Nowadays, younger generations tend to know more information about worldwide pop and renowned actors instead of historical events and people in their nation. This phenomenon is caused by the changes in the youth’s lifestyle. However, transforming the way history is accessed can help address this problem.
One of the primary causes is teenagers becoming more materialistic. In recent years, younger individuals have prioritized watching or following international pop and famous movie stars because these can help them to entertain. Furthermore, these generations are scared to be out-of-date with their peers if they cannot follow new trends about celebrities immediately. Thus, teenagers tend to lose interest in national history, and only concentrate on seeking news about renowned singers or movies. For instance, in a famous video on Vietnamese Youtube, a teacher asked her students about a K-pop star and a Vietnamese national hero. About 40 out of 45 students know the real name of the K-pop singer but they do not know the real name of the Vietnamese hero.
To solve this issue, instilling patriotism in young people with history lessons are very crucial. Instead of using traditional ways to teach children about theories and timelines, schools can render history livelier with entertaining sources to engage students in historical records that are hard to memorize. Moreover, teachers and parents can invigorate history by creating field trips to historical sites for younger generations and telling some pieces of stories about history. For example, in China, every schools and universities have to take their students to local historical sites at least once a year.
In conclusion, although younger individuals do not pay much attention to their nation’s history, it can be addressed by teaching history in a lively way.