Becoming History Jodi Majerus Delaney
Think about the content you teach—is there something boring you want to cover in a more engaging way? Perhaps a complicated concept students struggle to understand? Maybe there is something you really get excited about and want to share that passion with your students.
Who would be the perfect guest speaker for your class?
Think of a person you would love your students to meet if it was at all possible. Keep that individual in mind as someone you might want to interpret for your classroom. Don’t toss out an idea yet if the person doesn’t look like you. If more people start coming to mind, then start making a list! Be your own guest speaker presenting informative, interdisciplinary, and engaging lessons on any topic for any age group from a historic figure's point of view. What do you mean by ‘first person historical interpretation’? Any time you present information to your students as someone other than yourself who is specific to a time and place.1 Using historical interpretation as an educational tool goes back decades, but is still fairly rare in the classroom. Students are more likely to see this method at museums, special historic events, or guest speakers who come into your school. For example, you might go on a field trip to a living history farm where costumed reenactors teach your students about life at that time. The presenters ‘interpret’ history for the patrons, helping them understand the past by experiencing a re-creation. We are going to examine this approach as educators who want use it in a classroom setting without extensive sets, props, or other specific supplies. There are a variety of resources and experts on professional interpretation that you could read further for more information. Here are a few to start with: Morris, Ronald V. Bringing History to Life: First-person Historical Presentations in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2009. Roth, Stacy Flora. Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-person Historical Interpretation. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. Shapera, Ann-Elizabeth. Easy Street: A Guide for Players in Improvised Interactive Environmental Performance, Walkaround Entertainment, and First-Person Historical Interpretation. Phoole Skoole Press, 2012. Thierer, Joyce M. Telling History: A Manual for Performers and Presenters of First-person Narratives. Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2010. 1This is my definition, tailored to classroom educator use. Several experts have developed more detailed descriptions
including non-classroom settings and other professional and amateur uses. Beyond those listed above, Jay Anderson and Freeman Tilden are well-known authors on the concept.
Becoming History
page 1
“Using the method of first-person historical presentation is the logical extension of individual creativity in teaching elementary social studies. A ny Teachers immediately hook the attention of their students through th ing period clothing, then teachers integrate the character into the ! instruction of the unit, and the students become involved in some aspect of the first-person historical presentation; and assessment occurs within the context of the unit.”2 This is not just for teaching history! You can teach any content; it is a method for presenting any concept since all of our knowledge and ideas have come to us through people. The more abstract your topic, the more you should consider communicating it to your students through a human they would connect with. Why use this method? “Information is absorbed affectively as well as cognitively. The senses and the emotions, as well as the intellect, are an integral part of the experience.”3 “Teachers can introduce students to a person from a particular time period who could not normally come as a guest speaker. This method allows for flexibility in creating guests for students to interview.”4 In a perfect world, we would all have unlimited budgets and the scheduling flexibility to bring in experts whenever desired. A time machine would also be nice. However, in reality, we are often hindered by expense, distance from great field trip locations, and of course the pesky lack of time travel. Rather than rely on an outside provider, consider using first person historical interpretation yourself. There are a few unique advantages to a classroom teacher presenting first person historical interpretations as opposed to bringing in an outside presenter. First person historical interpretation is another tool in the toolbox that will further enhance your multi-method approach.
2
Ronald V. Morris, Bringing History to Life: First-person Historical Presentations in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2009), pg. 70. I disagree that it is merely for elementary social studies. 3 Stacy F. Roth, Past into Present: Effective Techniques for First-person Historical Interpretation (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998), pg. 27. 4 Morris, Bringing History to Life, pg. 50.
Becoming History
page 2
Benefits for Classroom Educators
Know Your Audience You know your students, their interests, backgrounds, concerns, and what you have been studying. The first rule of presenting is to know your audience, which you will have mastered. A presenter at a museum experience or guest speaker will not have the same depth of knowledge on individual students that you can use to personally connect with them in a significant way. Curriculum Continuity You will tailor your presentation to meet the exact educational needs within your classroom. Outside experiences may or may not fit into your content area as well as you would like. There have been instances when I was really excited about a guest speaker or field trip, only to discover that what I thought they were going to present did not match what actually happened. By creating your own, you will be able to fully integrate the information and activity into your class. You know what background information you have already covered and what you want students to take away from the lesson. You will also be able to plan your assessment meaningfully, and students can ask you about your performances long afterwards. “It was thought that a guest would pop in and out of a classroom without continuity or assessment.”5 Getting the ‘Game’ Especially if they are very young or have special needs, students might think the presenter really is the person they are interpreting, which can lead to a host of misunderstandings about time and history. Students may not ‘get’ that the person speaking to them is not really Abraham Lincoln. Although it is not a guarantee, it is more likely that your students will understand that you are ‘playing pretend’ than if they see an unfamiliar presenter. If you are so lucky as to get a professional interpreter later, students will better understand what is happening and how the ‘game’ works. Role-Play and Empathy Role-play has been an effective tool used in classrooms for years. Improve empathy and the ability to see another’s point of view through acting. You can easily use this method to work in student role-play. “Perhaps the most important reason for using role play is that it is fun. Once students understand what is expected of them, they thoroughly enjoy letting their imagination rip.”6
5 6
Morris, Bringing History to Life, pg. 57. Gillian Porter Ladousse, Role Play (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987), pg. 7.
Becoming History
page 3
Classroom and Time Management These are also easier for you as opposed to a guest because you are familiar with students and school routines. It is more comfortable to break character if needed as compared to having to interrupt a guest presenter to deal with behavior issues or logistics--Oh no! Class is going to end in 5 minutes and this speaker seems nowhere close to wrapping it up! Safe Learning Environment Make your classroom an even more inviting, safe place to play with ideas and learning. “We can create a destination, to which patrons can escape, where they will experience kindness.”7 Through the use of first person historical interpretation, you are presenting lessons outside of ‘the real world’ where “the activity is enjoyable and does not threaten the students’ (or the children’s) personality.”8 Watching you do something creative, and maybe even a bit scary, gives students a great role model for taking risks and getting out of their comfort zone. Multiple Intelligences This method can be used to teach any content—science, math, art, anything—but is usually found restricted to the realm of social studies. By incorporating historical interpretation, your non-history lessons gain a richness that appeals to students. I have observed that Intra- and Inter-personal learners, as well as Linguistic and Kinesthetic, respond well to this approach. While you might be teaching a math concept that Logical-Mathematical students are engrossed in, students who struggle in that area can still be engaged and feel the topic relevant. Historical interpretation can be used to pull in a variety of student learning styles. Students are then more able to make connections between the content and themselves, which improves retention of information.9 Variety in Content Since most professional presenters are going to be more focused on history, you may not be able to find someone to present your desired content. You, as the expert in your area, can effectively adopt this approach to meet your content needs. You are not limited by the pool of available historic figures; bring in whomever you want!
7
Ann-Elizabeth Shapera, Easy Street: A Guide for Players in Improvised Interactive Environmental Performance, Walkaround Entertainment, and First-Person Historical Interpretation (Phoole Skoole Press, 2012), pg. 103. 8 Ladousse, Role Play, pg. 5. 9 Willis, Judy. "Memory, Learning, and Test-Taking Success." In Research-based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2006. Chapter 1 accessible electronically at: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107006/chapters/Memory,_Learning,_and_Test-Taking_Success.aspx
Becoming History
page 4
What exactly will I be doing, and how do I explain it to my administrators and colleagues? Ronald Vaughan Morris has broken down this approach into five instructional behaviors:10 1. Teachers gain the attention of their students: they are interested in the action taking place around them, become active participants through interaction, follow-up lessons, and activities. 2. The process is challenging for both teacher and students: the teacher must engage in creative teaching, students must meet and interact with a new figure in the classroom in the presence of their peers. 3. It is an interdisciplinary experience for the students: many disciplines are included in the themes, which work across age levels. 4. The presentation is meaningful to engaged students: students create a personal connection between some aspect of their life to the character. 5. Students work with values: examine the character’s, compare to their own, and accept or reject them. Students examine five different ideas: Controversial issues Historical empathy Moral judgment Multiple perspectives Social Justice
As Rachel Carson, I lead a game of ‘Extinction Jenga’ during the introductory part of a dance integration lesson to understand the concepts of energy transfer, food webs, and the interconnectedness of ecology.11
10
Morris, Bringing History to Life, pg. 133-134. Full lesson plan available at: http://timelinecostumes.blogspot.com/2014/10/1962-rachel-carson.html Photo by Meredith Antonietti 11
Becoming History
page 5
Who should I be? “The characters in a first-person program are the envelope in which the interpretive message is delivered.”12 Deciding on a message first will help you pick an effective messenger. Then choose between selecting a specific historic figure or creating a composite character. A composite character is based on the time period you are discussing, includes historically accurate details, but is not a representation of any one specific person. If you have particular information to convey and finding just the right ‘envelope’ is proving too difficult, then this is a great option. Composite characters can be an alternative if the information is too scarce on any one specific person. You can tell stories “without being constrained by missing primary sources.”13
Why use a historic figure, especially if I’m not teaching a history lesson? Why not an imaginary character, like ‘Grammar Analysis Alien’ to teach our lesson? Wouldn’t the students be just as engaged and entertained by something less historical?
‘Based on a true story’ is always intriguing. Students get even more excited if they know that your character is real. They can find information about that person, and when you run across him or her by surprise, it makes everything seem that much more rich. When that happens, it “opens up a sparkly fun new world for them.”14 A make-believe character will not have that same added depth. Although your ‘Grammar Analysis Alien’ might be entirely fun and educationally valuable, students are unlikely to ever see that character again. It will be something that only lives in your classroom. Historical figures exist outside your school and can be independently researched long after students have left your class. This is also a way we can incorporate ‘sneaky history’ and add more educational content to our limited teaching time.15 12
Roth, Past into Present, pg. 57. Morris, Bringing History to Life, pg. 44. 14 Shapera, Easy Street, pg. 86. 15 ‘Sneaky history’ is a term used by Joyce Theirer and Ann Birney of Ride into History Cultural and Educational Project, Inc. Joyce M. Thierer, Telling History: A Manual for Performers and Presenters of First-person Narratives (Lanham: AltaMira Press, 2010), pg. 3. 13
Becoming History
page 6
What kind of historic figures should I look for? What do you want to teach? Who would be the best ‘envelope’ to deliver that message? • Look for missing voices in the narrative—those who are overlooked or held unpopular beliefs that turned out to be accepted later. We love to root for the underdog. On the flipside, you could choose someone who held common views in their time which we vehemently disagree with today—good for an intense debate! If there is a textbook you have to use, is there someone great who has been left out, or relegated to a textbox in the margin? • Choose an abstract concept that your students might struggle with. Which historic figure invented this theory or first discovered it? Grounding the concept with a flesh-and-bone person can help students relate better. For example, Euclid comes in to introduce a geometry concept. Students who are already interested will be even more excited, and those who did not find the topic relevant to their lives will at least be more attentive and curious than before. • Have something boring you need to teach? Spice up your content by bringing in an ‘expert’ or ‘guest speaker’ to go over the required information in an engaging lesson. For example, I represent ‘Typhoid’ Mary Mallon who imparts the importance of frequent hand washing and safe food handling in a memorable manner. • Really famous is also a great option—especially for younger learners, this approach offers a way to ‘meet’ people they will be hearing about later in life. Some interpreters avoid doing this professionally due to the depth and breadth of information to memorize about a wellknown person. However, it makes locating research much easier than for a more obscure individual. Children are also able to make a link with a person that will pop up again later, making them seem like an old friend. • If it feels too awkward to have the character talk about their own life the whole time, choose someone connected to them instead. For example, I cannot imagine Mother Teresa going on and on about all her great accomplishments. Instead, perhaps you could be someone who interviewed her, worked with her, or had some special experience with her to do the bragging. • If you want to discuss someone far from your age/ethnicity/gender/appearance, then choosing a connected character will still allow you to talk about the topic, but not be the actual character yourself. For example, all the Industrial Age ‘Copper Kings’ were male, and none of them look anything like me. By interpreting Margaret Daly, wife of Copper King Marcus Daly and sister-in-law to the Clarks, I can still intimately discuss people and events from her point of view as a privileged observer. If you cannot identify a real person that fits your needs, you could create a composite character to serve this same purpose: assistant to the scientist, personal secretary to the politician, etc.
Becoming History
page 7
Developing a Character “Some feel that they must spend months working on a character before its debut, and others trot them out on short notice.”16 “Characters are people too. The character you’re creating will be a person: she or he will be a distilled, focused version of a person, but that person will still have a basic desire…”17 Remember, you do not have to be an actor, nor make your performance overtly theatrical. These are a few suggestions for finding your character and determining how to interpret and represent him or her. Do not feel obligated to be funny or even particularly entertaining; this is not stand-up comedy or a Tony Award winning performance. You doing this at all is a great place to start and will only get better with time and practice. First person historical interpretation is just another person talking as a normal human being. As interpretation expert Stacy Roth points out, some interpreters would be offended if you called them ‘actors’.18 Interpretation can take many forms; so feel free to explore what feels most comfortable to you. You might prefer a Socratic method approach or make it more like a theatrical monologue. Regardless of how you set up your performance, you will want to explore the historic figure’s character to determine how you will represent him or her. First, you will need information. Video interviews are especially valuable if the person you are interpreting was ever recorded. However, unless you are representing a well-documented individual from the modern age, chances are you are going to be ‘filling in the blanks’ of the historical record. Look for primary sources written by your historic figure. These are often the easiest to work with because you can directly quote from the primary document without having to change from third to first person. It also authentically captures how your individual communicated, including their word choice and speech patterns. If you cannot find primary sources directly from your historic figure, try to find accounts of them from a contemporary who lived at the same time. Even if the sources do not directly discuss your person, just reading texts from the same time period and location can give you valuable clues as to how they would speak. The actual process of locating primary sources, as well as any other resources needed to help you create a complete character, will depend on the individual you choose to research. A simple search on the Internet will usually help you find a place to start. The Library of Congress (loc.gov) has an extensive electronic collection, as well as many universities, colleges, museums, foundations, and more. Once you have located and read enough research to provide for the words you will say, begin to craft the way you will present your character. Remember, much of how we communicate is nonverbal. The more you consider how your person would walk, talk, stand, gesture, etc., then the more ‘real’ they will seem. To help you get into character, try to answer a few questions as you imagine your historic figure would respond. 16
Roth, Past into Present, pg. 41. Shapera, Easy Street, pg. 26. 18 Roth, Past into Present, pg. 51. 17
Becoming History
page 8
From Uta Hagan’s Questions for Actors19 Who am I? What are the circumstances? What are my relationships? What do I want? What is my obstacle? What do I do to get what I want? Start your character off by saying “I need…” The following is an example written for ‘Typhoid’ Mary Mallon (Brown). These are not her exact words, but my interpretation of how she might answer these questions based on my primary source research. The exercise is designed to help you take your research and translate content into a character. Photo from Fotosearch/Getty Images, reprinted by Time Inc. Network20
Who am I? Mary Mallon, sometimes go by Mary Brown to obscure my identity from those who try to persecute me. I am a cook by trade and have worked in a number of households since coming to America. What are the circumstances? I have been unfairly accused of spreading typhoid fever by several doctors, who have become increasingly hostile, and are trying to ruin my ability to get work. What are my relationships? I am alone, with few friends and constantly moving from one household to another. I never leave a forwarding address, but simply disappear once anyone becomes ill. I’ve never had Typhoid Fever and don’t want to get sick too. What do I want? I just want to be left alone. I work hard and have no reason to stop. What is my obstacle? Dr. Soper, Dr. Park, and their cronies are purposefully spreading horrible accusations about me, laying blame unfairly. What do I do to get what I want? I will continue to work where I can. I feel no need to describe the misfortune of my former employers to the new ones. I will work until I can’t anymore. They can’t take that away. I need to make a decent living like everyone else. This process will help you find the emotions beneath the words. Those feelings will then give you hints on how to portray the character. Your goal is to make this person ‘come alive’ for students, including nonverbal communication. Michael Checkhov designed an exercise to develop a physical representation of your character by creating a ‘Psychological Gesture’.21 “If we define gesture to mean a movement that has intention, we could say that the Psychological Gesture is a movement that expresses the psychology of the character…the thoughts, feelings and will of a human being. Hence, the PG is a physical expression of the thoughts, feelings and desires of the character, incorporated into one movement. You can 19
Hagen, Uta. Respect for Acting. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 1973. Accessed March 22, 2015. https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0470730188. 20 Latson, Jennifer. "Refusing Quarantine: Why Typhoid Mary Did It." Time Inc. Network, November 11, 2014. Accessed March 23, 2015. http://time.com/3563182/typhoid-mary/. 21 Michael Checkhov, To the Actor: On the Technique of Acting (New York: Harper & Row, 1953), pgs. 63-84.
Becoming History
page 9
liken it to a moving logo, like the Nike logo, which captures the essence of Nike in one image. So, in one movement, the PG awakens the essence of the character in you…When this happens, your walk, your expressive mannerisms, your voice and line delivery are all inspired by one moving image. You perform the gesture prior to your scene to trigger your artistic nature. While in the scene, if your inspiration weakens, you simply envision the gesture in your imagination as you are acting and it will revitalize you.”22 My Psychological Gesture for ‘Typhoid’ Mary Mallon is to stand very stiff, leaning slightly forward with crossed arms and a scowl in aggressive frustration—she is not a very happy character. Just standing in this pose for a moment before I begin helps me get into the mindset of the character. If I start to feel my representation fading and default to acting more like myself, all I have to do is repeat the Psychological Gesture to get back into character. This helps my performance maintain a level of consistency and is so subtle that students will not be consciously aware of the process. A Word About Appropriateness You do not mean to offend, so when in doubt, leave it out. If dealing with a sensitive topic, do a rehearsal to run it by a trusted friend and/or co-worker. You do not have to be politically correct for everything; the character you portray might be representing a viewpoint no longer held by modern society. There is nothing wrong with interpreting someone you do not want students to champion, just make sure you will not cross the line into the offensive zone with your performance. Age appropriateness varies widely depending on what level of students you are teaching. You might have to ‘sanitize’ your performance in a way that is not historically accurate, but is appropriate for your age group. If you choose to interpret a character that obviously does not match your physical characteristics, make sure you can balance the silliness with learning. Consider if your audience will find it too distracting. Ethnicity: Do not attempt to change your skin color. There is a cultural history of blackface, Hollywood Indians, and other negative stereotypes. Just don’t do it. Ever. Besides the potential to offend, it is distracting to your viewers and will take away from your message. This is why you may wish to choose a character who is related to the topic, yet looks more like you do. The only make-up you should wear is what your historic figure would have worn too. Accents: How well can you do it? Consistently maintain with little effort? Accurate? Does it sound authentic, or like you are doing an impression? Could it offend? Are you representing an ethnic minority or historically disadvantaged character? Could it in any way be construed as making fun of this group? Can your students understand this accent? If they cannot understand it, then they will not understand your presentation. Best to just avoid an accent unless you have practiced it quite a lot and/or can do it authentically. 22 Lisa Dalton, "The Psychological Gesture," The National Michael Chekhov Association, 1986, part 1, accessed July 07,
2015, http://www.michaelchekhov.net/gesture.html.
Becoming History
page 10
What should I wear? You might not need a costume at all. If you want to add something to the performance, you could just use a single accessory, such as a hat or jacket, which you can throw on as you begin the lesson. Be creative in using inexpensive finds to assemble your outfits. You do not need to have a perfect, historically accurate ensemble to be effective. That is a goal you can work towards over time. Look for basic pieces that have not changed much, like a simple long skirt and blouse or a man’s suit. Use what you have available, and thrift stores can be a delightful source of low-cost clothing and accessories. Costumes might be available from a local theater willing to loan or rent. If you are going use a costume repeatedly, it would be better to acquire one permanently rather than the hassle and potential to damage borrowed items. Note that theater costumes are not always historically accurate; they are often designed for easy costume changes and may be more concerned with a historic look than period-accurate construction and materials. You can buy or make reproduction clothing. Making items yourself will be cheaper than paying someone else for labor. If you do not sew, then maybe you can make a trade with someone who does for a skill you already possess. Otherwise, it might be a fun opportunity to dust off an old machine or sew by hand. There are quite a few sources offering reproduction items and patterns for reenactors and enthusiasts. Quality and historical accuracy vary widely, so do a little research before investing your hard-earned money. The historic clothing community is quite friendly and supportive, with a number of social media and online resources available on the subject. For example, Colonial Williamsburg has created a document listing a wide variety of sources they use for their historic clothing: http://www.history.org/history/clothing/designcenter/sourcecover.cfm What if your look is not quite accurate? ‘Find the Historical Inaccuracy’ is a game I play with students when my outfit is a bit more costume than clothing. Students guess which parts of my apparel are not in keeping with the time period I am representing. This is a great way to dispel misconceptions, for example, glasses have been around longer than most students think. There are also easy things for all students to be successful in identifying; my modern watch, plastic District-issued ID badge, and classroom key are always on when I teach. Guessing these ‘gimmes’ can build up students that might not always experience academic success, while the more subtle differences offer a challenge to students who are ready for more. I once got caught in an inaccuracy when I took off a Regency era ‘spencer’ jacket and the students could hear the little bit of modern Velcro I had used to keep a pesky flap closed. There was an audible gasp and immediate finger pointing at my laziness.
Becoming History
page 11
I’ve got a character, now what? Prepare your lesson. You should have already identified the central concept you are trying to teach; now you need an objective for students to do and an assessment that follows.23 Consider the logistics of your presentation: “Where will you be? Will you come into the classroom? Do you need someone to watch your classroom until you arrive? Where do you want the students? What do you want them to do? How will you end the presentation? How will you exit the room?”24 Prepare students ahead of time. Let them know that something unusual is going to be happening. The amount of warning you give will depend on the age of your students and how often you see them. Do this before you are in costume/character when you are in ‘normal’ mode. You can be cryptic or very overt, whatever will work best for your students. For example, our Kinderfriends might need a very direct explanation of what will happen and what they are expected to do. Give the students a role to play. They can still be ‘students listening politely’, just make sure you are clear on your expectations. Set the students and yourself up for success. The role you give students will hopefully be something different from their normal student routine. They could be members of a jury, 4th of July picnickers hearing a speech, or attending a Senate meeting in Ancient Rome. Be specific to your character’s time and place. ‘Giving them a role’ could be something as simple as mentioning them in your presentation. For example, “It’s lovely to see so many other well-known scientists at our meeting today. I know you will be fascinated by my latest discovery.” If you are teaching more as a ‘character speaker’, there will be less emphasis on acting as you present in a more traditional public speaking manner, which also means the audience will have a more passive role.25 A concept that comes from Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed is that of ‘spect-actors’. They are a “member of the audience who takes part in the action in any way; the spect-actor is an active spectator, as opposed to the passivity normally associated with the role of audience member.”26 Your audience members are not just spectating, but have the option of becoming involved as actors themselves. Give levels of interaction options, allowing for those who want to interact and those who wish to observe. Avoid forcing students into interacting in character, especially when introducing them to this approach. You want to prevent ‘spotlighting’ and expecting them to interact as a character or in period-accurate manners, but still offer the potential if you have someone eager and excited to join in. For example, you might ask a student a question. The student could choose to answer plainly as their normal self, or get more into character. Then you have the opportunity to improvise a dialogue based on the student’s response. “If the model is right, if it is true to life…then up on stage they will come, especially when a first brave spect-actor has broken the ice.”27 23
Morris, Bringing History to Life, pg. 11. Ibid., pg. 12. 25 Roth, Past into Present, pg. 18. 26 "Translator's Introduction to the First Edition." Introduction to Games for Actors and Non-Actors, translated by Adrian Jackson, by Augusto Boal, pg. xxvi. Second ed. London: Routledge, 2002. Available electronically at: https://geraldkeaney.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/augusto_boal_games_for_actors_and_non-actorsbookfi-org.pdf 27 "Translator's Introduction to the First Edition." Introduction to Games for Actors and Non-Actors, translated by Adrian Jackson, by Augusto Boal, pg. xxv. 24
Becoming History
page 12
The easiest way to encourage spect-actors is to give them a specific job they must complete during the lesson. For example, if your character is pleading their case before a court, then the students have to make a decision and a speaker will announce it for the class. You could then interact with the speaker. Always be on the lookout for students who might be interested in interaction—a student who visibly reacts to something you say, for example.
It's not all about you. Plan some time when you will be doing very little talking, if any.
When deciding how you will include students in the action, consider A-E Shapera’s advice to always follow the rule of ‘Elevate and Involve’.28 Plan for roles in which students are always your superiors or in some sort of position of power, such as jurors who decide the outcome. At the very least, make them your equals if you are portraying a high-ranking individual. Students already know what it is like to be treated as second-class citizens; the adult world does not respect them as equals. So let them role-play an elevated position in which they are involved in the story. It is much more engaging to be part of the action rather than just passively watching. For example, as Eva Hess, I lead a ‘Happening’ in which students are fellow artists creating in collaboration to better understand Modern Art.29
“…role play is one of a whole gamut of communicative techniques which develops fluency in language students, which promotes interaction in the classroom, and which increases motivation. Not only is peer learning encouraged by it, but also the sharing between teacher and student of the responsibility for the learning process. Role play is perhaps the most flexible technique in the range, and teachers who have it at their finger-tips are able to meet an infinite variety of needs with suitable and effective role-play exercises.”30 The Structure of Your Lesson If this is your first experience using first person historical interpretation, the most traditional structure is a good place to start: • Prepare students ahead of time to expect something different. • Deliver a short introduction in character. • Continuing to speak in character, tell your person’s stories that convey the information you want students to learn. You might have a script for this portion, or some people feel comfortable with an outline. If you want to use a script, but have not memorized it, consider how you will explain reading your lines to the students. For example, you could be reading a letter, with asides to the audience sprinkled throughout. • Talk informally with the audience, encouraging questions and interaction while still in character. Students have the opportunity to be involved in dialogue as spect-actors. • Break character to answer questions as the teacher, especially those that you cannot easily answer while interpreting. • Assessment and Extension
28
Shapera, Easy Street, pgs. 60-70.
29 Full lesson description available at: http://timelinecostumes.blogspot.com/2014/10/1961-eva-hess.html Photo by
Meredith Antonietti Ladousse, Role Play, pg. 7.
