Category: GCSE and A level

GCSE and A level, teaching and learning ideas

How specifying the knowledge has really helped all our learners

In this blogpost, Richard Kennett shares his department’s work to focus on core knowledge at A level. The approach could be applied at other levels. This sort of curriculum conversation leading to development is what we want to share on #OBHD. Please share your work too and meanwhile follow @histassoc and find more support via www.history.org.uk    The problem of a lack of A* grades Last … Continue reading How specifying the knowledge has really helped all our learners

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GCSE and A level, KS3, local history, speaking and listening, substantive knowledge, teaching and learning ideas, teaching and learning resources

Acting out the BIG PICTURE: using geeky scripted role plays at GCSE and A Level

Jen Thornton, Head of History at Loreto Grammar School, shares her solution to teaching ‘the big picture’. She describes her approach and then shares her scripts with us so everyone can use them. Onebighistorydepartment! As an NQT back in 2006, I was blessed to work with a brilliant History department, and there is one thing I took away from that year which is still a … Continue reading Acting out the BIG PICTURE: using geeky scripted role plays at GCSE and A Level

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diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas, teaching and learning resources, websites and publications

Maps to make WW1 a truly WORLD war

In this post Jason Todd, PGCE Tutor at Oxford University and member of Secondary Committee, gives really helpful advice about how to make your teaching of World War One less limited to the Western Front, and therefore more accurate and respectful to the past, without rewriting everything you do and adding much time to the teaching of the topic… I recently had the privilege of … Continue reading Maps to make WW1 a truly WORLD war

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beginning teacher, GCSE and A level, historical literacy, KS3, reading listening watching, teaching and learning resources

FREE – Historical Fiction list from the HA

The Historical Association Secondary Committee have put together this HA_Historical_Fiction_list for people to use with their students. It is designed to help history teachers to inspire students of all ages in secondary school to read historical fiction for pleasure and also to get better at doing history. Please share it! Historical fiction works very powerfully to help some people do even better at history, including … Continue reading FREE – Historical Fiction list from the HA

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beginning teacher, curriculum and planning, GCSE and A level, KS3, teaching and learning ideas, teaching and learning resources, websites and publications

In case you’d forgotten about thinkinghistory.co.uk …

Continuing our theme of bringing sources of good quality resoures to the OBHD community, this post features www.thinkinghistory.co.uk. It is a site where the key word is ‘respect’. Respect for people of the past acting without the benefit of hindsight and respect for voices that may not always be heard. Almost everything on it has been created and maintained by former SHP Director Ian Dawson, known … Continue reading In case you’d forgotten about thinkinghistory.co.uk …

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GCSE and A level, KS3, teaching and learning ideas

Closing the gap for disadvantaged students – can history lead the way?

How can History departments lead the way in closing the progress gap for disadvantaged students? The progress and attainment gaps for disadvantaged students are a source of much soul searching in our profession, and almost the only sure answer we have is that there is no easy solution. However, despite the stubborn and depressing national picture, I can testify from my own experience that there … Continue reading Closing the gap for disadvantaged students – can history lead the way?

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curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, subject leadership, teacher knowledge, websites and publications

Teaching beyond Europe, the less trod path…

Happy New Year! May 2019 be kind and also full of really effective and inspiring history teaching – including of more diverse pasts! The Historical Association has welcomed the Royal Historical Society’s 2018 ‘Race, Ethnicity and Equality’ report that highlights the need for greater diversity in UK History and is committed to helping school history teachers to teach about a more diverse past. At the … Continue reading Teaching beyond Europe, the less trod path…

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curriculum and planning, GCSE and A level, historical enquiry, KS3, subject leadership, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas

A guide to historical enquiry questions in action

A few weeks ago Christine Counsell (@Counsell-C) gave the benefit of her wisdom and her encyclopedic knowledge of Teaching History articles to all of us seeking to understand the role of the historical enquiry question in great history teaching. In case you missed it on @twitter, here it is reproduced with links to the articles…  In @histassoc TH articles, I’m not sure you want articles … Continue reading A guide to historical enquiry questions in action

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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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