Author: onebighistorydepartment

beginning teacher, GCSE and A level, teaching and learning ideas

Lessons learned: how are we changing our teaching in light of the first cohort of GCSE results?

In this blogpost a very experienced history teacher shares with us how her department are reshaping KS3 in the light of the first 1-9 GCSE results.  Once we had completed the mammoth two-year task of planning and teaching for the new History GCSE we awaited the results with nervous apprehension. Had we understood the spec? Had we used teaching techniques that had helped our students … Continue reading Lessons learned: how are we changing our teaching in light of the first cohort of GCSE results?

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beginning teacher, GCSE and A level, KS3, teaching and learning resources

FREE Religion in Elizabethan England macro inspired by a recent Teaching History article

Thanks to Vicky Bettney (@missvichistory) for sharing with us her macro on Religion in Elizabethan England. Vicky was inspired by reading an article by Hugh Richards (@MisterHistry) in the recent Teaching History 172. Hugh writes about his department’s thinking and work to develop their enquiries at Key Stage Three. They have found that using a ‘macro-micro’ approach has helped students to retain the bigger picture … Continue reading FREE Religion in Elizabethan England macro inspired by a recent Teaching History article

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beginning teacher, display materials, diversity and inclusion, teaching and learning resources

Black history resource shared for easy adaptation!

Zara Daswani (@DaswaniZara) is an ITE trainee and is currently on placement in a rural school run by a major northern academy chain. She volunteered to take on a Black History Month initiative for her placement department. They were delighted with it and she has kindly agreed to share her work so we can all use it. Zara enthused her students to research and prepare … Continue reading Black history resource shared for easy adaptation!

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GCSE and A level, teaching and learning ideas, teaching history

Memory palaces – the ancient idea that could be the future of history teaching?

Trying to help your students to learn all that ‘stuff’ for GCSE? Here’s a great idea from Ben Taylor (@BenTaylor_CSS) … The memory palace technique originated in Ancient Greece and has endured down the centuries. Yet recently it has been made to seem beyond ordinary folk due to its use by Sherlock in the BBC series. Nothing could be further from the truth; it is … Continue reading Memory palaces – the ancient idea that could be the future of history teaching?

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CPD, curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, subject leadership, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

Black Tudors – part 1

On the 29th September a group of us met to discuss ways in which we might develop Miranda Kaufmann’s book Black Tudors for classroom use. We are really keen to share this work with everyone to help provide useful resources. BLACK TUDORS tells the stories of ten Africans. The book traces their paths through the Tudor era revealing rich detail about their daily lives and showing … Continue reading Black Tudors – part 1

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curriculum and planning, local networks, subject leadership

A History HoD gives us seven steps to stay subject specific…

This week, Ruth Lingard (@YorkClio), Head of History at Millthorpe School, addresses the very real problem of the subject-specific getting squeezed by the generic… It is the second week in September and this is the department meeting agenda once I have added what SLT expect to it: GCSE results analysis Predicted grades for year 10 Conduct scores for Year 9 Year 7 walking tour staffing … Continue reading A History HoD gives us seven steps to stay subject specific…

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beginning teacher, CPD, curriculum and planning, disciplinary knowledge, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, subject leadership, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas, teaching and learning resources, websites and publications

Teaching Medieval History? – websites!

There’s no substitute for reading Exploring and Teaching Medieval History – an introduction by Ian Dawson of course. However, knowing how we all need things easily to hand, Henry Walton (@HenryWalton5), Head of Humanities @manorceacademy, has extracted some of the websites and texts it mentions and added others into one handy list. He’s kindly shared it with us… Objects associated with the Conquest: http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/exhibit/iALiB6XML3gmJQ Archaeology: http://www.archaeology.co.uk/ – website with hundreds … Continue reading Teaching Medieval History? – websites!

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display materials, GCSE and A level, historical literacy, historical scholarship, teaching and learning resources

A Level bookmarks – OBHD in action!

This week there was a great example of OBHD in action on @twitter. It goes like this… a history teacher reads a Teaching History article, has a great idea and produces a nifty resource to help her students. Thank you to Rachel Lines (@historyweights) of Purbeck School for this super idea. Here in her own words… Preparing my Year 12s for their coursework and tackling … Continue reading A Level bookmarks – OBHD in action!

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display materials, diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, local networks, teaching and learning resources, websites and publications

Meanwhile, elsewhere – a great team effort!

Last summer my history team began the gargantuan task of revising our KS3 curriculum. When we had agreed bits I often shared our work on Twitter (I tweet under the stupid name @kenradical). I had posted our Year 7 overview one evening and Ben Walsh (@History_Ben) replied asking where the global history was. He was right, we had hardly any. The next day I went back … Continue reading Meanwhile, elsewhere – a great team effort!

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historical scholarship, reviews, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

What did you read this summer?

In this year’s March issue of Teaching History, Helen Snelson wrote in the Secondary Committee pages about making a ‘connecting with historical scholarship’ resolution. Richard Kerridge has picked up this theme in his blog about his summer reading… Like most history teachers, and teachers of other subjects, I read a lot. I guess mainly it’s to increase my knowledge of a period or topic although … Continue reading What did you read this summer?

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