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Year 8 and interpretations of the First World War
Teaching History article
Dan Smith was concerned that his pupils were drawing on over-simplified generalisations about different periods of the past when they were considering why interpretations change over time. This led him to consider how pupils’ contextual knowledge and chronological fluency might be used more explicitly in order to avoid weak generalisations...
Year 8 and interpretations of the First World War
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Young Quills reviews 2025
The Young Quills Awards for best historical fiction for young people
The Young Quills books for each year must be published for the first time in English in the year preceding the competition – so 2024 for this year’s selection. Divided by age suitability the books are given to schools on the condition that the children and young people there write...
Young Quills reviews 2025
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Polychronicon 162: Reinterpreting the May 1968 events in France
Teaching History feature
As Kristin Ross has persuasively argued, by the 1980s interpretations of the French events of May 1968 had shrunk to a narrow set of received ideas around student protest, labelled by Chris Reynolds a ‘doxa’. Media discourse is dominated by a narrow range of former participants labelled ‘memory barons’ –...
Polychronicon 162: Reinterpreting the May 1968 events in France
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New, Novice or Nervous? 162: GCSE Thematic Study
Teaching History feature: the quick guide to the no-quick-fix
Thematic studies have been a long-standing feature of the Schools History Project (SHP) GCSE specifications in England and Wales; but for teachers of ‘Modern World’ GCSE specifications, the thematic study in the new GCSE specifications for teaching in England from September 2016 is unfamiliar territory. Perhaps you are entirely new...
New, Novice or Nervous? 162: GCSE Thematic Study
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A guide to using the HA website
'How tos' and tips for maintaining your online account
In this section you'll find a selection of supportive guides and short 'how to' videos addressing common queries and troubleshooting for using the HA website and maintaining your online account.
You might also find it useful to take a look at our Membership FAQs section.If you have issues that are...
A guide to using the HA website
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The Swansea Branch Chronicle 10
Branch Publication
3 From the Editor
5 Life as a choirboy - Max Halcox
6 The Joy of Singing - Gwyneth Anthony
11 Life in the Choir - Sid Kidwell
12 Pontnewydd Male Choir
13 Muzac - Kensa Eastwood
14 A Life in Surgery and Song - Christopher Wood
16 Swansea Bach...
The Swansea Branch Chronicle 10
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The Historian 129: From Source to Screen
The magazine of the Historical Association
4 Reviews
5 Editorial
6 Battle of the Somme: the making of the 1916 propaganda film - Taylor Downing (Read article)
12 MOOCs and the Middle Ages: England in the time of King Richard III - Deirdre O’Sullivan (Read article)
18 Earth in vision: pathfinding in the BBC’s archive of...
The Historian 129: From Source to Screen
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The Swansea Branch Chronicle 11
Branch Publication
3 From the Editor
4 Renaissance Art - Carol David
6 Finding My Inspiration - Lucy Dean
10 Sanu's last Voyage - Ray Balkwill
13 Glynn Vivian - Andrew Green
15 A Vision of Angels - Dr John Law
17 Gwen Johns - Kenza Eastwood
18 A Gift of Sunlight...
The Swansea Branch Chronicle 11
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From the history of maths to the history of greatness
Teaching History article
Readers of Teaching History will be familiar with the benefits and difficulties of cross-curricular planning, and the pages of this journal have often carried analysis of successful collaborations with the English department, or music, or geography. Harry Fletcher-Wood describes in this article a collaboration involving maths, providing for us the...
From the history of maths to the history of greatness
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Guidance for would-be history teacher trainees
An interview with history NQTs
Are you considering history teaching as a career option? Knowing where to start, what to expect from teaching and whether teacher training is right for you can feel like a leap into the unknown. We spoke to three recently qualified teachers, Ben Kirby, Liam Frondigoun and Alex Schmidt, all based...
Guidance for would-be history teacher trainees
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Agincourt 600
2016 Teacher Fellowship Programme
Course lead: Ian DawsonAcademic support: Prof Anne Curry, Prof Michael Hicks, Dr Dan Spencer
The inaugural Teacher Fellowship Programme was launched through funding provided by Agincourt 600 with the aim of providing rigorous, subject knowledge-focused professional development for teachers. It was led by Ian Dawson with a focus on the fifteenth...
