History lessons are very important for fostering critical thinking. Contrary to what many people think, a history tutor does not teach you to memorise dates or data. You learn to:
- Research themes, ideas and important people in history;
- Study historical periods by researching in libraries, archives and online;
- Analyse different sources of data;
- Understand the timeline of history, cause and consequence of events;
- Organise ideas to solve problems and develop feasible theories;
- Write clear and effective analytical historical documents, such as case studies;
- Present your ideas.
Why study history?
History lessons make pupils aware of change over time. Historians and history tutors are experts in studying the transformation of different civilisations and their effects over time. To do this, they use analytical methods that can answer questions about the mysteries of the past.
Understanding history is an experience for those who are curious about how their ancestors lived: their ideas, institutions and cultural practices and how they changed over time. You will learn all this from a good history tutor, who will teach you to understand how people migrated from one place to another and their struggles.
To do this, a historian uses a variety of sources to provide possible accounts of ancient peoples. And you may have heard from your history tutor that understanding the past helps us predict the future. That's because, by understanding the dilemmas of other eras, we can see the dynamics that shaped societies and understand how they can be applied today. Learn about the benefits of studying history:
Tools for solving social problems
In your private history lessons you will learn to interpret the causes of the world we live in today. The past teaches you about the present, and social problems such as poverty, wars and racism began in the past. So, by understanding the bigger picture, history helps you to solve today's problems.
Studying history helps build empathy
By understanding a great diversity of people, cultures and life possibilities, people become more accepting of differences. In addition, history lessons also help us to see the positive aspects of cultures that have already died out and to recognise our past mistakes.
The story of others can be your story
One of the easiest ways to learn history is to personalise the facts. For example, you may have a great-grandparent who was born in another country and was an immigrant, and from this you can understand the reasons for their origins. Another example is if an ancestor suffered the effects of a war. A history tutor is able to bring history into everyday reality and connect this to other people's experiences.
Encouraging curiosity
Like solving a puzzle, researching the past is about gathering clues to reach a conclusion. Gather documents, artefacts and other sources to tell a story about an initial topic. History classes can be very interesting.
What are the career opportunities in history?
What you learn in history lessons can lead to many different jobs. As well as being a historian or history tutor, you will develop skills that will help you in many areas: critical thinking, writing, research, understanding the cause of issues and cultural and social differences. You can use your knowledge of history as a springboard for many careers:
- Working in museums, libraries, archives or other research centres;
- Joining international cooperation services or associations dealing with social integration;
- Political office: Figures such as Teddy Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy went on to become US presidents. Other historians have served and continue to serve in Congress and in state and local governments.
- Positions in universities and companies: Those who want to study history can also manage schools and educational establishments, and sit on the boards of large companies.
Benefits of history lessons for children
A history tutor has the task of delighting their students and getting them interested in the subject. This task is not always easy, because many do not see the purpose of learning history. However, despite what some may say, there are many benefits to learning history.
The main one is to encourage critical thinking. In addition, history lessons for children make them interested in their roots and what happened before they were born. It may not seem like much, but it has a direct influence on their lives: they need to know about the sacrifices and pains of other generations in order to appreciate their current experiences.
How to teach history to my child
To help your child with history lessons, you need teaching methods that include dynamic and fun activities. You need to introduce interactive games to aid learning. Here are some more tips on how to make history tutoring a success:
- Start by telling your child a curious fact about something in their everyday life, so that you can capture their attention and make them want to learn history;
- Use a blackboard to write a timeline and add important data to it. This visual resource is very important and is often used by history tutors.
- Introduce new information on the subject: films, music, relics, videos...
