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Shaping the debate: why historians matter more than ever at GCSE
Teaching History article
The question of how to prepare students to succeed in the examination while also ensuring that they are taught rigorous history remains as relevant as ever. Faced with preparing students to answer a question that seemingly precluded argument, Rachel Foster and Kath Goudie demonstrate how they used historical scholarship both to...
Shaping the debate: why historians matter more than ever at GCSE
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Making rigour a departmental reality
Teaching History article
Faced with the introduction of a two-year key stage and a new whole-school assessment policy, Rachel Arscott and Tom Hinks decided to make a virtue out of necessity and reconsider their whole approach to planning, teaching and assessment at Key Stage 3. In this article they give an account of...
Making rigour a departmental reality
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Triumphs Show 164: interpretations at A Level
Teaching History feature: celebrating and sharing success
Julia Huber and Katherine Turner found that their A-level students struggled to identify the line of argument in a passage of historical scholarship, an essential prerequisite for answering their coursework question. They devised an activity that helped students to unpick and visually contrast historians’ interpretations of the relative importance of...
Triumphs Show 164: interpretations at A Level
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Taking control of assessment
Teaching History article
Ian Luff recognised that in a post-levels world efforts to devise new assessment systems risked replicating old problems or creating new ones. Drawing on his many years’ experience of teaching and school leadership Luff argues that for assessment in history to be truly useful to teachers and pupils it needs...
Taking control of assessment
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Historical scholarship and feedback
Teaching History article
In her introduction to this piece, Carolyn Massey describes history teachers as professionals who pride themselves on ‘a sophisticated understanding of change and continuity’. How often, though, do we bemoan change when it comes, as it so often has recently? Massey’s article provides an example of how to embrace change,...
Historical scholarship and feedback
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Low-stakes testing
Teaching History article
The emphasis on the power of secure substantive knowledge reflected in recent curriculum reforms has prompted considerable interest in strategies to help students retain and deploy such knowledge effectively. One strategy that has been strongly endorsed by some cognitive psychologists is regular testing; an idea that Nick Dennis set out...
Low-stakes testing
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Effective essay introductions
Teaching History article
Struck by the dullness of some of her students’ essay introductions, Paula Worth reflected on the fact that she had never focused specifically on introductions. After surveying existing work by history teachers on essay structure in general and introductions in particular, she turns to the work of historians. Drawing on...
Effective essay introductions
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The Dawson Lectures
Multipage Article
In 2021, Ian Dawson suggested there should be a place and a way for us to honour and respect those who have gone above and beyond to help support, nurture and promote those involved with teaching, as well as producing resources and guidance that can assist teachers with developing their...
The Dawson Lectures
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Short course: Britain and the Romans | Sessions and resources
HA short course
Sessions and resources
Thank you for joining our short course ‘Britain and the Romans’.
Below you will be able to access the resources that make up the accompanying module, providing a wealth of pamphlets, articles and podcasts. These resources are completely optional but may augment your learning.
All session recordings will...
Short course: Britain and the Romans | Sessions and resources
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The Great Debate 2023: Speeches
Multipage Article
The 2023 Great Debate final was held on 25 March at the Vicars' Hall, Windsor Castle. The question for young people to address was:
“Why does history matter to me?”
Across the course of the day the judges and audience listened to talks on the personal experiences of finalists’ relatives in the...
The Great Debate 2023: Speeches
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Berlin and the Berlin Wall: on-demand short course – taster
Online self-guided short course for lifelong learners
This is a free taster version of our full self-guided short course on Berlin and the Berlin Wall – the full course is available free to all HA members (£54 for non-members).
The full course contains 6 filmed webinars from the original live course, and 28 articles, podcasts and other resources supporting the course...
Berlin and the Berlin Wall: on-demand short course – taster
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The History Ledger, podcasts from the Economic History Society
An HA partnership podcast series with the Economic History Society
The HA and the Economic History Society are developing a new partnership. Affiliates of the EHS contributed to our Teacher Fellowship programme: Teaching the economic history of colonialism in Africa and Asia. As part of the development of closer links, we are delighted to support the dissemination of The History...
The History Ledger, podcasts from the Economic History Society
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Short course: The French Revolution | Sessions and resources
HA short course
Wrap-up discussion
You can now book for the wrap-up discussion session with course convener Paula Kitching. This will give you the opportunity to meet other participants and talk through the course content. This session takes place on Wednesday 17 December at 5pm, book via this link.
