Amber Kelly – History Teacher at Putteridge High School in Luton 

Why I took part in the HA History Teacher Development Programme 

Stepping into the classroom for the first time in September 2020 filled me with fear after not being in school for nearly six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After my teacher training was cut short, and with my NQT year being littered with bubble closures and further lockdowns, I always felt like my introduction to the profession was somewhat unfinished. Imposter syndrome setting in, I wasn’t sure how best to contribute to my department’s curriculum and whether I had the expertise to at that point of my career. When the HA’s History Teacher Development Programme became available, I knew it was what I needed to bridge that gap I felt between my ITT and subsequent career as a history teacher. In my third year of teaching, settled into the expectations of working in a school, I was ready to further my understanding of what it means to be a history teacher and engage more with the complexities of our subject. 

The HTDP allowed me to explore the questions I still had post-training and induction, through modules such as “The Aims and Challenges of Being a History Teacher”. I enjoyed reflecting on why I chose history teaching as well as getting the opportunity to challenge and question the content of the module through my personal portfolio reflections. As a result of this HTDP module, I have a better understanding of the differences between substantive knowledge and disciplinary knowledge and it supported me in bettering my understanding of how one cannot exist without the other. This immediately gave me the confidence to share what I knew with my colleagues as we discussed improving our curriculum and is something that we collectively return to regularly. The HTDP ensured my contributions have had a long-lasting impact, especially as what I have shared is research and evidence-based. 

Networking and engaging with other history teachers 

One of the greatest assets that the HTDP offers is the ability to talk about teaching history with a range of practitioners. Having a similar experience to the rest of my cohort gave me an open floor to share my thoughts with like-minded teachers as we were all in the same boat at that stage of our careers. I instantly felt comfort in knowing that the questions I had were likely to be in the minds of those around me also. In addition, the questions posed by my mentors stretched me to consider my understanding of the modules further, and thanks to their expertise and guidance I was able to think beyond the response tasks of each module. I even went on to meet one of my mentors at the HA Conference and continued to discuss history teaching at one of the sessions on offer.  

Being able to actively discuss ideas with others was without a doubt an excellent opportunity, but so was the chance to watch and listen to modules produced by some of the most influential practitioners in history teaching at this time, such as Christine Counsell, Mike Hill and Hugh Richards, amongst many others. After each video in the modules on offer, I came away with not only a wealth of new ideas but also questions to pose to my colleagues with up-to-date research to support my arguments as to what we need to consider for our curriculum and why. The HTDP gave me the confidence to use the voice about curriculum that I knew I had somewhere, but was afraid to use. 

Gains from the HA HTDP 

Whilst taking part in the HTDP, it made me breathe a sigh of relief. I was concerned about my practice in areas such as teaching Empire, which is why the module “Teaching the British Empire” appealed to me so much. I was always concerned I wasn’t teaching Empire particularly effectively but having completed the module on this programme, I came to realise that my school’s curriculum covers a lot of aspects of Empire throughout different schemes of learning and that we are keeping up with the changes in practice in this area. So really, it filled me with more confidence when I stepped back into the classroom as I felt like we were ‘teaching it right’ and keeping up with curriculum progression across the country. 

After I participated in the HTDP, I was able to take what I had learned and share it with all staff at school, even beyond the history department. As part of the “Building pupils’ knowledge” module, Alex Ford’s session resonated with me and I went on to share key ideas through a teaching tip to all staff, such as retrieval needing to activate prior knowledge that is going to be relevant to the lesson so as not to overwhelm students and hamper learning. This is something that has influenced my planning significantly since taking part in the course, demonstrating the long-lasting impact the HTDP has once again. 

Why others should take part in the HA HTDP 

One of the perks of the HTDP is the ability to work through the modules at your own pace in the run-up to each online meeting. This allows you to thoroughly engage with all the content provided, as well as explore further research after being inspired by the rich discussions in your online meetings with mentors and other history teachers. Although it takes time, which I appreciate isn’t in abundance as a teacher, it’s worth it when you are fuelling the enthusiasm you have for your subject; the takeaways after each module and online meeting are invaluable.  

If you are looking to be challenged as a teacher of history whilst also being given the space to challenge other ideas, then the HTDP is the course for you. The community feel of this programme opens more doors to better your practice in a supportive environment and reiterates the importance of reflecting on history teaching in schools in the 21st century. It’s CPD I would recommend to anyone in their career as a history teacher, to get back in touch with why we do it.