How to teach progress and history in a compelling way
Because kids do not have to hate history!
If you are a teacher or professor, please leave a comment on what you think. I am happy to update based on real classroom experience.
You can read more on Progress Studies in the following posts:
Teachers often ask me how they can take my theories about Progress and integrate them with the classroom instruction. Having taught at the university level for years, I am well aware of the challenges of keeping children interested and learning.
At first glance, it may seem that the concept of Progress is too complicated to teach in K-12, but I disagree. I think it just takes more thought in how to present the content.
I know that I have had no problem teaching many of the concepts to my now 12-year-old son. He was well acquainted with all the concepts by age 10.
I see no reason why the concept cannot be taught in middle school and high school. It can also easily be integrated into your existing curriculum.
This is how I would do it:
Start by picking a year in the past that you think your students may be interested in. Perhaps it is one that you are required to cover in the curriculum.
Then compare the daily life and technology used by ordinary people during the period. Here are a few metrics (bottom of the linked page) that will help you think of a compelling comparison.
Then ask “How did we get from this world of poverty to our world of prosperity?” They probably will not be able to answer (most adults can’t!), but it will make them interested.
Prompt them with a follow-up question “What do you think your ancestors spent more of their waking hours doing?” A: Getting enough food to eat.
Then ask “Why do you think food is so important?”
Explain to them the importance of food and energy.
Explain to them the concept of biomes with pictures of each biome. You can also show the map on the linked page. The concept of “biome” is already widely used in video games, so many boys will get it immediately.
Show the students photos of each biome. You can use the ones on this site or find your own.
Then ask the children, “What kind of food do you think that you can find if you were alone and lost in this biome?”
Then say “Did you know that entire groups of people survived and thrived in those areas for hundreds of thousands of years without any modern technologies?”
Introduce them to Hunter-Gatherer societies. Explain how they acquired enough food to eat.
Show the students photos or drawings of various Hunter-Gatherer tribes in various biomes.
Then ask the children, “What tools do you think Hunter-Gatherers used to get their food?”
Show them the following graphic (see below) and gradually follow the arrows between society types. For younger students, you do not even have to use the term “society type.”
For each society type, show photos of different societies that fit the category. Again you can use photos from my site or find your own.
Then ask:
What biomes did these people live in?
What technologies did they invent to eat and survive?
What other technologies did they invent to make their life better?
Were regular people during this time rich or poor compared to the people of today?
What do you think happened when they met peoples with less technology? (this question might not be appropriate for younger children)
When you reach Commercial societies, explain the concept of “Progress” and why it benefits poor people.
Explain the Industrial Revolution, and how fossil fuels were used as the main energy source.
Explain how our society today is different from all others that came before it.
Ask them: “So are we better off today than our ancestors were?” A: Yes
Ask them: “Why?” A: Because our ancestors worked hard, invented new technologies, learned how to use them, and worked together to solve their common problems.
Ask them: “So what do you say to people who have helped you?” A: Thank you.
Ask them: “What can we learn from our ancestors on how we can make our lives better today?” A: invent new technologies, learn how to use them, and work together to solve our common problems.
Ask them: “What kind of jobs do that?” A: All of them, although entrepreneurs and engineers do it most.
Ask them: “So who wants to get a high-paying job that helps everyone when they are an adult?”
You could cover all of the above in entire class periods, or you could break each step up into separate chunks that are covered on different days. You can further integrate their learning into your curriculum by always asking students which society type the specific society that you are studying is part of. You can follow up with “So what does that tell us as to how they got their food?”
If you are a teacher or professor, please leave a comment on what you think. I am happy to update based on real classroom experience.
You can read more on Progress Studies in the following posts: