¶ … Unnatural Acts:
Charting the Future of Teaching the Past
When someone mentions a historical fact, we more or less accept it as just that -- a fact, without ever questioning the authenticity of the source, analysis and interpretation process applied to it and the accuracy of the conclusion. We assume that since a historian wrote it down carefully after thorough research in a published book, it must be correct and should not be questioned. But do we have to blame ourselves of our uncurious minds. Sam Wineburg thinks not. He believes that it is not our minds that are just too uninterested in history, but actually the way historical facts are transferred to us that completely kill our desire to question them. In other words, he blamed the history teaching methods applied in schools and colleges for our absolute lack of interest in history and the fact that most Americans posses little knowledge of historical past.
Wineburg, author of Historical thinking and other unnatural acts: charting the future of teaching the past (2001) is a highly acclaimed writer who has won numerous honors for his work in the field of history education. He maintains that the reason our children are taught history in the most uninteresting manner is because of lack of training that teaching have in this field. He writes, "History education may be riding a momentary crest of interest, but its roots do not run deep. Many states have minimal requirements for the study of history in the curriculum. And in schools of education, courses are offered to future teachers in the teaching of mathematics, the teaching of science, and the teaching of literature, but we would be hard pressed to find more than a handful of courses in the entire nation that are devoted to the teaching of history." (4)
Wineburg has attacked everything from teaching methods to knowledge assessment tests and feels that many inter-related factors are responsible for students' apparent lack of enthusiasm about this particular subject. Barton (2002)...
Consistent with this emphasis, Wineburg has eschewed reductionist assessment measures such as multiple choice tests or structured behavioral instruments and instead relies on naturalistic classroom observations and "think-aloud" interviews, in which participants verbalize their thoughts as they read, analyze, and compare historical documents."
The author is mainly a "cognitive psychologist" who wants to explain why changes are required in the way history education is imparted. (Drake, 2002) He believes that history is highly useful branch of knowledge, which must be studied analytical in order to reach the most authentic and plausible conclusions. How many times do we feel the need to question a particular historical 'fact' but decide not to raise a question simply because the teachers do not encourage active classroom discussion. This lack of enthusiastic participation in teaching history makes this potentially interesting subject a highly dull one, where facts are not worth retaining for long. Wineburg refers to this attitude as, "...our psychological condition at rest, a way of thinking that requires little effort and comes quite naturally" (19).
It has also been noticed that history is usually taught in a "monolithic" style, which requires no specific skills. He feels that history is an important subject as "...there is a growing recognition by educators and policymakers that questions of historical reasoning carry implications well beyond the curricular borders of history" (51). For this reason, history education must be equipped with critical thinking skills and students should be encouraged to "to comprehend and ponder the key ideas, events, concepts and interpretations of their discipline" (170).
Wineburg feels that the two important concepts, which…
This lets us know that Christianity is not something that should be forced on us. Those receiving what Paul preached received it by faith. Although times have changed the Book of Acts serves as a good foundation for Church government. Jesus was very clear in his instructions on what should happen after his resurrection. Many verses in books of the New Testament speak of this. He would not have been
Book Of Acts Does Acts offer a pattern for how Church government should be structured? Actually, there is nothing this writer has found in Acts that specifically tells how to set up a church government. However, the establishment of a Christian church is explained in numerous accounts and passages. In Acts 2:38 Peter is telling his audience that if they repent, and agree to be baptized, they will be forgiven of their
This could prove a difficult task filling in the blanks existing in what he had acquired by then There are instances of inconsistency between Paul's journeys regarding his visits in Jerusalem (as recorded in Galatians 1,2) and those recounted by Luke, which point to Luke's inability to comprehend the perfect sequence of events and their importance accurately. However, the most important thing to note is that the latter chapters of
However, Acts should not be a descriptive guideline for churches of today. The normative aspects of the book are significant and should still b followed by modern churches because these guidelines keep the body in line with what the act of "church" should be. The responsibility of the church depends upon the believers within it and the world in which they live. One thing we should keep in mind is
Book of Acts give a clear pattern for the proper structure of Church government? Why or why not? A clear pattern for the proper church governance structure can indeed be derived from the Book of Acts. The structure depicted in the Church of Antioch alone is a sufficient example of how missionaries, teachers, and church elders should be appointed. The church, before even embarking on the mission of choosing its
Christian Holy Bible known as Acts, many people who read Acts may feel or be inclined to believe that it is a book of historical record and fact. However, there are many theologians and scholars that do not look at the book this way and this report shall look at the work of Powell and Boring when it comes to this fact. There are many in the Christian faith that