Understanding and retaining historical information from the intended perspective can be challenging. You must know the specific challenges of studying history and how to solve them.
Overcoming Difficulties of Studying the History Course
Unlike other courses, the history course is not only comprehensive but also varied. History is based on time, and the extensive nature of time makes studying history tricky if you do not know how to study the subject effectively. For that reason, the best way to overcome the challenges of studying the history course is by identifying the specific difficulties history students face. As such, you will then be able to chart out the best ways of overcoming the challenges and the required skills to study history efficiently. Besides, you can opt to outsource help with your history essays as a means of learning how experts organize their thoughts while responding to history questions.
Image of Edge Hill University students studying history (https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/courses/history-and-politics/)
Difficulties of Studying History
Knowledge
Historical knowledge is perhaps the most common challenge history students face. Most students find themselves hooked to the idea that they become better historians when they know more about history. The perception is motivated by society’s use of historical knowledge as a screening device, which, unfortunately, leads to mindless memorization. Therefore, as a history student, you need to understand that historical knowledge is not about the memorization of facts, but is about contextualization of historical events in relation to current problems.
Objectivity
Objectively choosing a historical subject is another common challenge history students battle. Many times, history students are told that they need to know a lot about history. Hence, most students juggle between trying to master many historical subjects in particular historical periods at the same time. The challenge here is that students get a general instead of an in-depth understanding of history.
Sources
Finding appropriate historical sources is challenging for most students in that some periods have few sources while others have lots of sources. The sources challenge, in turn, makes researching and writing about history difficult. For instance, medieval and ancient historians have the challenge of very few sources, while nineteenth-century historians are overwhelmed by many sources.
Explanation
Giving accurate explanations for historical events is challenging. Everything happens for a reason. In history, every event was motivated by a reason and aimed to achieve a specific purpose. Thus, many history students are faced with the challenge of contextualizing a historical event and giving proper explanations for the events.
Linkage
Contemporary history challenges most history students. Events happening and belonging to the present usually depict relationships with the past. Consequently, many history students find it challenging to establish relationships between past and contemporary historical events.
How to Overcome the Challenges of Studying History
Develop and Connect Ideas
The most efficient way of overcoming the aforementioned challenges of studying history is by developing and connecting ideas. Instead of reading all over the place, students should be subjective and focus on one event at a time while establishing and mastering key points about the events. After studying several events through the idea formulation approach, the student should then connect the ideas using techniques such as generating mind maps.
An example of a mind map that connects ideas about the Cold War
Watch historical movies
Watching historical movies also helps in averting the challenges of studying history. Even though watching a movie is more subjective than objective, the process presents information in a manner that is easier to consume and remember than a book. Therefore, how about you watch historical movies instead of other movies in a bid to amass more historical ideas? By watching history movies, you will get a tangible perspective about historical events faster than if you read books describing the same event in the same duration. However, you should not substitute books with movies since reading books provides an active and objective understanding of history.
Take class notes
Take notes in class to effectively understand history. Perhaps the major challenge with note-taking is that most students do not know how to effectively take notes in class. By the time the history professor is done talking, students find themselves with numerous handwritten text pages. However, ask them what the essential points in the notes are, and you discover that most students turn themselves into transcription machines. Instead of copying everything your teacher says, listen, then write. By actively listening, you will notice the areas the professor pays more attention to than others. That way, you will develop your idea-generating skills for a better understanding of the history course.
Read your history books
You will enjoy history if you fall in love with your history books. While reading history books, be subjective, and actively seek to establish the key points the author is trying to put across. Take notes and keep refreshing your mind by reading about historical events. Repetition works wonders when it comes to memorization and understanding of course content.
Skills Required to Seamlessly Study History
You will realize that the above ways of resolving the challenges of studying history require a commitment to the course. What’s more, the commitment to history will be practical if you couple it with the following skills:
- Comprehension skills
Endeavor to sharpen your ability to understand concepts rather than merely knowing many things.
- Research skills
Make it a habit to read extensively and specifically about particular historical occurrences. Know what an essay question demands and aim your research around the question only.
- Analytical skills
Analyze concepts critically. Critical thinking during your analysis of historical events will ensure that you accurately spot the important points about historical phenomena.
An infographic showing how to be a critical thinker in research
- Decision-making skills
You must master how to decide what is essential and not when studying history.
- Chronological thinking skills
Chronological thinking is a must-have skill for historians. To link up historical ideas, you have to learn how to organize thoughts chronologically. Consequently, you will find it is easy to answer essay questions when you can pinpoint the particular bit of a chronology that the essay question addresses.
- Interpretation skills
Interpretation is the ultimate aim of all courses. Every student ought to interpret course concepts concerning the real world today. Therefore, while reading history books or watching history movies, strive to interpret the happenings from both a historical and a contemporary perspective.
Outsourcing History Essay Help
Whenever you feel stuck with your history essays, you can always outsource help from history experts. By reviewing how proficient historians answer history questions, you will improve your history essay writing skills. A reliable source for high-quality essay help is writehistoryessay. The site offers friendly prices and quick turnaround services.
