Diagnostic practice in the teaching of History

Abstract

This proposal is intended to encourage a diagnostic perspective in the teaching of History, hardly ever used in schools, in order to avoid a learning process based on superficial factual knowledge. Administering a survey at the very beginning of a scholastic cycle is a good means of pointing out and measuring students’ conceptual tools together with their emotional relationship with the subject (their commitment, interest, curiosity, motivation and identification with the collective memory). It enables teachers to relate with young people’s reality with respect to generational perspective, cultural education and family background. After introducing the survey, this essay comments the most common stereotypes and clichés collected by the authors within the past decade and give an overview of the most widely used study methods and of the expectations students have for their high school education. Lastly it reflects over the “idea” of History that students developed during their middle school years and their knowledge of the historical method.