Article+Review+on+Reenactments

Nathaniel MacDonald 11/7/12 Article Paper Teaching Writing

Karsten R. Stueber History and Theory, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Feb., 2002), pp. 25-42 Published by: Wiley-Blackwell for Wesleyan University Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3590842
 * The Psychological Basis of Historical Explanation: Reenactment, Simulation, and the Fusion of Horizons**

This was a fairly difficult article to read, but I felt that with my content area that this subject was important. The basic premise of the article was to show how reenactments and simulations of past events promote learning and comprehension on a much greater scale than simply learning about it. In this article, Stueber explains how simply reading about a text is not adequate enough to grasp the full meaning of a situation, as our imagination can be very inaccurate, and culturally biased. In addition to this, Stueber relates to some research that points out that learning is best achieved through simulation, and in a sense, empathy increases our ability to see what is on the minds of others. While she recognizes the limitations to this method of teaching, Stueber also feels that reenactments can help with our understanding of a situation while inspiring creativity. At the end, she states how reenactments should be used carefully, lest exaggerations and inaccuracies create a different picture or assumptions warp the overall learning experiences. Still, if done right, reenactments have the potential to reenforce learning in creative ways. As I read this article, I felt that the author had a really complicated way of stating a simple idea. While she was analyzing the research of another scholar by the name of Collingwood, she modifies her theory a little, and picks out some pieces of information she agreed with from previous researchers. I feel like she went more into the psychological aspects of reenactments rather than the uses of them, but the article still covered why they were useful. If I could meet the author, I would ask for more examples of what she drew her research from, and how it could be implemented. When it comes to teaching, I love reenactments. I wish to work in a museum, in which the use of artifacts is key, and because of this, reenactments will help me immensely. I'm glad that the article pointed out aspects that I have to watch out for, such as historical inaccuracies and exaggerations. Still, I hope to provide excellent hands on education, and I'm glad that this article has introduced me to the research done on my style of education. I feel that reenactments are useful when it comes to teaching about topics such as warfare (which is my area of interest), but also with crafts, architecture, and clothing. Because this article showed me how reenactments can be helpful, and what I need to avoid, I should be able to tailor my lessons to better convey my knowledge.

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