Haydn, Terry and Harris, Richard (2009) Children’s ideas about what it means ‘to get better’ at History: a view from the UK. International Journal of Historical Learning, Teaching and Research, 8, (2), 26-39.
http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/72266/

Full text of this item is not available from this server.

Official URL: http://www.history.org.uk/reso...593_8.html

Abstract

The past three decades have seen radical changes in history educators’, policymakers’ and educationalists’ ideas about what it means ‘to get better’ in history as a school subject in the UK. The inception of a National Curriculum for History brought about a much more clearly defined framework for progression in the subject. The introduction of formal (and quite complex) models for measuring pupils’ progress in history, and changing and contested ideas about progression in history as a school subject occasioned vigorous debate, both between politicians, historians and history teacher educators, and between teacher educators themselves.

However, less attention has focused on pupils’ ideas about what it means to get better at history, and the extent of their understanding of the models of progression, which have been developed in recent years.

The research asked pupils to explain in their own words what they thought it meant ‘to get better at history’. The outcomes revealed that many pupils had very little understanding of the models for progression for history which have been put in place in UK schools, and quite vague and inchoate ideas about what it means to make progress in history. Only a minority of pupils, in some of the schools involved, were able to explain progression in terms which in any way reflected the models of progression laid down in official curriculum specifications, and as expounded in adult discourse about history education.

It is possible that many teachers have perhaps made assumptions about the extent to which pupils understand what they have to do to make progress in history, and that more time and thought might be invested in this aspect of history education in order to improve pupil motivation and attainment in history.

Edit this item (Staff only)

References in Article

Burnham, S. & Brown, G. (2004) Assessment without level descriptions Teaching History, No. 115: pp. 5-15.
Byrom, J. (2003) Continuity and progression (Eds. Riley, M. & Harris, R.), in Past Forward: a vision for school history 2002-12 London, Historical Association: pp. 12-14.
Collins, T. (2005) Speech to the National Catholic Heads Conference, 27 January: online at www.guardian.co.uk/education/2005/jan/27/schools.uk3, last accessed 26 August 2008.
Cottingham, M. (2004) Dr Black Box, or how I learned to stop worrying and love assessment Teaching History, No. 115: pp. 16-23.
Counsell, C. (2004) Editorial, Teaching History No. 115: 2.
Culpin, C. What kind of history should school history be? Medlicott Medal Lecture, 2007, online at http://www.history.org.uk/resources/secondary_resource_747_10.html, last accessed 26 August 2008.
Dawson, I. (2003) What is history? A starter unit for Key Stage 3 London, John Murray.
DES (1985) History in the primary and secondary years London, HMSO.
DES (1991) History in the National Curriculum: England London, HMSO.
DfE (1995) History in the National Curriculum: England London, HMSO.
Harrison, S. (2004) Rigorous, meaningful and robust: practical ways forward for assessment Teaching History, No. 115: pp. 26-30.
Harris, R. & Haydn, T. (2006) Pupils’ enjoyment of history – what lessons can teachers learn from their pupils? Curriculum Journal, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 315-333.
Haydn (1994) The case of history and the 45 boxes; a case study of the impact of the TGAT testing model The Curriculum Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2: pp. 215-33.
Haydn, T. & Harris, R. (2008) Pupil perspectives on the purposes and benefits of studying history in high school: a view from the UK American Educational Research Association
Conference, New York, 27 March.
Historical Association (2006) Working with models of progression in history learning: enabling trainees to understand, use, appraise and develop their own History and Initial Teacher Training (HITT) website, section 11.2, online at http://www.historyitt. org.uk/Unit%2011%20Final/Unit_11_OV.htm, last accessed 26 August 2008.
Husbands, C., Kitson, A. & Pendry, A. (2003) Understanding history teaching: teaching and learning about the past in secondary schools Maidenhead, Open University Press.
Lawton, D. (1989) Education, culture and the National Curriculum London, Hodder and Stoughton.
Lee, P. & Ashby, R. (2000) Progression in historical understanding amongst students aged 7-14 (Eds. Stearns, P. Seixas, P. & Wineburg, S.) in Knowing, teaching and
learning history, New York, New York University Press: pp. 199-222.
Lee, P., Dickinson, A. & Ashby, R. (2001) Children’s ideas about historical explanation (Eds. Dickinson, A. Gordon, P. & Lee, P.) in Raising standards in history education: international review of history education, Volume 3, London, Woburn Press. pp. 97-11 5.
Lee, P. & Shemilt, D. (2003) A scaffold not a cage: progression and progression models in history Teaching History, No. 113: pp. 13-23.
Lee, P. & Shemilt, D. (2004) ‘I just wish we could go back in the past and find out what really happened’: progression in understanding about historical accounts Teaching History, No. 117: pp. 25-31.
Lomas, T. (1993) Teaching and assessing historical understanding London, Historical Association.
Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) (2007) History in the balance? London, Ofsted.
Phillips, R. (1992) “The battle for the big prize.” The shaping of synthesis and the role of a curriculum pressure group: the case of school history and the National Curriculum The Curriculum Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3: pp. 245-60.
Phillips, R. (1993) Teachers’ perceptions of the first year’s implementation of Key Stage 3 History in the National Curriculum for History Research Papers in Education, Vol. 8,
No. 3: pp. 329-53.
Phillips, R. (1998) History teaching, nationhood and the state: a study in educational politics London, Continuum.
Slater, J. (1989) The politics of history teaching: a humanity dehumanised London, Institute of Education.
Wineburg, S. (1997) Beyond ‘breadth and depth”: subject matter knowledge and assessment Theory into practice, Vol. 36, No. 4: pp. 255-61.