Category: substantive knowledge

curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, KS3, substantive knowledge, teaching and learning ideas

How can we foster students’ understanding of the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and the Transatlantic Slave Trade as interconnected?

Thanks to Sian Ayling (@MsAylingHist), history teacher at Blackfen School for Girls in Sidcup for this blogpost. Sian has wrestled with the need to enable students to see the inter-connection between Britain’s industrial revolution, Empire and transatlantic slave trade. She describes the way that she has planned and developed this work in a way that will be very helpful to colleagues planning the same journey. … Continue reading How can we foster students’ understanding of the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire and the Transatlantic Slave Trade as interconnected?

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curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, KS3, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

Empowering ourselves to create an anti-racist curriculum: picking off the obstacles one book and one conversation at a time

Thank you to Kate Smee, Head of Humanities at Fairfield School in Bristol for this blogpost. Kate encourages us to keep on thinking and planning and doing what we need to do to teach better history, despite Covid-19. Her twitter handle is on the end of her blogpost.  I am going to start by saying this is not a blog with a definitive road map, … Continue reading Empowering ourselves to create an anti-racist curriculum: picking off the obstacles one book and one conversation at a time

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GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, KS3, sources and evidence, substantive knowledge, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas, teaching history

Enriching history in a time of Covid

History teachers have pulled off incredible feats since the start of 2021 and are pulling together to get better at helping pupils to get better at history despite the ongoing pandemic disruption. #disthist has been useful for gathering ideas into one place in the twittersphere, the @histassoc remote learning hubs are available and @TMHistoryIcons held a really well-timed distance learning day that was so supportive. … Continue reading Enriching history in a time of Covid

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curriculum and planning, historical literacy, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching history

The importance of reading

Thanks to Anne Hooper of Secondary Committee for delving back into those Teaching History archives again. Here she learns more about the very topical matter of reading in the history curriculum from the history teaching past.  In a recent ResearchEd talk Clare Sealy talked passionately about the importance of reading in the curriculum. In recent years we have seen a renaissance regarding the importance of … Continue reading The importance of reading

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curriculum and planning, disciplinary knowledge, diversity and inclusion, GCSE and A level, historical scholarship, reviews, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching history

Teaching history well – a reflection

As we come to the end of a very long term and the end of a very long year, Anne Hudson and Gabrielle Reddington share an important conversation. It will hopefully summarise messages received in 2020 and provide food for more thought as we unwind in the break and start to look ahead to 2021. Anne and Gabrielle have taught pupils and trained teachers through … Continue reading Teaching history well – a reflection

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CPD, curriculum and planning, disciplinary knowledge, diversity and inclusion, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge, teaching and learning ideas

Reflections on the HA Conference 2020

Thanks to Gemma Hargraves (@History_Girls) for writing here about here takeaways from the HA Conference. The conference sessions will be online until 4th January 2021, so there is still time to catch-up on other sessions once the rush of term is ended. Now is actually a great time to learn We’re all tired, busy adapting to blended learning, and facing various COVID related challenges… but … Continue reading Reflections on the HA Conference 2020

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substantive knowledge, teaching history

A bit of half-term holiday history fun!

Thanks to Henry Walton, Head of Humanities at Manor CE in York (@HenryWalton5) for collating these history cryptic crossword clues. Cryptic crosswords are a bit like marmite – some history teachers just don’t get the excitement, other history teachers love ’em. Why not have a go? The answers are at the bottom – no peaking! Happy half-term – with apologies to the minority who had … Continue reading A bit of half-term holiday history fun!

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CPD, curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, historical scholarship, subject leadership, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

Inspiration from Teaching History 127 ‘Sense and Sensitivity’

Gemma Hargraves (@History_Girls) of HA Secondary Committee continues our series of blogposts where a colleague reflects on a previous edition of Teaching History, and shares some thoughts about an article within it, with reference to where we are today. I recently read, for the first time TH 127 (June 2007) ‘Sense and Sensitivity’ edition. Although I wasn’t teaching when it was first published, this edition … Continue reading Inspiration from Teaching History 127 ‘Sense and Sensitivity’

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CPD, disciplinary knowledge, diversity and inclusion, historical scholarship, subject leadership, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

Pearls of Wisdom from Teaching History 120

Continuing our series of looking back to a past edition of Teaching History, Secondary Committee member Emma Bevan has returned to edition 120 from September 2005. Here she gives some thoughts about what she has found there that resonates today.  A rallying cry to be braver in the history classroom When asked “why teach history?”, one of the most recurrent responses is that it allows … Continue reading Pearls of Wisdom from Teaching History 120

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CPD, curriculum and planning, diversity and inclusion, historical scholarship, subject leadership, substantive knowledge, teacher knowledge

Tackling Racism: Teaching West African History pre-1700 – Benin

Alex Fairlamb (@lamb_heart_tea), member of HA Secondary Committee reflects here on how her department has taken action over the last year to address the problem of lack of ethnic diversity in the history department’s curriculum at her school. Alex makes clear the process of deep engagement with the history community that inspired, encouraged and enabled her to teach herself the knowledge she lacked and then … Continue reading Tackling Racism: Teaching West African History pre-1700 – Benin

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