“This is not just a study guide.
Listening to children's questions,
This book is filled with the sincerity of teachers who have pondered together how to love history and people.”

Are you having trouble studying history? Welcome to the "History Study Advice Center"!
A class where questions come alive, a time to fall in love with history!
Discover the most practical study methods suggested by current history teachers!!

“Why should I study history?” “The tests are too hard!” These are the most common questions asked by children learning history.
『History Study Counseling Center for Middle School Students』 is a book written by five current history teachers who put their heads together to help children who have difficulty studying history.
This is a tailored history study guide for a wide range of readers, from children who have not yet developed an interest in history, to parents who want to assist their children's learning, to elementary school teachers who are concerned about effective teaching methods in the classroom.
This book begins by breaking away from the prejudice that 'history is memorization' and making students question the essence of studying history.
In other words, "Why should we learn history?", "Why do people interpret events differently?", "How should I prepare for exams?", "It's hard enough to live in the present, so is it really necessary to know about the past?", and other questions children ask, are answered by "real teachers" who provide kind explanations, specific examples, and practical tips.


It addresses students' concerns, as well as providing tips on how to arouse interest, even if only a little, in children who dislike history, and includes various teaching examples and teaching methods for elementary school teachers who find Korean history classes burdensome, to help teachers utilize them in their educational settings.
This book, which calls itself a “history study counseling center for everyone,” is therefore also a book for students, parents, and teachers.
Part 1 is designed for students, Part 2 for parents, and Part 3 for teachers, so parents and teachers are encouraged to read from Part 1.
It will help you understand what parts children are actually struggling with.
The helpful YouTube videos and various book introductions at the end of the book are a thoughtful gift from the five teachers in the writing team to the readers.

The Black Death killed many people and made labor scarce in both Western and Eastern Europe.
But the results that followed were completely different.
Why would that be? Aren't you curious? The reason is that the political systems and social climates of Western and Eastern Europe at the time were different.
First of all, Western Europe was not a region unified as a single nation under a strong power.
It was divided into several countries, and within them, nobles who were more powerful than the king held power.
These are the marquises, counts, viscounts, and barons we hear about in fairy tales.
These nobles were the landowners who owned large tracts of land and entered into direct contracts with farmers who needed labor.

However, a society with such decentralized power is not structured in such a way that everyone can follow even if one person says, “Let’s do it this way!”
On the contrary, the landowners competed with each other.
For example, the situation in Western Europe where multiple agencies competitively raise the price and conditions to bring in a talented trainee is exactly what is happening.
Eastern Europe, on the other hand, was often unified into a single empire.
For example, the Kingdom of Hungary at the time, the Polish region, and the growing Grand Duchy of Moscow (later the Russian Empire) were all under a strong centralized system, with the monarch's commands permeating all aspects of society.
It was a society with a clear division between upper and lower classes, and it was easy to create an oppressive atmosphere.
So, even as the number of farmers decreased, the landlords were able to respond by forcing the surviving farmers to work two or three times as much.

If you find this atmosphere difficult to understand, think of a modern military.
The military has a clear hierarchy, and when orders come down from above, those below must carry them out, right? Eastern European societies were similar.
Orders were the order, and it was a structure in which individual opinions were not easily reflected.
In addition to the factors discussed above, the completely different results in Western and Eastern Europe are due to the complex interaction of various backgrounds, including politics, culture, and institutions.
There are still various opinions among scholars as to which of these factors was decisive.
This is the essence of the subject of history: making inferences based on factual evidence and sometimes even adding imagination to an event or phenomenon.
History is a living story, always open to change and interpretation.
It is not a discipline that always produces the same results like natural science.

--- From "Why am I studying history now?" (Yoon Sang-min)

The concept of 'historical denial' first emerged as an issue in Europe.
During World War II, Germany systematically murdered millions of Jews.
This event is called the 'Holocaust', and the problem is that even after the war ended, some people did not acknowledge this terrible event.
They claimed that “the Holocaust never actually happened” or that “even if it did, the number of victims was exaggerated.”
In this way, denying or minimizing obvious historical facts was the beginning of historical denial.
There are instances of historical denial in our history as well.
During the Japanese colonial period, Japan forcibly took Koreans to war and subjected them to labor and sexual exploitation.
However, the current Japanese government does not acknowledge this, and claims that “the military was not directly involved, and Koreans participated voluntarily.”
Denying or distorting past events that actually occurred is historical denial.

The Nanjing Massacre is also a representative example of historical denial.
In 1937, the Japanese invasion of Nanjing, China, resulted in the massacre or injury of over 300,000 Chinese over a period of six weeks, a horrific event that shocked the world.
However, the Japanese government calls it the 'Nanjing Incident'.
They claim that it was not an organized massacre under official orders, but rather a civilian casualty that occurred accidentally during the war.
And that's not all? Japan has consistently maintained that the number of victims is exaggerated.
This denial of history has long been a source of conflict in China-Japan relations.
It is also an obstacle that hinders mutual understanding and cooperation between the two countries.
In 2014, China designated December 13th as the "National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre," and annually holds memorial events to remember the horrors of war and commemorate the values ​​of peace.


(…) In order to avoid being tainted by historical denial, it is important to ‘study history properly.’
As you study history, you naturally develop a 'thought' and 'perspective' on history, that is, a view of history.
This view of history is not something that can be created for you by someone else.
You have to build it up step by step by studying, asking questions, and thinking on your own.
One thing to keep in mind is that during this process, you need to be humble and examine your own thoughts, rather than blindly accepting or rejecting others' claims.
--- From "What is needed to understand history accurately?" (Jeong Tae-yoon)

I think this is the test that Korean students worry about the most after the written test at school.
In this exam, which is called 'Suneung' for short, you must take the Korean history section because if you do not take it, you will not receive a report card.