30
Becoming History
page 13
Introduction “What is important for the patron to find out is this: What your Name Is, What You Are, and How the Patron Can Help You Right This Very Second.”31 “Popular ways to do this include a straightforward introduction and explanation for one’s presence, a startling pronouncement, or a request to the visitor to help solve a problem.”32 A lot of effort and energy is spent by professional interpreters to put the audience/visitors at ease and make them feel comfortable. You should already be a familiar and non-threatening person to your students, so you have much more leeway in your introduction. Your main goal is to establish ‘I Am Not Me’, so have fun with the introduction. Make sure students know your name, a general where and when you are, and remind them of their role. Make this part simple so you can get into the main presentation. Just a couple sentences are all you want to spend before moving into the lesson activity. Main Presentation There are many possibilities, and you are encouraged to be creative with the presentation! This is where your educational content gets conveyed to the students. Convert lecture-format information into a script to share the same content in first-person format. “Think of scriptwriting as telling a series of stories. Your audience is used to following series of stories in novels, television shows, and movies. Stories, therefore, will be a part of the audiences’ expectation when you come before them, so plan for that expectation and meet it.”33 The number of stories you include will depend on how much time you have available and the age of your students. Even the most excited and engaged students can only sit and listen for so long. Be very judicious in selecting your stories. Make sure there is a reason each one is included and directly supports your lesson’s objectives. Avoid rambling. Remember that you might save additional stories to share during the question and answer portion of the lesson. You will want to carefully consider your transitions so that you have a way to ‘move’ from each part of the outline quickly and fluidly. These transitions are almost more important than the stories because they will make your presentation flow smoothly and feel like the energy builds and continues. Once you have cast your spell on the classroom, you want to maintain the magic all the way to the end. Once you feel comfortable with first person historical interpretation, this is the place where you can turn your lessons into multi-disciplinary interactive super-lessons. Perhaps you represent a famous scientist who leads your students through an experiment, adding in historic details as you talk about your discoveries. The students might be fellow scientists who are testing the validity of the research/theory by attempting to replicate the original findings. The more active you make the lesson, the better! 31
Shapera, Easy Street, pg. 88. Roth, Past into Present, pg. 85. 33 Theirer, Telling History, pg. 64. 32
Becoming History
page 14
Answering Questions in Character When first introducing this method, you might start with ‘seed questions’ that students have written out before the presentation.34 This approach encourages inquiry from the start and works well with younger learners as you prepare for a different kind of lesson experience. You can give students enough information about who they will meet to get them thinking about what they might want to ask someone from that time period, with that specific job, or whatever details you want to provide. You can then go over the questions before you are in character and discuss what types of queries would be good ones to ask the character, and perhaps which ones might want to be rephrased. For example, if your student wants to ask if the character from 1700s Japan has ever flown in an airplane, you can discuss that one before getting into the performance. You will also be aware of what kinds of information students want to know about, which will inform your presentation and give more opportunities for spect-actors too. ‘My time/Your time’ works well with young children but may patronize teens and adults.35 For example, Eratosthenes, the ancient Greek astronomer who estimated the earth’s circumference, might answer a question, “In your time, people can go into space and have satellites and other tools to investigate the earth. In my time, I have to think creatively about what I can use from the ground to understand more about the earth.” Ghost interpreters allows for ‘memories’ and knowledge of events since death.36 This approach can be highly useful, but sometimes comes across as eerily disconcerting. It works well when interpreting a ‘grave talk’ around Halloween. If you choose someone connected with the famous person you want to talk about, that gives you the chance to say ‘I don’t know’ while still in character. For example, “I don’t know what George Washington ate for breakfast on January 15th at Valley Forge; I wasn’t with him that morning.” After you break character, you can answer as you normally would. It is also perfectly acceptable at that time to admit when you do not know something, which provides opportunities for further student research into the matter, or for you to find out and come back later. Professional interpreters do not usually have the luxury of follow-up with their audiences. This is also when you can answer, “How did you die? Assessment and Extension Once you have completed the main presentation, you need to have a follow-up that will also serve as your assessment. How you assess student learning may vary widely depending on the age group you teach. Student conversation is a simple and effective formative assessment during the lesson. You could culminate in a performance assessment or problem-solving activity that goes along with the lesson. Perhaps the jury meets to determine a verdict, then gives their reasoning. For example, when my students, as members of the Board of Health, decide whether or not to let ‘Typhoid’ Mary Mallon leave forced quarantine, they have to explain what they will require of her if she leaves and what to do with her if they make her stay. Once a representative from each side gives their group’s decision and explanation, Mary can interact with the speakers and members of each group. Then I break character to tell the class ‘the rest of the story’ and answer questions.
