Well, I don’t know much to say about this portion of class. It was the part of class that we were given “pieces of historical evidence”. In the envelop there was a dollar bill, a tack, coffee beans, corn kernels, pepper, a spoon, paper clip, and a napkin. As a group we discussed that this could mean “the United States placed a tax on coffee beans, pepper, corn, and paper products”. You know, something relevent to a history class. I, myself, said that the items could mean “George Washington will spoon for the following items”. As crazy as my answer was, I feel like it made more sense than the real answer, “all items found in Dr. Berg’s office”. For that matter, I could have gotten up in front of the class and made everyone guess what’s in my bedroom. I feel like it would have driven home the same point; confusion.
Don’t confuse my frustration for being upset, I’m really not. I just don’t like being forced to use my “brain power” basically picking out the “needle in the haystack”, that’s all.
I think a good teacher needs to provide activities that work for students with a variety of learning styles; that there have to be a variety of differnt types of activities throughout the semeter. Taking this approach, each student will find some of the assignments to be frustrating or baffling or confusing. And they will rightly know a better way to teach the material for them.
The envelop activity has been very successful in conveying the point that historians need to work with evidence and must base any analysis they make evidence. But I can also see how you could equate it with being like trying to pick a needle out of a haystack.