Category: KS3

curriculum and planning, disciplinary knowledge, GCSE and A level, historical interpretations, historical scholarship, KS3, local networks, subject leadership, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas

Teaching interpretations – maximising potential and avoiding pitfalls!

Thanks to Warren Valentine (@warrenvalentine), head of history and politics at Mayfield Grammar School for Girls, for this blogpost about a day spent thinking about the teaching of historical interpretations. This is an area that has been extensively discussed and theorised about for many years. You can find more help with this tricky concept on the HA website.   In June a collection of history teachers … Continue reading Teaching interpretations – maximising potential and avoiding pitfalls!

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curriculum and planning, GCSE and A level, KS3, subject leadership

Making sense of the past: history curriculum and the education inspection framework

Thanks to Heather Fearn, Inspector Curriculum and Professional Development Lead, Ofsted for this blogpost… What images come into your head when I say the word ‘Egyptians’? Probably multiple thoughts and ideas of pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphics. Or perhaps the word triggers more modern connotations? When I spoke at the Historical Association Annual Conference recently, as you might expect, I felt very assured of the audience’s … Continue reading Making sense of the past: history curriculum and the education inspection framework

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

Women’s Suffrage: history and citizenship resources for schools

When the Historical Association invited me and several other teachers to design new schemes of work for the website, we had two new resources upon which to draw. The first was the new and exciting scholarship that had emerged to coincide with the centenary, including works like Jane Robinson’s Hearts and Minds and Fern Riddell’s Death in Ten Minutes; the second a database designed by … Continue reading Women’s Suffrage: history and citizenship resources for schools

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beginning teacher, disciplinary knowledge, GCSE and A level, historical interpretations, historical scholarship, KS3, reading listening watching, speaking and listening, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning resources

Historians: short film clips

There is currently lots of really good practice around the use of historians’ work in classrooms. Last weekend at SHP a few of us were talking about how useful it would be to have a list of short clips of historians in one place. This list has been started and is shared here as a Google-Doc that can be accessed, added to and improved. Google … Continue reading Historians: short film clips

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beginning teacher, KS3, sources and evidence, speaking and listening, teaching and learning ideas, teaching history

Building ‘Botheredness’ making reluctant learners care about History

Thanks so much to Carmel Bones for writing this blogpost. Carmel shares with us loads of great strategies for motivating our students. Why not have a go at some of these and also share some of your favourites? #OBHD  It might be surprising to discover that History is not everybody’s favourite subject?! And even if it is ‘building botheredness’ is still important to ensure learner … Continue reading Building ‘Botheredness’ making reluctant learners care about History

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KS3, local networks, subject leadership, teaching and learning ideas, teaching history

North of Scotch Corner – a cross country approach to developing explicit explanations

This blogpost describes a really effective school link up as a result of discussions at Teach Meet History Icons back in March 2018. Here, Martyn Bajkowski, HA Secondary Committee, describes how he and Alex Fairlamb, lead coordinator of TMHistoryIcons, worked together to motivate their students to put in effort and develop clarity with their historical explanations. A brilliant idea that is easily copied – thank … Continue reading North of Scotch Corner – a cross country approach to developing explicit explanations

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CPD, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, subject leadership, teacher knowledge, teaching history

Exhausted and exhilarated! A personal reflection on HA Conference 2019

First-time conference attender and Chartered History Teacher Natalie Kesterton blogs about her HA conference experience. The drive across the Pennines was lovely and sunny; boding well for a great weekend in Chester; my first national HA conference and first time presenting. I went with the aim of ensuring my planning of the new KS3 curriculum is on the right track and of finding more ideas … Continue reading Exhausted and exhilarated! A personal reflection on HA Conference 2019

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curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, KS3

How we are trying to design the best KS3 Curriculum ever

Following on from the Cottenham Village College team’s blogpost about their experience with the Ofsted pilot, we are grateful to the team at Fairfield School for sharing with us their thinking and connecting and working journey to revamp their KS3 curriculum… Now that new A Levels and GCSEs are more set up, many of us are turning our attention to the KS3 curriculum. This process … Continue reading How we are trying to design the best KS3 Curriculum ever

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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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