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Post by legionnaire on Mar 24, 2012 21:41:55 GMT -5
www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_781491.htmlSecondary school teacher makes history come alive through use of roleplay and interactive lessonsBy Amelia Tan Hui Fang Like a time-machine traveller, the World War II Japanese soldier burst into the classroom. That dramatic entrance gave goosebumps to some of the 40 seated Secondary 2 students, even though they knew the sword-wielding Japanese sergeant was their history teacher, Mr Malcolm Tan. No sir, it was not going to be another typical history lesson about the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945. 'Today, you will learn about our way of life,' Mr Tan intoned, as his spiel began. BACKGROUND STORY His goal 'My aim is to open the doors of the mind - to make history not boring, but alive and relevant.'
Teacher MALCOLM TANThe result 'I never had a history teacher like him before; he gave us confidence to study history and we were encouraged to learn more.' TNG SHU HUI, 15, who failed history in Secondary 1 but got a B in Secondary 2 last year after she was taught by Mr Tan A laptop's speakers blared out the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo, and the students had to bow and shout 'Banzai!' (the equivalent of 'Long live the Emperor!').
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Post by labrador on Mar 24, 2012 21:47:28 GMT -5
did he behead any students for lack of respect? that would have really drilled the lesson home. Actually, i'd love to do this in our local classrooms.
in my high school the guy would have been laughed at. but kudos to him, we really should try this locally.
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Post by dainipponrikugun79 on Mar 26, 2012 3:52:45 GMT -5
this is what we call interactive history subject. i think sir macky hosalla already doing the thing but instead of him he let the students wear the uniforms of the revolucionarios.
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Post by chrisschaefer on Mar 27, 2012 11:04:00 GMT -5
Great idea. It's hard to get teenage students interested in their history--but necessary. I hope it works--and he starts a trend among history teachers.
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Post by captain401st on Mar 28, 2012 10:09:13 GMT -5
I commend that teacher on bringing history to life. I also commend the look of interest and appearence of the students.
History needs to be brought to life. Since we are losing so many of the prior generations, it falls on us to carry on.
Cy 401st GIR Texas
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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 28, 2012 21:48:12 GMT -5
While I was a member of The English Civil War reenactment society (The Sealed Knot) I took several history classes while dressed as a Royalist soldier, and even ignited a small bit of black powder to demonstrate how much "fog" of war could be created by a thousand muskets discharging, while explaining what they saw was "A flash in the Pan". Most students thought it derived from a kitchen term for the fat catching fire in a pan. I addressed as much as possible in manner and speech of the 17th century. Laughing as thy did at my baggy breeches and stockings, i replied that to see young men wearing the waistband of their trousers around their buttocks would have caused more laughter in any other time in history! All the students valued the lessons and many were keen to see a living history event after that.
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Post by captain401st on Mar 29, 2012 9:34:03 GMT -5
Well said! I try to teach history through the perspective of "the era I am teaching about" vs how we look at things now. When we do an encampment for example, our "colored troops" have their own tent because in 1943, there was segragation. When we do displays, we try to explain that in WW II, there was no GPS, SATCOM, laser guidance or any of that rot. People look at us like we are talking about the stone age.
We do glider infantry. At the time, it was cutting edge. Now, it looks like we were one step away from kite flying. History is not just facts and dates, it is "human experience". To all of you who carry the hands on aspect of "living history" foreward, well done!
I would love to do glider operations for the Pacific as well.
Cy Capt., Inf 401st GIR Texas
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Post by frank on Apr 5, 2012 15:46:21 GMT -5
did he behead any students for lack of respect? that would have really drilled the lesson home. Actually, i'd love to do this in our local classrooms. in my high school the guy would have been laughed at. but kudos to him, we really should try this locally. Eh... I rolled a Japanese grenade into one of our english teacher's classes. (Dodie Dizon?) And ran in apologized for "accidentally" dropping it and picked it up and left. Since it did not look like an American "pineapple" it did not get any reaction. Today that would be expulsion and detention at Camp Crame at the least.
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Post by frank on Apr 5, 2012 15:51:10 GMT -5
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