What are the most essential methods of Teaching History to students?

Method is the procedure which is followed by a teacher in teaching a topic. This is done according to the ability and interests of the students. It makes teaching effective and enables pupils to learn successfully.

Method is, therefore, very fundamental and essential part of teaching. It is the process of planning, guiding, facilitating, organizing and evaluating learning experiences of pupils.

Aims and objectives or “what to teach” are the first step in the process. Then the teacher has to decide “how to teach”. Thus, after deciding the content to be taught, the teacher selects the methods and materials for using them in the teaching process in order to make learning effective as well as interesting.

Unless suitable methods are adopted for teaching different topics of a subject, students cannot properly benefit from the teaching learning process.

There are no hard and fast principles or set methods of teaching a subject. It depends on the competence and resourcefulness of teachers. The Secondary Education Commission, 1952-53 has rightly observed. “Even the best curriculum and the perfect syllabus remain dead unless quickened into life by right methods of teaching and the right kind of teachers”.

Thus the suitable methods and materials make the lessons interesting, lively and useful and pupils are made motivated and interested in the topics.

In the teaching of history there are various methods which are found popular and most suitable for treating the historical events and personalities in an effective manner. These methods are:

1. Text book Method.

2. Story-telling Method.

3. Discussion-cum-Narration Method.

4. Problem-solving Method.

5. Project Method.

6. Source Method.

7. Biographical Method.

8. Lecture Method.

9. Assignment Method.