[HPforGrownups] Professor Binns

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 80046

Myrth wrote:
>I think that history is a subject taught by lecture (IMO the worst way
>to teach). I think if polled most members would say that history was
>the class they liked the least in school. JKR has used teacher
>stereotypes in her books. I have had teachers much like Binns. I am
>working on a MA degree. I had a class that was much like the History
>of Magic. The teacher would talk and talk and talk. I had three

I'd have to disagree - history was very much my favourite subject _despite_
having a teacher who didn't just teach as you said, but wrote the notes on
the blackboard and we had to copy them down! But it didn't get in the way of
giving me a permanent fascination for the subject.

A good lecturer, of course (and I've had several of those) actually gets you
more rather than less interested as they go on...

>I could relate to the students in Binns classes. I agree that this is
>sad. History of Magic is an important class. You can not know what is
>going on in the world without having knowledge of the past. So I think
>Binns is kept to show the steotypical boring teacher.

Possibly the point is that in a school like Hogwarts which is designated as
a school "of Witchcraft and Wizardry" and whose curriculum has an
overwhelmingly practical bias, history of magic really _isn't_ that
important, and so the fact that Binns doesn't get his message across doesn't
really matter.

One point which does strike me about Binns is similar to a point that others
have made about Hagrid. Just as Hagrid doesn't start off by teaching the
_care_ of magical creatures - he's too wrapped up in teaching the _wonder_
of magical creatures, Binns isn't teaching the history of _magic_ -
developments in the techniques, spells, potions, etc; as far as we can see,
he teaches the history of the WW - goblin revolts, giant wars, wizard
rebellions, and so on.

But even so, I'd certainly be signing up for a NEWT with Binnsy!

Cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri