Controversy in Conversation – Part 1

This blog post was written by Philip Arkinstall, Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Gloucestershire and former Head of History and Politics. Having just started a new year with our trainee teachers, a topic of conversation that has come up has been about their confidence in answering problematic questions that emerge whilst teaching difficult histories. This post reflects on that starting point and signposts readers to the Historical Association’s…

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Using Mini Whiteboards Effectively in History

This blog post has been written by Professor Will Bailey-Watson, of the University of Reading. Wow. Mini Whiteboards (MWBs) are back with a vengeance! Having been all the rage 15 years ago, they disappeared from many classrooms for much of the past decade. Now, history departments are being told they have to buy class-sets out of their own budgets, and I’ve heard multiple teachers claim that observer feedback increasingly includes generic comments like  ‘you should have used MWBs’.

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Capturing The Flag – How To Teach Controversial Topics In The History Classroom - TeachingTimes

Using the flying of flags across the UK as a lens, Philip Arkinstall outlines four lesson plans for teaching controversial and still-relevant history topics.

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Capturing the Flag – Teaching Controversial Histories

This blog post has been written by Philip Arkinstall, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, former Head of History and Politics. The Battle of Jersey: The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 by John Singleton Copley The concept of creating a sequence of lessons about the display of St George Cross flags across the rural town I live and taught in, came from a desire to bring the debate into the classroom.

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A Thousand Years in One Village: Why Dore Belongs in Every History Classroom

This article was written by Dr Dani Hilliard, member of the Dore Archive Research Team and founder of Argue to Think, a company designed to aid the development of academic writing and business planning. For History Teachers everywhere introducing the Dore Archive Research Team (DART) Contact us through our blog found at Who are we? The Dore Archive Research Team (DART) is a small but dedicated group of volunteers whose purpose within the village community is multifaceted.

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Looking After Your Wellbeing as a History Teacher

This blog post by Gemma Hargraves, Deputy Headteacher with responsibilities for wellbeing, at The Crypt School, Gloucestershire suggests ways of addressing wellbeing, but from the slant of a history teacher. Bear baiting anyone? Teaching history can be joyful, controversial and exhausting in equal measure. From colonisation and slavery to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, the content we teach can be complex and upsetting.

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Looking ahead to the Historical Association Conference

This blog has been written by Otis Blaize, History & Politics Teacher at Trinity School, Croydon. Otis is presenting at the Conference, which takes place in Newcastle Gateshead on 15-16 May, on the topic of Contesting the crown: empire, independence and identity in the Caribbean. Each year, the Historical Association Conference offers a combination of inspiration, challenge and practical takeaways for the classroom.

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Making a case to attend the Historical Association Conference  

This blog has been written by Elizabeth Carr, Assistant Principal – Curriculum and Subject Lead – Humanities at Avanti Grange Secondary School, Hertfordshire. Elizabeth is presenting at the Conference, which takes place in Newcastle Gateshead on 15-16 May, on the topic of The beats and the buzzing: harnessing the power of reading aloud in an inclusive history classroom.  The annual…

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One Day in a World War – Bringing Global Perspectives into the History Classroom

This blog post has been written by Sarah Nathaniel, Public Engagement Coordinator (South East) and Education Officer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and relates to a taught session resource enabling teachers to make the First World War a truly global war for pupils. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorate more than 1.7 million service men and women of Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten.

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Power and the People – An Inclusive Histories Project

This blog post was written by Jess Brown on behalf of a project between AQA and Royal Holloway, University of London. It is related to resources linked to marginalised voices that could be useful f…

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The queer question. Navigating the waters of historical queerness

This post has been written by Meggie Hayes, History and Politics Teacher and Inclusion Lead at The Crypt School, Gloucestershire People are queer and people have always been queer. So it stands to …

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The queer question. Navigating the waters of historical queerness

This post has been written by Meggie Hayes, History and Politics Teacher and Inclusion Lead at The Crypt School, Gloucestershire People are queer and people have always been queer. So it stands to reason that remarkable people have been queer, leaders of the world have been queer, and 'evil' people have been queer. This leaves history teachers with many queer questions when teaching the past.

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From Remembrance to Responsibility: Delivering Meaningful Holocaust Memorial Day Assemblies

This blog has been written by Philip Arkinstall, member of the Secondary Committee of the Historical Association, former Head of History and now Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Gloucestershire The week of the 27th January was always a time I felt leading an assembly had a fantastic cross-school impact. Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) when introduced in 2001 allowed schools a point in the calendar to consider the impact of The Holocaust and genocide, as well as act as a mirror to societal behaviours.

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Curriculum Review for History

This blogpost has been created by Alex Fairlamb Alex is Director of Alex Fairlamb Consultancy LTD and she is an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association.  Alex is also co-editor of ‘What is Hi…

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Experienced Teacher Programme

Andy Stone reflects upon his involvement with the Experienced Teacher Programme. He draws upon recent scholarship to address the development of environmental issues and decolonising the curriculum …

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A Lasting Remembrance

Post by Philip Arkinstall, Secondary Partnership Lead at the University of Gloucestershire, former Curriculum Leader for History November was always one of the most impactful times of the school ye…

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