Page 118 - Balancing between the present and the past

Chapter 5
Table 19. Differences between teacher demonstrates and teachers engages
Category
Teacher demonstrates (I)
Teacher engages (J)
Difference (I – J)
Reconstructing context Enhancing empathy Contextualize to explain
Mean
2.18 1.56 0.62 1.55 1.25 0.30
1.85 1.24 0.61
1.86 1.35 0.51
5.5.4.1 Reconstructing the historical context
Lisa and Nick obtained the highest scores in demonstrating the reconstruction of the historical context. These teachers considered the different frames of reference (i.e., chronological, spatial, socio-political, socio-economic, and socio-cultural) in each lesson when reconstructing the historical context of a historical event. For example, Lisa addressed the different frames of reference when discussing western European colonies in the 20th century. To explain the colonies’ struggle for independence, she reconstructed the historical context at the beginning of the lesson:
It started 400 years ago; you should go back 400 years to understand the colonies’ struggle for independence. Around 1600, different European countries wished to buy cheap spices. At first, the European countries would make economic agreements with the locals. An example is the Dutch East India Company, which traded often with Dutch India and other Asian countries. However, the merchants stayed on the coast and did not try to change, for example, the locals’ religion or government. So, what you see [points at a world map] is that the Dutch traveled to Asia but they stayed along the coast and not inland. But around 1800, there was a change due to the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Different European countries needed more colonies for their raw minerals and to sell their products. In order to do so, they needed more political and economic influence in the colonies.
Interestingly, although the teachers in the sample used time indicators several times (FAT-HC Item 4), they almost never showed historical events on a timeline (FAT-HC Item 6). Moreover, despite the fact that Lisa used a world map in the example, most teachers did not use geographical (historical) maps to reconstruct a spatial dimension. For example, John could have shown a map of Western Europe in the Middle Ages when discussing medieval trade to illustrate the different sizes and names of countries compared to the present. Bob and Kim encouraged the students the most to reconstruct the historical context. For example, Kim asked the students to reconstruct
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