“I hated history in high school, but I loved your class!” Storytelling, the “Smart” Classroom, and Effective Teaching

Variations of the above quote appear every semester on course evaluations or in sentiments expressed directly to me by students.  That I receive such compliments continues to surprise me, as I do not consider myself much of an innovator in the classroom.  Indeed, though I use technology to enhance my presentations, I consider myself a throw-back, a “lecturer” who has been labeled as “boring” by some students.  In analyzing why lecturing continues to work for me, I have come to several conclusions.  First and foremost, my lectures do not necessarily emphasize factual details, but rather a story or connected web of stories.  Second, I do not gloss over historical controversies and conflicts, quite the opposite, and I unabashedly state my informed opinion.  Third, I try to humanize the past and make it inclusive: I describe historical figures as real people, not monuments on pedestals, and I often emphasize groups or individuals marginalized by traditional narratives.  Fourth, I try to engage students’ imaginations, challenging them to think about what they would have done in a given historical situation, how they would have felt, etc.  Fifth, I routinely incorporate available classroom technology into my presentations, not just as supplemental material but as an integral part of how I tell a given story.  Though my style and methodology may not work for everyone, student and peer feedback has confirmed my effectiveness as a teacher.