Tag: History

Surfing the ‘Semantic Wave’: Helping beginning teachers to think about tackling the ‘pitch’ of their lesson

This blog is jointly authored by Victoria Crooks and Alex Ford. Check out http://www.andallthat.co.uk/ to read more blogs from Alex. Photo by Vladimir Kudinov on Pexels.com Matthew is a fab beginning teacher.  He is highly professional, and his subject knowledge is second to none.  Simon, his mentor, is delighted by the deeply informed historical discussions … Continue reading Surfing the ‘Semantic Wave’: Helping beginning teachers to think about tackling the ‘pitch’ of their lesson →

Diagnostic Hooks: Reconceptualising Initial Stimulus Material (ISM) for Eliciting Prior Knowledge

Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com The power of Initial Stimulus Material (ISM) to ‘hook’ pupils into historical learning via an intriguing image, a provocative quote, a story, or even a soundscape that promotes curiosity, has been long established.  In his 2001 article, Phillips built a set of principles for using ISM as a gateway … Continue reading Diagnostic Hooks: Reconceptualising Initial Stimulus Material (ISM) for Eliciting Prior Knowledge →

Setting granular targets for beginning teachers

Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com Saima’s teaching practice placement is well underway, and she is getting used to the pattern of her teaching week and her regular mentor meetings.  Things have been going pretty well, but she is gathering rather a formidable list of targets, including: "Improve classroom management around transition points." "Develop subject … Continue reading Setting granular targets for beginning teachers →

Poor Pedagogical Choices: When task design derails your lesson

Seb felt like he had spent all night making the activity the children were about to attempt.  He had made source cards he was going to hide under the tables and stick under chairs.  He wanted the students to work in pairs or small groups of three to answer questions which would gradually allow them … Continue reading Poor Pedagogical Choices: When task design derails your lesson →

Responding to a summer of riots: Principles for teaching about sensitive issues in the history classroom

This blog is jointly authored by Vic Crooks and Laura London based on a presentation we gave at the Historical Association Conference in May 2024.   If you are interested in this theme, you may also wish to read Teaching children about sensitive and controversial current affairs: Talking to children in schools about the situation in Ukraine Chapter … Continue reading Responding to a summer of riots: Principles for teaching about sensitive issues in the history classroom →

Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com I was recently in a conversation with a beginning teacher who told me about an interview question they had been posed. Then they laid down a challenge: “I’m interested what you would have said”. The interview question was interesting, and not one I’d heard before: What three substantive historical … Continue reading Tough teaching interviews: reflections on intentions and impacts →

Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements

Photo by Binti Malu on Pexels.com Recently, I encountered this tweet passing on wisdom to mentors about to receive a new Initial Teacher Training/ Initial Teacher Education (ITT/ ITE) student for their second teaching practice placement: I have previously talked about why it can be difficult for ITE students when they change placement during their … Continue reading Noticing the positives of beginning teachers’ practice: Supporting the transition between teaching practice placements →

Anton’s wisdom: Finding the joy in mentoring beginning teachers

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a soft spot for Strictly Come Dancing.  During Saturday evening’s (2023) final, Anton Du Beke uttered the following words, when addressing Ellie Leach following her final dance of the competition: “I’ve danced where you have [for] many years, and the joy of sitting here is … Continue reading Anton’s wisdom: Finding the joy in mentoring beginning teachers →

Drawing back the curtain: Supporting beginning teachers to make the most of their first few weeks on placement

Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com When you are a teacher everyone thinks they know how to do your job and suspects they could do it too.  By virtue of having been a pupil themselves at one point, the school environment and job of teaching feels sufficiently familiar to be open to conjecture. Every year I … Continue reading Drawing back the curtain: Supporting beginning teachers to make the most of their first few weeks on placement →

Mr Bean and a journey into the recent past: The importance of developing a sense of period

Photo by Nothing Ahead on Pexels.com Recently, as a family, we’ve been watching the classic Mr Bean series.  Now we’re about 8 episodes in, I’ve started to reflect on how my own children are accessing and understanding the programmes from a historical perspective.  The largely visual comedy is both ageless and timeless, but Mr Bean’s … Continue reading Mr Bean and a journey into the recent past: The importance of developing a sense of period →

Curiosity and the space to ask a question: building a dialogic culture to shift the focus onto pupil learning

Photo by Leeloo Thefirst on Pexels.com Recently I was privileged to see a beginning teacher nearing the end of their ITE year teaching a great GCSE history lesson.  The pupils demonstrated excellent retrieval of subject knowledge from previous lessons.  They were given opportunities to acquire new subject knowledge and make sense of this when combined … Continue reading Curiosity and the space to ask a question: building a dialogic culture to shift the focus onto pupil learning →

The elephant in the room: Why the subject specific training of beginning teachers matters

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com A number of years ago, I watched a lesson where the beginning teacher had been schooled in a set of systematised generic teaching strategies. They had diligently practised and tried to implement these strategies in their lessons, but they were struggling. They were also frustrated. They felt like no … Continue reading The elephant in the room: Why the subject specific training of beginning teachers matters →

Seeking a Second Opinion: Feeling undermined by your ITT mentee

Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com The Mentor’s View Sonya is a new mentor. She has been shadowing a colleague in the role for the first time this academic year and has really enjoyed taking a more active role with the ITT student. She has appreciated how thinking like a mentor has sharpened her own … Continue reading Seeking a Second Opinion: Feeling undermined by your ITT mentee →

A case for using historical fiction in the history classroom

  Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I love history because I am nosy. I love people and studying the way they relate to one another.  My only other option is gossip and celeb watching.  History feels like a more wholesome way to indulge my nosiness, and historical fiction provides an avenue for it to be … Continue reading A case for using historical fiction in the history classroom →

