Matt Bryant, Head of Humanities at Abbeyfield School in Chippenham, shares his strategies for assisting students in accessing the sometimes tricky language presented in written sources. Getting students to critically assess evidence can be a challenge at the best of times but all History teachers know how important this is. By understanding and questioning source material the student becomes the ...
Read More »In the first of a series of blog posts detailing approaches to sourcework, Kate Hawkey, PGCE tutor from the University of Bristol, introduces the group of teachers responsible and the rationale behind the project. In September 2014 a group of history teachers in and around Bristol got together to talk about the challenges and successes of teaching history in their classrooms. They invited the PGC...
Read More »At the SHP summer conference in July 2016, Christine Counsell shared her thoughts on what SLT need to know about history teaching. This powerpoint and associated resources are aimed at enabling heads of history to tackle those difficult conversations with their (probably) non-history-specialist line managers, particularly in the current climate off assessing progress at KS3 using GCSE criteria. Wh...
Read More »An HMI view on ‘Securing Outstanding Leadership in History’ from Michael Maddison (HMI). Michael is Ofsted’s Specialist Adviser for History. See the Plenary PowerPoint
Read More »The plenary lecture by Peter Mandler, Professor of Modern Cultural History, University of Cambridge and President of the Royal Historical Society. Read the lecture
Read More »A former colleague told me on hearing I was pregnant with my first son, that being a parent doesn’t make you a better teacher but makes you a more understanding one. Sixteen years later I continue to echo his thoughts and as my children advance towards public examinations, nevermore have I been more appreciative of the challenges our young people face. Faced with the prospect of 26 examinations th...
Read More »Christine Counsell, (University of Cambridge Faculty of Education) `Interpretations of history` first gained formal curricular presence in the History NC for England and Wales in 1991. It has never gone away and it returns as a glorious, explicit plural in the 2014 NC. What have history teachers achieved with it? How have they developed it? Why is this tradition precious? Why is it admired ab...
Read More »Dale Banham (Northgate High School, Ipswich) Russell Hall (Copleston High School, Ipswich) `A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special` (Nelson Mandela). Dale and Russell’s workshop at SHP’s 2014 July Conference focussed on a range of practical strategies that help pupils think,...
Read More »Introduction This guidance is based on Christine Counsell’s workshop at the 2008 SHP Conference: Making meaning out of change, continuity and diversity. The workshop focussed on three main questions in relation to change and continuity: 1. What makes for a meaningful and motivating enquiry into change and continuity? 2. How can we balance abstract analysis of speed and pace of change with an explo...
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