How do you get A Level History students to read?

Thanks to Sally Burnham, History teacher and Lead Practitioner, Lincolnshire, and member of Secondary Committee for this blogpost drawn from her experience of a Covid change that has been worth keeping. How do you get A Level History students to read? This was an age old problem for me. I know how important it is for students to be reading historians’ work both to deepen … Continue reading How do you get A Level History students to read?

Active history to make history memorable and accessible

This blogpost accompanies the launch of a new webpage on the HA website. The ‘knowledge turn’ of recent years has been very welcome in many ways. There is inspiring work and success in evidence across the country in relation to developing coherent curricula. There are wonderful examples of historical enquiry and the use of historical narratives weaving disciplinary and substantive knowledge effectively. And yet, there … Continue reading Active history to make history memorable and accessible

What are the challenges of teaching a diverse and representative history curriculum in a rural school?

Thanks to Katie Hopwood for this blogpost. Katie is an ECT at Bishop Young Academy in Leeds. Last year she did her PGCE with the University of York. When starting my second placement of PGCE year, I knew that my second school would be quite different from my first. I had moved from a large inner city religious school to a rural school. As part … Continue reading What are the challenges of teaching a diverse and representative history curriculum in a rural school?

One year of embedding climate and sustainability education in our History PGCE

Thanks to Will Bailey-Watson, leader of the Secondary PGCE programme at the University of Reading and member of Secondary Committee for this blogpost. This year will see a lot of developments in thinking about the role of history education for a sustainable future. Will kicks this off by sharing what Reading colleages have learnt so far. Have you seen the climate stripes somewhere? If you … Continue reading One year of embedding climate and sustainability education in our History PGCE

Assessment at KS3 in History

Thanks to Martyn Bajkowski of Pleckgate HS and HA Secondary Committee for this blogpost. Martyn reports on the work he, and his department, have been doing to improve their KS3 assessment. Like many of you I have carefully considered over recent years what I wanted our approach at assessment to be at KS3 in our department. Following my session at the HA Conference this May … Continue reading Assessment at KS3 in History

Unsilencing Welsh History in Schools

This blogpost shares with OBHD readers a short article published in Public History Weekly on 8 June 2023 by Rhonwen Bruce-Roberts. Our students in our history lessons are living in the UK. Rhonwen suggests that ‘anglocentrism poses a risk of denying separate histories and separate identities that are a part of its story’. She challenges us to ‘tease out forgotten narratives through ‘multiperspectival history’’. Abstract: … Continue reading Unsilencing Welsh History in Schools

Resources for June – Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History month

This very short blogpost is to help spread the word about support and resources to help you take part in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history month with your students. “Don’t teach nothing about Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history or culture. Makes you feel like no one understands.” This is a quote from a yong person that you can find in the Anti-Bullying Alliances 2019 report … Continue reading Resources for June – Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History month

How is your history club doing?

Thanks to Sally Burnham, HA and SHP Fellow and history teacher at Carres School in Lincolnshire for this blogpost. This post is packed full of great ideas for History Club activities across all year groups. In September we decided that we wanted to give History Club an ‘update’. During Covid it was many of the ‘nicer’ things of school life that had been put on … Continue reading How is your history club doing?

Corners of foreign fields: ideas for making meaning and memory on a Battlefields Trips

Thanks to Hugh Richards, Head of History at Huntington School in York and leader of the HA’s Subject Leader Development Programme, for this blogpost. Hugh is a leading thinker about how to make history memorable and meaningful for young people, and he has a lot of experience in organising Battlefields Trips. Hopefully you will be inspired to get (back) to the Battlefields. This blog explains … Continue reading Corners of foreign fields: ideas for making meaning and memory on a Battlefields Trips

Cracking the Enigma: a new approach to teaching ALL of World War Two

Thanks to David Bailey, a history teacher at Jerudong International School, Brunei, for this blogpost. David, and his departmental colleagues, have been rethinking their approach to teaching World War Two. He hopes to start a conversation about this. Please get in touch with your ideas and think about contributing a blogpost about how you have wrestled with this issue. How do you tackle World War … Continue reading Cracking the Enigma: a new approach to teaching ALL of World War Two