Future Inquiries
My inquiry has in many ways validated the importance of historical empathy and imagination in my growing pedagogy as well as the significant role of simulation and role-play activities in my practical methods choices. Yet despite dedicating my student teaching experience to this analysis, I have yet to explore all of my queries into the subject. There are still aspects of the theoretical concepts of imagination and empathy that I have yet to explore. I also intend to expand my examination of simulation and role-play activities beyond the imagination and empathy concepts.
Before I expand my inquiry, however, I first need to explore a specific aspect of the concepts that I did not have a chance to address in my portfolio. As mentioned previously, I never concentrated my practice on examining one specific criteria of historical empathy, the ability to “distinguish between past perspectives and to shift from one another from a relatively detached point of view” [See Method of Analysis]. In the future, I would like to provide space in my classroom for students to be able to demonstrate this skill. Throughout my analyses, I establish concern for my inability to determine if a student’s adopted perspective blends too much with their own perspective. A meta-cognitive approach should be able to address this issue. In future role-play work, students should have the time evaluate their own role-adoption abilities and reflect on the distinction between perspectives.
For me, the clearest absence in my portfolio is the lack of exploration into gender, race and class in simulation and role-play activities. This omission is partially due to the ‘marathon-like’ nature of the world history curriculum. With so much to cover, my simulation and role-play activities largely focused on the themes of two units, philosophy and the impact of total war. Regardless, I should have made a larger effort to include the concepts of race, gender and class in my methods. For example, it would have been useful to explore the concept of adopting the perspectives of different genders. My role-play activities required my female students to adopt male roles. I would like to see if there would be a backlash to the opposite scenario. If so, a class could benefit from discussing what that backlash indicates about gender roles in our larger society. The Zinn Education Project has provided me with multiple resources for the future so I can explore this avenue of inquiry further in my teaching next year (http://zinnedproject.org).
Ultimately, my inquiry has led me to the conclusion that simulation and role-play activities should have a prominent role in the classroom. While I focused on historical imagination and empathy, I consistently found myself distracted from my initial inquiry to explore other possible benefits of such methods, including their ability to address multiple intelligences and their potential to encourage students to improve their basic reading and writing skills. Although it is not included in this portfolio, I also started to inquire into the use of simulation and role-play activities in my 12th grade government classes to determine if they have an impact on civic engagement.
In the end, however, teaching students to empathize and understand one another is a priority in my pedagogy. While historical empathy and imagination are theoretical concepts confined to the academic study of history, they could have a far larger impact on students who learn how to practice and master them. The greater possible implications of students applying empathetic and imaginative skills to the larger world outside the classroom drive my continued inquiry into this topic.
Before I expand my inquiry, however, I first need to explore a specific aspect of the concepts that I did not have a chance to address in my portfolio. As mentioned previously, I never concentrated my practice on examining one specific criteria of historical empathy, the ability to “distinguish between past perspectives and to shift from one another from a relatively detached point of view” [See Method of Analysis]. In the future, I would like to provide space in my classroom for students to be able to demonstrate this skill. Throughout my analyses, I establish concern for my inability to determine if a student’s adopted perspective blends too much with their own perspective. A meta-cognitive approach should be able to address this issue. In future role-play work, students should have the time evaluate their own role-adoption abilities and reflect on the distinction between perspectives.
For me, the clearest absence in my portfolio is the lack of exploration into gender, race and class in simulation and role-play activities. This omission is partially due to the ‘marathon-like’ nature of the world history curriculum. With so much to cover, my simulation and role-play activities largely focused on the themes of two units, philosophy and the impact of total war. Regardless, I should have made a larger effort to include the concepts of race, gender and class in my methods. For example, it would have been useful to explore the concept of adopting the perspectives of different genders. My role-play activities required my female students to adopt male roles. I would like to see if there would be a backlash to the opposite scenario. If so, a class could benefit from discussing what that backlash indicates about gender roles in our larger society. The Zinn Education Project has provided me with multiple resources for the future so I can explore this avenue of inquiry further in my teaching next year (http://zinnedproject.org).
Ultimately, my inquiry has led me to the conclusion that simulation and role-play activities should have a prominent role in the classroom. While I focused on historical imagination and empathy, I consistently found myself distracted from my initial inquiry to explore other possible benefits of such methods, including their ability to address multiple intelligences and their potential to encourage students to improve their basic reading and writing skills. Although it is not included in this portfolio, I also started to inquire into the use of simulation and role-play activities in my 12th grade government classes to determine if they have an impact on civic engagement.
In the end, however, teaching students to empathize and understand one another is a priority in my pedagogy. While historical empathy and imagination are theoretical concepts confined to the academic study of history, they could have a far larger impact on students who learn how to practice and master them. The greater possible implications of students applying empathetic and imaginative skills to the larger world outside the classroom drive my continued inquiry into this topic.