The New History: Theory into Practice

Classic Teaching History Pamphlets

By P. J. Rogers, published 27th October 2009

Pleas for the 'New History' have now become so commonplace that, if implementation had in anyway matched recommendation, the term 'New' would have ceased to be appropriate. Unfortunately, there appeares to be little agreement as to what the 'New; History is or should be. In what sense, if any, can pupils become 'mini-historians' and what age or ability level?

The overall plan of this pamphlet is as follows. First, the nature of History is developed from a brief discussion of the general conditiond which validate a claim to knowledge, and the results of this analysis are apllied in more detail to History. The nature of Historical knowledge being thus sketched, the general implication of the anlysis for teaching are set out. Clearly the anlysis raises important pedagogical problems, and there follows a long discussion of method and the practicalities of basing teaching upon the analysis of History. This is mounted in terms of the fruitful theories of J.S. Bruner, and of a critique of some other recent writing on History teaching. The work then moves to the description of two specimen courses, mounted in terms of the criteria which, according to the foregoing analysis, a History course should satisfy.

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