Greg Ulmer states that,“…from about age five in school one formally enters literacy, learning the attitudes and some of the methods of science” I believe my schooling has affected my identity and learning style by failing to spark interest in either history or science subjects. Even though I realize that both of subjects are very important and can be exciting, due to the way these subjects are taught, I never gained interest in them.
In my school system history and science were always taught straight out of a textbook. On the other hand math and reading gave me a sense of accomplishment by solving a problem or interpreting literature. Whereas history or science was always just a regurgitation of facts, there was nothing to discover or interpret. Of course this is not true by any means; if I flipped to the History Channel or the Discovery Channel, science and history suddenly becomes relatable and INTERESTING! But that’s not how my school discourse presented either.
In my school system history and science were always taught straight out of a textbook. On the other hand math and reading gave me a sense of accomplishment by solving a problem or interpreting literature. Whereas history or science was always just a regurgitation of facts, there was nothing to discover or interpret. Of course this is not true by any means; if I flipped to the History Channel or the Discovery Channel, science and history suddenly becomes relatable and INTERESTING! But that’s not how my school discourse presented either.
Textbook teaching is a lazy teaching style; students learn less this way because they are not engaged. The only time I was interested in either subject was when we did more specialized topics or readings, such as in middle school, where my science teacher taught a whole unit on the physics behind roller coasters. We then created model roller coasters, produced an advertisement and jingle, and finally went on a tour of Islands of Adventure. This of course made science more enjoyable.
I remember in the seventh grade when my English teacher assigned us a project to create a Holocaust history scrapbook. Conducting research and looking through all the pictures made the subject so much more engaging. Looking at pictures on the internet that were not included in our text book brought about a realization of the brutality of the concentration camps during the Holocaust. Susan Sontag suggested this idea of picturing the other. By seeing photographic evidence of the incident it made it so much more real, regardless of distortions that may be present. Now years later I can still recall those pictures. Sontag explains this concept saying “"people remember through photographs but that they remember only the photographs, .... that the photographic image eclipses other forms of understanding--and remembering. .... To remember is, more and more, not to recall a story but to be able to call up a picture.” If more of my teachers would have approached teaching like this I might have developed more of a passion towards history and science. Buzzle.com also suggest strategies such as this as the most effective method of teaching such as: brainstorming, show and tell, practical examples, open ended questions, and case studies)
Susan Sontag
The school discourse system has shaped my learning preferences, and in turn, my identity. I am more interested now in subjects such as economics, math, English, and business. I now dread taking any classes dealing with history or science because of my weak background, which is a shame since both of these subjects are vital to a general educational background.
