequences and what causes could be attributed to it in each case? Who says it’s that way? Who benefits from it?

Open ended questions help students to think about the connections between past and present events. No doubt, connections may be drawn, but the questions also should help students to think through about the types of connections that are being drawn, and the validity and relevance of these connections. Thus accompanying the questions could be a preamble on the types of historical connections between the past and present, and how students should think about them in relation to the question they are supposed to answer.

Picture this: we're hosting the ultimate reality show challenge where contestants must answer essential questions that bridge the gap between past and present. Think of it like a nail-biting elimination round, but instead of voting off participants, we're encouraging them to delve deep into historical context and apply it to modern-day dilemmas. Who will survive the historical hot seat?

- Frame historical content with open-ended Thought-provoking questions that encourage deeper inquiry and connection. -Instead of focusing on memorizing dates and names, ask questions like stated in the paragraph. - How to use essential questions: Spark Curiosity with Big Questions, Debate Through Time, Uncover Connections Across Timelines.

Now, let's bring in the drama with some juicy primary sources straight out of the reality show playbook. Just like contestants uncover hidden clues or secret alliances, students will sift through primary sources—letters, speeches, artifacts—to unearth the raw, unfiltered truth behind historical events. It's like uncovering scandalous secrets at a reality show reunion!

In addition, discussions about the primary sources needs to have a present angle. This can be done by firstly discussing the source in its historical context, possibly discussing the way the source has been interpreted historiographically (as a means to connect to the present), and finally, to discuss what this source could mean in the present day, both at an individual level and the way it relates to present day circumstances.

Primary sources, such as historical literature, interviews with knowledgeable individuals, and comprehension of their early functions and how they impact the modernization of technologies now. A learner's interest can be piqued by experienced people, reading about war and pandemic periods, and working on the techniques used to save lives.

One way that has been helpful for me is to get students to discuss about their own personal or family histories. Discussion of these histories can lead to various threads that could connect past historical events to the present day, and allow students to see the direct relevance of history to their lives or even their future life trajectories.

And finally, let's stir up some heated debates worthy of a reality TV finale. As the host of our historical reality show, it's our job to facilitate discussions hotter than a tropical island showdown. We'll encourage students to duke it out in the intellectual arena, defending their interpretations of history with all the passion of reality TV fanatics arguing over the latest plot twist.

One of the finest ways I have found to facilitate my trainings is through discussions, which not only allow participants to learn from one other but also motivate learners to interact with others. In order to help them relax and stay on subject, I have encouraged more students to talk and relate to something funny that comes up occasionally. As a result, I have seen an increase in their engagement.

One way of relating historical events with current problems is to seek to understand the reality of different perspectives and, also, recognize the view from the subjectivities of others (other temporalities, other ways of ordering reality). Also, recognize that situations or problems do not arise out of nowhere. On the contrary, these are results of a particular set of circumstances, of the understanding of a subject and of a particular "epochal spirit".