Agincourt 600
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Our Iron Age challenge
Developing historical understanding through building an iron age house
The University of Chichester’s three-year BA (Hons) Degree for Primary Education and Teaching involves learning how to provide rigorous and creative educational opportunities for children. The course involves one creativity module each year. The final one involves the development of skills and confidence in creating problem-solving.
Four of us were...
Our Iron Age challenge
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Coventry Branch Pamphlets
Multipage Article
Since its foundation in 1906 local branches have been the life-blood of the Historical Association. Their number, size, location and activities have varied greatly over the intervening years but a few branches have produced their own publications, most notably Bristol and Coventry. In a series which ran from 1964 to...
Coventry Branch Pamphlets
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Teacher Fellowship Programme: The People of 1381
Teacher Fellowship Programme 2022
This Teacher Fellowship programme focused on developing the teaching of medieval history and the history of revolt, popular protest, power and the people, in partnership with The People of 1381 project.
The project is focused on revealing new insights into the diverse range of people who played a part in...
Teacher Fellowship Programme: The People of 1381
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Exploring and Teaching the Korean War
A secondary education publication of the Historical Association in partnership with the Korean War Legacy Foundation and World History Digital Education
The Korean War has been called ‘The Forgotten War’. Yet it was profoundly significant to the development of the Cold War. It had a cataclysmic impact on both North and South Korea which continues to affect both nations’ development to this day. And it continues to influence relationships between the...
Exploring and Teaching the Korean War
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Using shoes as an historical source
Primary History article
There is something fascinating about what people wore in the past. From corsets to clogs, the evolution of clothing and footwear can give an insight into different periods of history, an excellent way of engaging with the past. Shoes, in some form or another, have been around from the earliest...
Using shoes as an historical source
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Key national History Subject Associations and institutes in the UK and their remits
Multipage Article
Three Subject Associations and a key national institute keep a watching brief as part of much wider remits on issues pertaining to the relationship of history as it is taught and researched in British universities and history as it is taught and learned in schools. Their interests inevitably overlap, but...
Key national History Subject Associations and institutes in the UK and their remits
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Primary history and British values
Article
In this article, Michael Maddison provides an overview of what schools must do in relation to promoting British values, as well as preventing extremism and radicalisation, and why it is so important that opportunities are taken in history to deal with these two pressing issues. It is an updated version...
Primary history and British values
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Teaching history and geography together in a meaningful way
WHEN 2 + 2 = 5!
This article explores some of the ways history and geography can be taught side by side, so that the sum of the parts adds up to more than the original. How can we teach history with geography and vice versa, to the benefit of both, while fulfilling the aims of...
Teaching history and geography together in a meaningful way
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Using Horrible History to develop primary literacy and history
Primary History article
When I started planning for my Key Stage 2 literacy lessons last year, I wanted to link them to my history topic, the Tudors, and I also needed them to cover a significant amount of non-fiction English objectives, having focused on fiction and poetry texts in the previous term. One...
Using Horrible History to develop primary literacy and history
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So was everyone an ancient Egyptian?
Developing an understanding of the world in ancient times
I will be honest – no child has actually asked me if the world was ever full of Ancient Egyptians! Having said that, by focusing on one part of the world, children are left with either this impression or the idea that nothing was happening elsewhere in the world. Clearly,...
So was everyone an ancient Egyptian?
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How do pupils understand historical time?
Some evidence from England and the Netherlands
One of the key aims of the English history National Curriculum is to ensure that pupils ‘know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative’. Teaching chronology is also important in the Netherlands. In this article we cover some aspects of teaching and recent research from...
How do pupils understand historical time?
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Time for a story
Using stories in the Early Years and Foundation Stage
Stories are an important part of a young child’s way of making sense of their world. Hilary Cooper’s excellent article ‘Why Stories?’ explores some of the reasons why stories are important to young children and their growing ‘understanding of the world’. This article is going to explore some recommended stories...
Time for a story
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Teaching the Ancient Greeks
Primary History article
Ancient Greece has been part of the primary national curriculum since its inception in 1991 so you may already have a viable scheme of work and classroom resources in place. However, this is not a reason for eschewing the opportunity to review what you are doing, especially to explore how...
Teaching the Ancient Greeks
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Using original sources
Primary History article
Why would I want those old books in my classroom?
It has always been recognised that good primary history is able to connect the past with the world the children currently inhabit. That is why focusing on schools can be so useful. If there is one experience the children have...
Using original sources