Table Of ContentDebates in History Teaching
Now in its second edition, Debates in History Teaching remains at the cutting
edge of history education. It has been fully updated to take into account the latest
developments in policy, research and professional practice. With further
exploration into the major issues that history teachers encounter in their daily
professional lives, it provides fresh guidance for thinking and practice for teachers
within the UK and beyond.
Written by a range of experts in history education, chapters cover all the key
issues needed for clear thinking and excellent professional action. This book will
enable you to reach informed judgements and argue your point of view with
deeper theoretical knowledge and understanding. Debates include:
• What is happening today in history education?
• What is the purpose of history teaching?
• What do history teachers need to know?
• What are the key trends and issues in international contexts?
• What is the role of evidence in history teaching and learning?
• How should you make use of ICT in your lessons?
• Should moral learning be an aim of history education?
• How should history learning be assessed?
Debates in History Teaching remains essential reading for any student or practis-
ing teacher engaged in initial training, continuing professional development or
Master’s-level study.
Professor Ian Davies is based at the Department of Education at the University
of York, UK.
Debates in Subject Teaching Series
Series edited by: Susan Capel, Jon Davison, James Arthur, John Moss
The Debates in Subject Teaching Series is a sequel to the popular Issues in
Subject Teaching Series, originally published by Routledge between 1999 and
2003. Each title presents high-quality material, specially commissioned to
stimulate teachers engaged in initial training, continuing professional development
and Master’s-level study to think more deeply about their practice, and link
research and evidence to what they have observed in schools. By providing up-to-
date, comprehensive coverage, the titles in the Debates in Subject Teaching
Series support teachers in reaching their own informed judgements, enabling
them to discuss and argue their point of view with deeper theoretical knowledge
and understanding.
Titles in the series:
Debates in Art and Design Education Debates in Modern Languages Education
Edited by Nicholas Addison and Edited by Patricia Driscoll, Ernesto
Lesley Burgess Macaro and Ann Swarbrick
Debates in Citizenship Education Debates in Music Teaching
Edited by James Arthur and Edited by Chris Philpott and
Hilary Cremin Gary Spruce
Debates in English Teaching Debates in Physical Education
Edited by Jon Davison, Caroline Daly Edited by Susan Capel and
and John Moss Margaret Whitehead
Debates in Geography Education Debates in Religious Education
Edited by David Lambert and Edited by L. Philip Barnes
Mark Jones
Debates in Science Education
Debates in History Teaching, second edition Edited by Matt Watts
Edited by Ian Davies
Debates in Mathematics Education
Edited by Dawn Leslie and
Heather Mendick
Debates in History
Teaching, Second Edition
Edited by Ian Davies
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
©2017 selection and editorial matter, Ian Davies; individual chapters,
the contributors
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2011
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Davies, Ian, 1957– editor.
Title: Debates in history teaching / edited by Ian Davies.
Description: 2nd edition. | New York, NY: Routledge, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016040121| ISBN 9781138187597 (hardcover) |
ISBN 9781138187610 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315642864 (electronic)
Subjects: LCSH: History —Study and teaching.
Classification: LCC D16.2 .D43 2017 | DDC 907.1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016040121
ISBN: 978–1–138–18759–7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978–1–138–18761–0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978–1–315–64286–4 (ebk)
Typeset in Galliard
by Keystroke, Neville Lodge, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton
Contents
List of illustrations ix
Notes on contributors xi
Series editors’ Introduction to the series xv
Introduction 1
IAN DAVIES
PART I
Debates in history teaching: key contexts 5
1 Primary history: current themes 7
MICHAEL MADDISON
2 Secondary history: current themes 19
TERRY HAYDN
3 History 16–19 30
DIANA LAFFIN
4 Trends and issues in history education in international contexts 42
ALAN SEARS
PART II
Debating curriculum issues in history 53
5 History education and historical literacy 55
PETER LEE
vi Contents
6 Frameworks of knowledge: dilemmas and debates 66
DENIS SHEMILT AND JONATHAN HOWSON
7 The fertility of substantive knowledge: in search of its hidden,
generative power 80
CHRISTINE COUNSELL
8 Historical interpretations 100
ARTHUR CHAPMAN
9 Historical change and continuity: how history teachers are
advancing the field 113
CHRISTINE COUNSELL
10 Causal explanation 130
ARTHUR CHAPMAN
11 Understanding historical evidence: teaching and learning
challenges 144
ROSALYN ASHBY
12 Chronological understanding 155
SIMON BUTLER
PART III
Debating the purpose and expression of history
education 167
13 Truth in history education 169
TERRY HAYDN
14 British values, citizenship and the teaching of history 180
RICHARD HARRIS
15 Moral education, character education and history 191
ANDREW PETERSON
16 Diversity and history education 202
PAUL BRACEY, DARIUS JACKSON AND ALISON GOVE-HUMPHRIES
Contents vii
PART IV
Debating the teaching and learning of history 213
17 Raising attainment 215
DALE BANHAM
18 Literacies 227
PAULA MOUNTFORD
19 Learning outside the classroom 239
HELEN SNELSON
20 Technology in the History classroom: lost in the web? 250
BEN WALSH
21 Teaching sensitive and controversial issues 261
MATTHEW DAVIES
22 Teacher education in history 273
ALISON KITSON
23 Assessment 284
MICHAEL FORDHAM
Index 295
Illustrations
Figures
3.1 A Level history number of candidates, 2008–15 31
3.2 A Level history results, 2008–15 32
3.3 Key changes in AS/A2 in 2015–16 35
3.4 Assessment objectives and their weightings 36
6.1 Five dimensions of difference 67
7.1 What background knowledge allows us quickly to comprehend
Schama’s routine vocabulary? 82
7.2 Two extracts from Hammond’s (2014) data 85
7.3 Attending to secure substantive knowledge in medium-term
planning 88
7.4 Attending to secure substantive knowledge in long-term
planning 89
7.5 The first section of the history lesson proforma 90
7.6 The taxonomy of substantive knowledge 91
9.1 Shemilt’s work on change 114
9.2 Extracts from in-service training activity developed by Banham 115
9.3 Activity sheet preparing for a time-based graph 116
9.4 Enquiry questions on change and continuity from Murray,
Burney and Stacey-Chapman’s history department 121
9.5 Foster’s extraction of principles characterising two historians’
arguments about historical change 124
10.1 Two modes of explanation 132
10.2 Representing a chronicle 135
10.3 ‘Storifying’ a chronicle by adding plot-lines 135
10.4 Some categories to use when analysing causal relationships 136
10.5 Analysing a story: adding categorisation by content and by role 137
10.6 Analysing a story: replacing chronological with factorial
organisation 138
13.1 Veracity scale 173
