When the Civil War is taught in many schools today, it is taught like most history lessons. Though many teachers attempt to bring history to life for their students, they run into challenges of figuring out new ways to present the information. When teaching recent history, it is easier because there are a lot of resources to choose from. With older history, there are not as many resources to choose from. There are a lot of iconic photographs of the Civil War but it is hard to bring the Civil War to life. This is where re-enactments come into the education landscape.
Re-enactments are great tools in the classroom. They help bring the history of the Civil War to life to the public today. Though they have limitations for teachers, there are alternatives that allow all schools to be able to incorporate re-enactments into their curriculum. No matter where the school is, the students are able to experience re-enactments, whether it be in the form of a field trip, a re-enactment group coming to the school or watching videos of re-enactments. Many re-enactment groups put on school events where they will put on a demonstration as well as set up camp in order to allow students to walk through and ask questions. Reynolds Battery does several school programs. One brings in multiple schools that are then able to experience what the life of a soldier was like in the Civil War as well as get to see the responsibilities and what the soldiers carried with them. The ability to experience re-enactments can be very influential to bringing to students. It can help tie all of the learned knowledge together with the sights, sounds and smells of the Civil War. One or the arguments against taking a field trip to see a re-enactment is that students will have to miss important times in class. There is a decision on if going to a re-enactment is as important as missing a day of school. This is a decision that every school must make for themselves.
Though field trips can be expensive and in some cases frowned upon by a schools policies, there are other ways to learn through re-enactments. There are many re-enactors that will volunteer to come to a school and bring a few of their belongings. These re-enactors will give talks and allow the students to ask them questions that can help to expand knowledge. By sharing stories and information about the item that the re-enactor brought, memories can be formed through interaction and the use of senses. Though these in-classroom talks don’t have the same effect as experiencing a full re-enactment, it is an easier way for students to still receive some interaction with the world of re-enactments and living history. In some cases the re-enactors will bring the re-enactments to a school. This allows the students to really be able to experience the Civil War and re-enactments with out having to take a field trip and miss a day of school.
In the world of education there are many different teaching tools. One style is non-linguistic representation. This means that the teacher is presenting information in images rather than words. Another is teaching though the use of cooperative learning. This is making students responsible for their own education through the creation of small groups. These groups are meant to be kept small in order to be more effective. Re-enactments can be used to help teach historical topics in order to reach students would learn better by seeing and experiencing the events. They bring history to life and allow students to interact with the past. These non-linguistic representations help students connect what they have learned in the classroom to what they see and experience with re-enactment. There are many ways to teach the Civil War and bring students closer to the history of the United States. Through cooperative learning, and non-linguistic representations, re-enactments can be used to reinforce what students have learned about the Civil War and bringing history to life.
If you are a teacher looking for information about scheduling a field trip or attending a school day event, I would recommend checking out
http://www.reynoldsbattery.org/school.html
Re-enactments are great tools in the classroom. They help bring the history of the Civil War to life to the public today. Though they have limitations for teachers, there are alternatives that allow all schools to be able to incorporate re-enactments into their curriculum. No matter where the school is, the students are able to experience re-enactments, whether it be in the form of a field trip, a re-enactment group coming to the school or watching videos of re-enactments. Many re-enactment groups put on school events where they will put on a demonstration as well as set up camp in order to allow students to walk through and ask questions. Reynolds Battery does several school programs. One brings in multiple schools that are then able to experience what the life of a soldier was like in the Civil War as well as get to see the responsibilities and what the soldiers carried with them. The ability to experience re-enactments can be very influential to bringing to students. It can help tie all of the learned knowledge together with the sights, sounds and smells of the Civil War. One or the arguments against taking a field trip to see a re-enactment is that students will have to miss important times in class. There is a decision on if going to a re-enactment is as important as missing a day of school. This is a decision that every school must make for themselves.
Though field trips can be expensive and in some cases frowned upon by a schools policies, there are other ways to learn through re-enactments. There are many re-enactors that will volunteer to come to a school and bring a few of their belongings. These re-enactors will give talks and allow the students to ask them questions that can help to expand knowledge. By sharing stories and information about the item that the re-enactor brought, memories can be formed through interaction and the use of senses. Though these in-classroom talks don’t have the same effect as experiencing a full re-enactment, it is an easier way for students to still receive some interaction with the world of re-enactments and living history. In some cases the re-enactors will bring the re-enactments to a school. This allows the students to really be able to experience the Civil War and re-enactments with out having to take a field trip and miss a day of school.
In the world of education there are many different teaching tools. One style is non-linguistic representation. This means that the teacher is presenting information in images rather than words. Another is teaching though the use of cooperative learning. This is making students responsible for their own education through the creation of small groups. These groups are meant to be kept small in order to be more effective. Re-enactments can be used to help teach historical topics in order to reach students would learn better by seeing and experiencing the events. They bring history to life and allow students to interact with the past. These non-linguistic representations help students connect what they have learned in the classroom to what they see and experience with re-enactment. There are many ways to teach the Civil War and bring students closer to the history of the United States. Through cooperative learning, and non-linguistic representations, re-enactments can be used to reinforce what students have learned about the Civil War and bringing history to life.
If you are a teacher looking for information about scheduling a field trip or attending a school day event, I would recommend checking out
http://www.reynoldsbattery.org/school.html