First, what is the purpose and purpose of the CSAT? The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) oversees the CSAT, and its stated purpose is to "ensure fairness and objectivity in student selection," "contribute to the normalization of high school education," and "provide fair and objective college admissions data."
Among these, the purpose that resonates most with us is that it is provided as college entrance exam materials, that is, for college entrance selection.


Second, the CSAT is an ‘absolute evaluation.’
'Absolute evaluation' refers to an evaluation in which a certain standard exists and a grade is given only when the score falls within that standard.
It is used to select students, but the purpose of differentiating and ranking them is low, so the score is simplified to 2 or 3 points.
The test covers a wide range of eras, and since there are only 20 questions, the questions focus on major historical content, and the options are mixed across various eras, so you can find the answers without getting confused just by studying.
Instead, in the black textbook system, although publishers vary, there are set textbooks that follow the curriculum presented by the Ministry of Education, so it's clear what to study with, right?

Third, how should I study? First, I need to familiarize myself with the problem types.
Be sure to provide materials, whether pictures, maps, photographs, or modernized versions of old texts, and have them solve the problems.
Even if you come across something you didn't see in the textbook, it's good to practice finding things you studied by focusing on the flow and keywords.
For high schools, most written exams follow the CSAT format, so preparing for both exams simultaneously can be very helpful. Furthermore, since some topics recur across the wide range of exams, solving past exam questions from the past five years or so to familiarize yourself with recurring keywords is an effective way to learn.
However, you should not cram under the excuse that it will not be burdensome because it is an absolute evaluation.
Since there is usually a Korean history class in the first year of high school, I recommend that you take advantage of the vacation period or invest a short amount of time every day during the first semester of your third year.
--- From "Preparing for Each History Exam - Should the Methods Also Change?" (Kim Min-ju)

A while ago, a student approached me cautiously and said this:

“Teacher, can you spare me a moment?”
Then he continued speaking with a hesitant and upset expression.
“I was studying history on YouTube at home these days….
My parents keep telling me to stop playing and study.
I told him that I was studying, and that my history teacher said that if there was something I didn't know, I could look it up on YouTube... but he told me not to talk back...
“I’m so upset.”
At those words, I looked into his eyes, which seemed as if they were about to burst into tears, and quietly smiled and said this.
"are you okay.
Your study time and effort will never be wasted.
Let's produce good results and proudly show them to our parents.
I'm sure he understands your feelings.
Even if you don't say anything, he'll feel proud of you and sorry for you too."
This is a great example of how different the 'learning culture' has become between our students and their parents' generation.
These days, students often turn to YouTube before using search engines, and in fact, the proportion of students using YouTube to search for information and study is increasing.
I also actively encourage students to use YouTube for learning.
Of course, since these changes are unfamiliar to our parents' generation, we are worried.

“Can I study on YouTube?”
“Is it possible that I am simply believing incorrect information?”
It is natural for such anxiety to arise.
However, if you use YouTube well, you can choose the topic and learning method you need and study it at your own pace, which is a huge advantage.
In other words, it can be a tool to help you find a learning style that suits you.
So rather than just excluding YouTube, it's more important to know how to use it properly.
In this lesson, we'll explore how to effectively use YouTube to study history and what common misconceptions students have.
If used well, YouTube can be a great study tool.
--- From "Can I study history on YouTube?" (Jo Jae-hyeok)

My classes have been constantly changing for 16 years.
For five years after my first assignment, my classes were no different from any other classes.
At that time, I gave a lecture-style class for 50 minutes with structured notes and witty explanations.
The school I was working at at the time was a girls' high school, and since I was a single teacher, the students listened to me well.
But before I knew it, I wasn't having fun anymore.
If I continue like this, I will lose confidence in continuing to enjoy school life.
(…) That’s how season 2 of my class began, based on the ‘flipped class’.
We film the stepping stone class video in advance and upload it to the cafe.
And students must watch the video of the stepping stone class for that period before starting this class.
During this class, we will fill out the worksheets and conduct various review activities in groups.
A lot of time and effort went into preparing activities that were relevant to each topic and had a learning effect.
I prepared the class more diligently than when I was a new teacher.
My desk was always cluttered with glue, scissors, a timer, and other things.


At that time, the goal of my class was to 'make the class fun.'
I believed that if students had just one hour of fun classes a day, they would enjoy their school life.
When planning the activity, I thought about elements of interest, and when students worked in groups during actual classes, I played exciting songs.
Fortunately, the students enjoyed it very much.
And my test scores were similar to those of classes I didn't attend.
It was proven that there was a learning effect.
Class time was the happiest time of the day.
Even while walking down the street or eating, my mind was filled with thoughts about class.
But one thing remained unresolved in my mind.
That was because of the nature of the 'flipped class', I had to watch the stepping stone class at home before class.
However, this became a burden to students who were busy with after-school academy schedules.
How to resolve this issue in the future has become my new challenge.


The answer to that question came unexpectedly.
It was 2020, when I transferred schools again.
As COVID-19 struck our country, we entered a period of upheaval, with school closures postponed and remote learning beginning.
I was able to easily adapt to remote classes because I had been following a routine of filming stepping stone class videos and uploading them to the cafe every year before the start of the semester.
However, we were unable to do the review activities that we had been enjoying in each group.
At this time, I learned and used various edutech tools.
Activities that were previously conducted analogically offline can now be implemented similarly online.
Thanks to that, when everyone was confused, I was able to establish my own online teaching routine.

--- From "Park Soon-hwa's Class: A Class That Starts with Fun and Ends with Thought"