DELA CERNA
The usefulness of history to values education is not a new discovery. Even before public education and official national histories developed, history was seen as one means of ennobling character.
In the 17th century France history, history was included in the education of the leadership class to provide moral examples. In the instruction of Greek, Roman, Florentine, Indian, Chinese and Japanese children of the ruling sector, role models included heroes and heroines from the past, including mythic forbears capable of great feats and outstanding nobleness of heart.
In the 19th century, history was taught at western universities as part of moral philosophy.
There are certain issues in historical presentation. One is the contrast between the old and new methods of presenting history that of battle-oriented history versus problem-oriented history.
Battle-oriented history emphasizes political and military events, while problem-oriented history expands coverage to include social and economic factors of a historical milieu as well as history from other disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, ethnology, economics and linguistics.
Battle-oriented history infuses national identity with courage and bravery. However, it may tend toward the implicit glorification of war — counter to peace education.
In the major shift in traditional to contemporary history, note the differences in approach between early political-based histories and the comparatively recent social histories. Social histories provide peace education with appropriate keystones by which a national identity can build an attitude that respects pluralism inclusive of multiculturalism and gender equality.
Historians and cultural developers in the Philippines are challenged by an indifference towards history and heritage preservation among the great majority of the population.
The situation is partly due to insufficient teacher presentation especially for elementary and secondary levels plus the way history has been taught in schools projected by popular media.
Common reactions towards history are that it is too serious, way over people’s heads, just a sequence of dates meaningless to real life, and full of controversies that can never be settled any way. Such attitude towards history sadly constricts individual and national growth.
It is not the task of history to manufacture a tradition that will receive general approach but to throw light on events and to study their causes. This involved continually revising and providing a historical basis for the image that we have of our history, not interpreting it to suit political necessities.
The teaching of history, particularly in the classroom, is challenged by the need for integrated multidisciplinary viewpoints of an era, event or personage, interesting and student-relevant presentation access by students and teachers to sufficient facts about an era, event, or personage, and most importantly, access by students and teachers to the creative and critical skills needed for them to interpret history.
Children and teenagers need to increase their participation like dramatization of historical events, as well as engage in oral reading of authentic historical literature and documents, declamation and debate about historical issues, access documentation through various forms of media and the arts; and go on field trip to historical areas.
Young adults can be made to write critiques of films about history (whether recent or in the distant past), and of actual cultural products, historic shrines, period specimens, and national symbols that influenced historical change.
The new assessments and artistic products made by young people themselves about historical themes will help them “experience” the past and its connection to their future.
Teachers, electronic media inventors, artists, communicators, and young people themselves need encouragement to create new and innovative ways of handling the communicating of history for new generation.
Unfortunately, the focus on national identity and thus national history, has overlooked the crucial role of local history and, its broader kin, local culture studies have in civic education.
Communities are not catalyzed to study and value their local history, thereby depriving residents of an important facet of their individual selves, and hindering local government’s chance to benefit from the patriotic results that come when its residents have a strong sense of place.
Therefore while history teachers are concerned with establishing the chronology and causes for historic events, it is equally important that they guide students in seeking out the character-building lessons gathered from history.
Civilization has not only been the quest for sustenance of the body, but sustenance of the soul through respect for human rights and social justice.
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