Teaching & Assessing Historical Understanding

Teaching of History Series No.63

By Tim Lomas, published 11th December 2023

The purpose of this pamphlet is to broach several issues relating to a child's understanding of some key concepts in History. These are:

  1. Cause and consequence.
  2. Time concepts, i.e. change, continuity, development, progression and regression.
  3. Evidence.
  4. Significance.
  5. Similarity and difference. 

Under each of these headings, consideration will be given to: 

a) Some of the issues and problems relevant to the child's developing grasp and use of such concepts.

b) Some suggestions as to teaching strategies which might be employed to develop such an understanding.

c) A series of questions which might be asked when assessing pupils on their understanding of such concepts. These questions are divided into those which might be more suitable for pupils in the primary sector and those in the secondary, although clearly there can be no hard and fast division. 

This classic pamphlet was published in 1990.

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