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James's thoughts on studying history (or any other subjects)

Updated: May 24

Introduction

Hello, James here again! Today, I would like to talk about studying. In particular, studying history is something I’ve done a lot of at university. Now, you might be thinking, ‘Oh, it’ll be a little while before my kids have to study for anything!’ However, the key skills they’ll be using in later life for studying and other things begin with what we’re helping to show them at Little Plaza.


So, here are two key skills which are key to studying and how we develop them at Little Plaza:



Curiosity is key

Curiosity is vital to studying. You’ll gain the greatest knowledge and appreciation of a topic if you let your own interests guide you and research what you’re passionate about. When writing history, this means reading widely! The best scholarship always comes from historians whose curiosity guides them because this encourages them to look at a wide variety of sources from a variety of angles. For example, if you’re writing a paper on why the Roman Empire collapsed, don’t just read stuffy old histories written thousands of years ago. They’re important, but they’re also biased, and only one perspective. You should also look at Roman archaeology, works about Roman culture, economics, religion, language, etc. Finding what you think is the most interesting angle of a topic and researching it deeply will lead to the most provocative and well-rounded explanations!


At Little Plaza, we offer a wide range of activities for kids to get involved in, like dance, art, music, maths, yoga, languages, and reading and writing (check out the rest of the website for more!). Our goal is to help kids discover what interests them, to encourage their curiosity, and, crucially, to help them realise that curiosity is a good thing! This will help set them up well for future learning.





Asking questions is key!

The best way to study is to constantly ask questions about things you don’t understand and find answers to them—in this way, you can gain the most comprehensive understanding of a topic. For example, if you’re writing a paper on why the Scottish Wars of Independence happened, you should ask questions like: When did the Wars occur? Over months, years, or decades? What changed over time? Who were the main players? Were they wars only between Scotland and England, or did other countries like France play a role? Was it just noblemen and kings, or did the common people play an important part? What was it? How did society change because of the Wars compared to before? All these questions and more will lead to a comprehensive, nuanced understanding of the Wars of Independence.


At Little Plaza, we encourage kids to ask questions about the things they’re learning. For example, in the Reading Club that I run, I encourage kids to think about what they liked about the stories they read, and why. Getting kids asking questions will help them learn about the world, and themselves—and set them up well for their future learning.


Ultimately, Little Plaza is a place where we want to develop foundational skills—like being curious and asking questions, to help set kids up the best we can for their lives ahead.





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