Morris, Bringing History to Life, pgs. 40-41. Roth, Past into Present, pg. 16. 36 Ibid., pg. 17. 34 35
Becoming History
page 15
Writing assignments are always an easy go-to. Students can adopt a persona and write as a character responding to your presentation. When planning out your lesson, you might want to determine what your assessment activity will be first, then work backwards from there. You can apply the concepts in Understanding by Design and other lesson-planning techniques to this method.37 Remember that first person historical interpretation is another tool in the toolbox, and can be combined with other approaches. After seeing all this excitement, let your students in on the action! If you do a ‘wax museum’, then you are almost there—let them act. Once you have modeled this process and can lead your students through it for themselves, then the logical culminating project is to have students each do their own first person historical interpretation. Even better than just presenting for the class, I encourage you to take it beyond the classroom and into the larger community. Empowering your students to be the experts is not only an authentic assessment, but ‘pays it forward’ so that others can enjoy. One of my students’ favorite culminating activities is the ‘Biography Bistro’ in which they get to research and act as historic figures themselves. For two days, students transform our elementary school classroom into a fully functioning restaurant where you get to dine with the rich and famous. Each day, half of the students run the Bistro. They seat the guests, take orders, cook, serve, clean up, and charge actual, real money. The other half visits with customers in character and full costume of the historically significant figure they have exhaustively researched. The guests are entertained as they interview each personality in an attempt to guess who they are. Children must be well versed in the lives of their historic figures to answer any questions adults may ask. Then we open again for a second day with the students switching roles from the day before. This high-interest culminating event is a highlight students talk about the rest of the year. Some begin researching independently months beforehand, demonstrating how this activity naturally sparks their interest. I have had to move my introductory lesson earlier and earlier in the school year as students start asking questions and are excited to begin. Students continue to feel an affinity for their individual long after the project is over. Returning students will still check out books on the person they researched the year before, just for their own enjoyment. When a past Biography Bistro choice comes up in our lessons, it is almost like meeting an old friend; the students feel connected to these individuals through their peers that played them. One of the main objectives of this extended project is to provide students the opportunity to connect personally to historically significant people and build a sense of historical empathy. They often choose people they can admire, which makes for a powerful bond. For example, several of my Native American students have chosen individuals they can connect to, such as Chief Joseph, Maria Tallchief, and Geronimo. Even if choosing someone who may appear unrelated on the surface, there is still an opportunity for a personal connection, such as this student’s conclusion after researching Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine:
37
McTighe, Jay, and Elliot Seif. "Teaching for Meaning and Understanding." Pennsylvania Educational Leadership 24, no. 1. Accessed March 22, 2015. http://jaymctighe.com/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2011/04/A_Summary_of_Underlying_Theory_and_Research2.pdf.
Becoming History
page 16
“I am thankful to people like Elizabeth who did the right thing even in the face of scary and mean hearted people. My Mom and Dad told me that Indian people were treated the same way a long time ago. They said there used to be signs in restaurants in Montana that said “No Indians or dogs allowed.” But things are different now. Because of people like Elizabeth, I can go to school at Broadwater [Elementary] with all of my friends.” After spending so much time in preparation, the event itself achieves almost mythic status with the students, their families, and the whole school. Teachers order take-out and interview the children about their historic figure. Not just parents, but grandparents, older and younger siblings, and friends come to eat at the restaurant, enjoying the challenge of guessing historic figures. In the spring, when so many students are struggling to pay attention in class, mine are engaged to their very core. Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton about to duel
Nellie Bly reporting on her world adventures Corazon 'Cory' Aquino planning to stop the Marcos regime in the Philippines
Chief Joseph advocates for his people
Wrapping it all up Do not forget the power of reviewing. Come back to the topic later and see what students remember, refer back to characters over the course of the class, and periodically ask what students imagine one of the people you have interpreted would think about a given issue. For example, ask students how a historical figure might respond to a current event. I asked what Lady Dunmore of the Colonial Era might think about girls and boys attending public school together. Students answered in character, mimicking the way I presented her! They had remembered how I talked and moved over a month after I had interpreted her for the class. Becoming History
page 17
Give it a try! You can enliven your classroom using first person historical interpretation. Discovering historic figures and their stories will not only ignite your students’ imaginations, but yours as well. You will be glad you took the opportunity to try something new and learn as much as, if not more than, your students in the process. This method can help you fight teacher burnout and breathe life into stale lessons. You do not have to revamp your entire curriculum, but start by identifying just one thing you could present in character. “The children were very engaged because I was doing something different than usual and I had fun ways of including them with active participation.”38 “Students enjoyed the presentation, and the next day I got feedback from several parents who stated that their child had told them about the lesson and that they had enjoyed it.”39
Beth Smaka leads a group of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students on a lesson about fossils as Mary Anning (1799-1847), a British paleontologist famous for her fossil finds.
38
Thompson, Sheryl. Becoming History Feedback Survey Responses. February 6, 2015. Raw data. BecomingHistory.blogspot.com, Helena, MT. 39 Smaka, Mary Elizabeth. Becoming History Feedback Survey Responses. January 22, 2015. Raw data. BecomingHistory.blogspot.com, Helena, MT. Photo by the author. Following page: The author dressed up to interpret Margaret Daly, photo by Molly Kast
Becoming History
page 18
About the Author:
Jodi Delaney leads a 4th/5th grade Montessori classroom in a public Title I school, spending over 75 school days each year dressed in historic fashion representing women from the colonial era to the present. She was the Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s 2013 History Teacher of the Year for the State of Montana, has been recognized by the Helena Education Foundation as a ‘Great Teacher Worth Talking About’, and is a member of the Teacher Leaders in the Arts Initiative through the Montana Arts Council and the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Jodi is passionate about educating the whole child by working hard and playing harder.
Becoming History
Jodi Majerus Delaney jdelaney@helenaschools.org BecomingHistory.blogspot.com See the blog about the collection of women and clothing used to represent them at: TimelineCostumes.blogspot.com
page 19
Copyright 2015 Jodi Majerus Delaney All Rights Reserved