Post-course feedback
Now that we have...
Short course: The French Revolution | Sessions and resources
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Recorded webinar series: The Olympic Games
Culture and political impact across the twentieth century
2024 was an Olympic Games year. Held every four years (with the exception of during the World Wars and Covid-19 restrictions), the modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event in the world. However, historically it has not always been just the sports that are played and the athletes’ performances...
Recorded webinar series: The Olympic Games
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Key Principles for teaching Thematic Studies at GCSE
GCSE Guidance
For many teachers the thematic study is the most new and most troubling unit of the new GCSE specifications. By following this link, you will be connected to an article that appears on www.thinkinghistory.co.uk. This free website for teachers is maintained by Ian Dawson. In this article Ian works with...
Key Principles for teaching Thematic Studies at GCSE
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HA response to the DFE consultation on CPD
CPD Consultation
In September, the government launched a call for evidence concerning teachers professional development. The Historical Association has responded to the call for evidence on behalf of our members. You can read our response below.
HA response to the DFE consultation on CPD
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The knowledge illusion
Teaching History article
Focusing on students’ attempts to explain the relative significance of different factors in Hitler’s rise to power, Catherine McCrory explores the vexed question of why students who seem able to express necessary historical knowledge on one occasion cannot effectively reproduce it on another. Drawing on a detailed analysis of what...
The knowledge illusion
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Teacher Fellowship programme: The Caribbean, Monarchy and Legacies of Empire
Teacher Fellowship programme 2025
Although twelve Caribbean colonies gained independence during Elizabeth II's reign, only four opted to become republics (most recently Barbados, in 2021) and eight retain the British monarch as head of state to this day. Emphasising Caribbean sources and perspectives, this Teacher Fellowship programme examines the role of the British monarchy in the...
Teacher Fellowship programme: The Caribbean, Monarchy and Legacies of Empire
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Recorded webinar series: From Cyrus to Cleopatra: The ancient history adventure
Free webinar series for secondary teachers from the Historical Association and the Classical Association
This webinar series, offered in collaboration with the Classical Association, explores how ancient history can be embedded across the key stages at secondary level. Across this series, we will show you how teaching ancient history is relevant today, enriches modern classrooms and gives learners the opportunity to explore some key...
Recorded webinar series: From Cyrus to Cleopatra: The ancient history adventure
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Recorded webinar series: The history that Shakespeare gave us
Multipage Article
To mark the anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s first folio in 1623–24, our 2024 winter webinar series focused on ‘The history that Shakespeare gave us’. The representation of the past in Shakespeare’s plays has shaped many people’s understanding of history. In this webinar series, leading academics explore the history that is...
Recorded webinar series: The history that Shakespeare gave us
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New, Novice or Nervous? 163: Historical significance
Teaching History feature: the quick guide to the no-quick-fix
Historical significance first appeared in England’s National Curriculum for history in 1995. It entered the assessment framework (Level Descriptions) in 2008. In 2014, it became part of the History NC ‘Aims’. One thing never changes, however: it is hard.
But history teachers have written a great deal about historical significance...
New, Novice or Nervous? 163: Historical significance
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Thinking of teaching?
Multipage Article
Routes into teaching
Although there are now hundreds of training providers and different courses from which to choose, an awareness of some basic distinctions can help enormously in deciding what type of programme you want to follow, and clarifying your options. One essential distinction is between fee-paying programmes, on which...
Thinking of teaching?
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Cunning Plan 163.2: Developing an A-level course in medieval history
Teaching History feature
Medieval history has always been a Cinderella era for post-16 students. Some schools offer A-levels in classical civilisation, but most A-level history courses focus on the early-modern and modern periods. A few schools teach an A-level medieval module, with the Crusades being a popular choice. I was therefore excited at...
Cunning Plan 163.2: Developing an A-level course in medieval history
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History as a foreign language
Teaching History article
Disappointed that the use of the ‘PEEL’ writing scaffold had led her Year 11 students to write some rather dreary essays, Claire Simmonds reflected that a lack of specific training on historical writing might be to blame. Drawing on genre theory and the work of the history teaching community, Simmonds attempted...
History as a foreign language
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Promoting rigorous historical scholarship
Teaching History article
The history department at Cottenham Village College has one more member than you might expect. Ruth Brown is a teaching assistant (TA) and one of the longest-standing members of the department, and this article is about how her work has an impact on specific pupils, whole classes and teachers. The key...
Promoting rigorous historical scholarship