Making History Count in the Primary Classroom: digging deeper into Ofsted’s history research review for primary colleagues

https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/primaryeducationnetwork/2022/07/22/making-history-count-in-the-primary-classroom-digging-deeper-into-ofsteds-primary-history-review/ In July I was invited by the University of Nottingam Primary Education Network to talk to speak with our primary partnership colleagues about history teaching and the implications of Ofsted's History Research Review. I approached this task with some trepidation - I am not a primary phase specialist and am acutely aware of the … Continue reading Making History Count in the Primary Classroom: digging deeper into Ofsted’s history research review for primary colleagues →

The magic of teaching a history lesson with coherence direction and purpose

Photo by Vinu00edcius Vieira ft on Pexels.com There was a magical moment in a lesson I recently observed where you could almost see on pupils’ faces the relevance of the lesson collectively ‘click’.  Following a retrieval practice exercise on the Reformation and actions of Henry VIII at the beginning of the lesson, and the discussion … Continue reading The magic of teaching a history lesson with coherence direction and purpose →

Avoiding the Observation Trap: Interpreting generic mentoring approaches through a subject specific lens

This blog is jointly authored by Vic Crooks and Laura London based on a presentation we gave at the Historical Association Conference in May 2022.   Back in January, this blog introduced you to Tom who was struggling to understand why things were going wrong in his teaching.  His mentor has identified ‘pace’ as an … Continue reading Avoiding the Observation Trap: Interpreting generic mentoring approaches through a subject specific lens →

Feeling despondent? Why beginning teachers need to keep on climbing

Photo by Yevgeniya Fedorova on Pexels.com I am not a hill walker.  I love visiting the Lake District, but I would much rather a nice walk on the flat around a lake (perhaps with a quick stop at a tea shop) than battle up a hill which quickly turns into a mountain.  Why?  Because I … Continue reading Feeling despondent? Why beginning teachers need to keep on climbing →

Teaching children about sensitive and controversial current affairs: Talking to children in schools about the situation in Ukraine

This blog has been developed from a twitter thread (27/2/2022) relating to supporting children and young people to understand the situation in Ukraine. If you are interested in establishing principles for teaching children about sensitive and controversial issues you may also like to read Responding to a summer of riots: Principles for teaching about sensitive … Continue reading Teaching children about sensitive and controversial current affairs: Talking to children in schools about the situation in Ukraine →

Finding your way with Questioning: A practical approach for getting better at questioning

Within the pages of every teenage girls’ magazine you'll find a flow chart quiz which, if taken, will allow you to work out what your ideal pet/ band/ TV Soap character/ boyfriend would be. As a younger teenage girl who had laid her hands on a contraband 'Just 17', I would avidly pour over the … Continue reading Finding your way with Questioning: A practical approach for getting better at questioning →

Showstopper Lessons: What Beginning Teachers and their Mentors can learn from GBBO.

Photo by Vojtech Okenka on Pexels.com I love baking and all things cake.  So, having recently written about what mentors might learn from Strictly, I now turn my attention to what beginning/ early career teachers and their mentors might learn from Bake Off and the nature of the three baking challenges included in each episode.  … Continue reading Showstopper Lessons: What Beginning Teachers and their Mentors can learn from GBBO. →

Strictly Come Teaching: Giving feedback to novices

Photo by Marko Zirdum on Pexels.com Watching Strictly Come Dancing this past weekend I was struck by the way the judges gave feedback to the contestants in week 1 of the competition.  Unsurprisingly my mind turned to the beginning teachers just starting out on their own journey from novice to competent over the course of … Continue reading Strictly Come Teaching: Giving feedback to novices →

Perfectionism and the honourable art of being good enough

Not that long ago, to my shame, I found that 15 minutes had passed as I scoured the web for the ‘perfect’ picture of an iceberg to illustrate a point about bilingualism in the classroom. Why did I do this? Did I imagine that my adult audience would struggle with the concept of an iceberg? … Continue reading Perfectionism and the honourable art of being good enough →

From caveman to concepts: Making history count in the primary classroom

Back in March I wrote this blog for the UoN Primary Team's excellent Blog considering six ideas for developing primary history, along with some practical strategies. I now reproduce it here in case it is helpful to a wider audience. “Mum you’ll never guess what happened today!” These words we’re delivered by my 7-year-old with … Continue reading From caveman to concepts: Making history count in the primary classroom →

Supporting your new NQT colleague to THRIVE amidst a global pandemic

Around this time last year I wrote about how beginning teachers could make the most of their final weeks as PGCE students in the classroom.  This year, they do not have classrooms, they only have the virtual PGCE programme to prepare them for NQT in the absence of critical practical experience.  I asserted previously that … Continue reading Supporting your new NQT colleague to THRIVE amidst a global pandemic →

Embracing the space: A journey into training to be a teacher virtually

Photo by Ingo Joseph on Pexels.com Before I begin this blog it is important to establish that I am utterly convinced of the importance of partnership in Initial Teacher Education.  Training teachers ‘outside’ the classroom environment in a purely theoretical realm is just not possible; theoretical knowledge cannot be easily interpreted by teachers into effective … Continue reading Embracing the space: A journey into training to be a teacher virtually →

Moving beyond delivery: The thorny issue of competency

Photo by Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels.com It is at around this point in the ITT year when many training teachers begin to get into their stride.  They are no longer complete novices; they have built a familiarity with their placement setting and its rules and procedures, they are understanding how to fit into the departmental … Continue reading Moving beyond delivery: The thorny issue of competency →