PCHS teacher's history lab brings the past to life in physical form

Aug. 5—Soul music icon Sam Cooke famously sang the line, "Don't know much about history." Perhaps if he'd had access to Jed Keith's history lab in school, those lyrics from "Wonderful World" might be a little bit different.

Keith is known for a variety of different things — in particular, he's been a skating referee for the Somer City Roller Derby Team and a writer on pop culture subjects for the website FreakSugar — but students at Pulaski County High School know him as a history teacher. Specifically, Keith has taken on classes in World Civilization, U.S. History, History Through Film, and Sociology over the last couple of years, and strives to help students appreciate these subjects as much as he always has. And with school starting again in Pulaski County next week, a new bunch of high schoolers will be introduced to Keith's innovative approach to learning.

"I have loved studying history and the social sciences since before I entered kindergarten," he said. "I majored in anthropology, sociology, and religion, with a minor in philosophy, in undergrad, and teaching seemed like a natural next step. I have so many teachers that helped cultivate my inquisitiveness and love of learning. I want to pass that on to my students."

One of the ways he's doing that is by offering students an up-close, hands-on approach to learning — what Keith calls a "history lab." And while one might hear that and think of things like arrowheads or ancient ceramics, it's worth noting that much of what the modern high schooler might consider history wasn't all that long ago to others among us.

"A history lab is a collection of items that range from all eras of history, up to the modern era," said Keith. "While the items can include items like clay pots, we also focus on items from the 1800s to the present day. Essentially, a history lab can include any objects or writings — from magazines to newspapers to even catalogues and phonebooks — that can help students more fully understand a particular time period or concept.

"The history lab we are cultivating, for example, has items including rotary phones and old cameras; ink wells and pens; an adding machine and bank ledger; a reproduction of chain mail and a wooden sparring sword; campaign buttons; Vietnam War-era canteens; old 'Life' magazines and Cold War-era newspapers; and many more," he added.

And not all of those items are "real" per se, noted Keith. They can also include replicas of items from different eras that serve the same purpose.

"While 'real' items are great, the key is to give students the opportunity to work with historical items to make history more tangible," said Keith. "We are always on the lookout for more objects, from thrift stores to antique shops to donations. Family, friends, and faculty and staff at Pulaski County High School have generously donated to the lab."

And readers are encouraged to do so as well; Keith said that anyone interested in contributing — anything from old newspapers to vintage toasters — can contact him, via Pulaski County High School.

"Students will absolutely be able to interact with these items; we want the students to have the opportunity to interact with objects that they may have seen or read about, but never had the chance to have a closer look," said Keith. "In fact, interacting with the objects is very much the point. We want them to be able to learn from the objects and get a greater sense of history in that interaction."

The history lab concept helps students whose individual brains respond better to educational opportunities with more direct interaction.

"We all learn differently, whether through reading or listening to discussion with peers to hands-on," said Keith. "Hopefully, history labs give students the chance to learn the social sciences in ways that they don't always have the chance to do. They can touch and see objects they have only seen on TV and films or read about. The goal is to augment learning and, hopefully, enrich their learning and pique their curiosity about history."

On history lab days, the class is set up into stations, around five to six, each with an object at that station. Students have sheets with questions associated with the object at a particular station, and groups rotate to each station and talk through the questions.

"They usually are not told what the object is; one of the goals is for the students to try to figure that out," said Keith. "The questions range from what they think the object is made of; what the composition of the object can tell us about the time period; what they think the object is used for; and so on. I don't judge them on accuracy — although we do talk through what the objects are at the end of the lesson. Beyond learning about history, the goal is to use their critical thinking skills and to apply them to an object just as they would a piece of writing."

Keith said that the reaction from students and the administration has been "very positive" thus far, and it's something Keith's pupils can expect to see more of this school year.

"I've already started employing history labs in my classes and try to use them once a unit, depending on the objects that are available and connect to the time period we're studying," he said. "The students seem to respond to the labs and always ask when we're doing the next one. The administration has been very enthusiastic and supportive; I'm very lucky and fortunate in that regard."