Arg. I missed today's book club (my day was thrown off when I found a sweet lost dog standing in the middle of a country road this morning ... and my day went sideways after that...). I know, sounds like the set up for a country song (and I love country music!)
Anyhow, I was really looking forward to this discussion because I wanted to pose a question/get feedback on a specific topics, so I'll throw it out here since I missed the real time option....
Several years ago my favorite librarian at our public library introduced me to the concept that there are different types of readers (character, plot, and I think the 3rd she mentioned was genre, but I could be wrong here) and she said that if you know what type of reader a reader is, it's far easier for someone to make recommendations because you know what the hook is for them. (Not all Harry Potter fans are alike!)
Anyhow, I was reflecting the other day about how growing up and all the way through college, history was by far my least favorite class. I did just fine in the class, but it was more just something I took because I had to (I satisfied the absolute minimum history requirement in high school and didn't take a single history class in college.). Fast forward to today and 90% of the books I read for pleasure could be classified as history books and I LOVE history.
I am now homeschooling a middle schooler who has expressed zero interest in history and I got to wondering, perhaps are there different ways learners engage with history (like the different types of readers) and that maybe with this knowledge we might approach teaching history differently with different types of learners? My working hypothesis is that there are different types of meaning people can find in history. But I'm not sure what those categories might be? Thoughts?
Turns out you didn’t miss it — we ended up rescheduling it for May the Fourth! (Same time — take a look at the edited post… but not this post, the next one.)
This appeals to me in part because we already have a robust routine of visiting the same nature spots over and over. And because I've always struggled to hold the changes that have happened to the whole planet throughout big history in my mind; starting by understanding it locally seems simpler!
The spot I'm leaning towards is not the best bike ride due to traffic, but is a very short drive. Realistically we could easily go there once or twice a month. It's been a pear orchard and a golf course and for the past few decades it's been a natural area with efforts to restore habitats. The volunteers are helpful and enthusiastic. The space is small enough that my kids know it (somatically?) very well already, but it's larger and more wild than anything closer. Alternatively we could stick with a place we could walk or bike to, but that's city parks or a gravel path along a flood prevention channel. Or, we could go to a county park that is awesome, but probably a once a month destination if that. Decisions decisions.
Brandon, how do we sign up for Saturday's book club? This discussion is very timely for me, because I've just started thinking ahead to homeschooling next year and am investigating intentional ways for us to approach history that my history-phobic kid might find more engaging and valuable.
Arg. I missed today's book club (my day was thrown off when I found a sweet lost dog standing in the middle of a country road this morning ... and my day went sideways after that...). I know, sounds like the set up for a country song (and I love country music!)
Anyhow, I was really looking forward to this discussion because I wanted to pose a question/get feedback on a specific topics, so I'll throw it out here since I missed the real time option....
Several years ago my favorite librarian at our public library introduced me to the concept that there are different types of readers (character, plot, and I think the 3rd she mentioned was genre, but I could be wrong here) and she said that if you know what type of reader a reader is, it's far easier for someone to make recommendations because you know what the hook is for them. (Not all Harry Potter fans are alike!)
Anyhow, I was reflecting the other day about how growing up and all the way through college, history was by far my least favorite class. I did just fine in the class, but it was more just something I took because I had to (I satisfied the absolute minimum history requirement in high school and didn't take a single history class in college.). Fast forward to today and 90% of the books I read for pleasure could be classified as history books and I LOVE history.
I am now homeschooling a middle schooler who has expressed zero interest in history and I got to wondering, perhaps are there different ways learners engage with history (like the different types of readers) and that maybe with this knowledge we might approach teaching history differently with different types of learners? My working hypothesis is that there are different types of meaning people can find in history. But I'm not sure what those categories might be? Thoughts?
Turns out you didn’t miss it — we ended up rescheduling it for May the Fourth! (Same time — take a look at the edited post… but not this post, the next one.)
This appeals to me in part because we already have a robust routine of visiting the same nature spots over and over. And because I've always struggled to hold the changes that have happened to the whole planet throughout big history in my mind; starting by understanding it locally seems simpler!
The spot I'm leaning towards is not the best bike ride due to traffic, but is a very short drive. Realistically we could easily go there once or twice a month. It's been a pear orchard and a golf course and for the past few decades it's been a natural area with efforts to restore habitats. The volunteers are helpful and enthusiastic. The space is small enough that my kids know it (somatically?) very well already, but it's larger and more wild than anything closer. Alternatively we could stick with a place we could walk or bike to, but that's city parks or a gravel path along a flood prevention channel. Or, we could go to a county park that is awesome, but probably a once a month destination if that. Decisions decisions.
Brandon, how do we sign up for Saturday's book club? This discussion is very timely for me, because I've just started thinking ahead to homeschooling next year and am investigating intentional ways for us to approach history that my history-phobic kid might find more engaging and valuable.
I’ll post the link (for paid subscribers only) on Saturday, an hour or two before the event.