You hear about it for real in school.' Avoiding, containing and risk-taking in the classroom

In this article, Alison Kitson and Alan McCully discuss the findings of their research into history teaching in the most divided part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland. Drawing on interviews with students and teachers, they consider what history teaching might contribute to an understanding of the current situation and reflect on the extent to which opportunities might be being lost. They are interested primarily in teaching controversial issues and they construct a continuum of teacher response ranging from avoidance to risk-taking. Although they start in Northern Ireland, Kitson and McCully end in England. How far, they wonder, do English history teachers take risks by asking difficult questions about difficult issues?

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