Australian Curriculum & Inquiry questions

Historical inquiry and pedagogy specific to history includes working with students and the big questions, connecting with & confidently using primary & secondary sources, comparing and contrasting perspectives and generating and sharing ideas and conclusions.

What are the teaching practices that will assist students to develop historical understanding?

• Focusing on big concepts and ideas underpinning the discipline of history and historians’ work
• Assisting learners to develop historical ‘habits of mind’ or reasoning by asking questions, fostering debate, using evidence to support a position and communicating that effectively
• Assisting learners to form some understanding of the circumstances, thoughts, feelings and actions of people in the past, a sense of history or feel for the way people thought, felt and acted in the past
• Presenting history to the learner as an ongoing and contentious debate about the past, rather than agreed-upon product
• Challenging learners to move beyond their own theories about the past, reconcile their own and others’ histories, and think critically about the world around them.

The inquiry questions at each year level of the AC:history form the big questions that make connections for students between the historical knowledge and the understandings about history and the past.

Relating the big questions to the key concepts of the AC; history at Year 9 to develop historical understandings:

• What were the changing features of the movements of people from 1750 to 1918?(significance, evidence)

• How did new ideas and technological developments contribute to change in this period? (evidence, perspectives, contestability)
• What was the origin, development, significance and long-term impact of imperialism in this period? (evidence, empathy, cause & effect)
• What was the significance of World War I? (significance, continuity & change)

Why study history - where are the jobs?

History is often viewed as a non-vocational subject. However with so many history graduates going into a wide range of careers this premise needs to be challenged! Studying history provides many transferable skills which are valued by employers, including:

• critical reasoning and analytical skills
• the capacity to solve problems and think creatively
• an ability to conduct research using ICTs, primary and secondary sources
• the ability to construct an argument by selecting and ordering evidence and then communicating in a persuasive manner, orally and in writing
• communication skills such as negotiating, questioning, summarising
• an ability to discuss ideas in groups, accepting the ideas of others and reaching an agreement
• the capacity to think objectively and approach ideas with an open mind
• an appreciation of the diverse factors that influence the actions of groups and individuals in society.

So, with this flexible combination of skills which careers could be pursued?

Jobs directly related include:

• Archivist 
• Secondary school teacher
• Museum or gallery conservator

Jobs less directly related but where history skills would be useful include:

barrister or solicitor, librarian, journalist, writer, public service administrator, primary school teacher, careers information provider.

Check out this website http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=191139 for three and a half minutes of images from history, related to the history skills described above and put to a Coldplay soundtrack!

Bound for South Australia 1836

Between February and July 1836 nine ships left Britain bound for the newly created province of South Australia. 

175 years later historical sources have been brought together to tell compelling stories of weather and position recorded in captains’ logs and lively descriptions of people and events in private letters and diaries. They tell a remarkable story of the experiences of those adventurous settlers, who left family and friends behind to create a new society on the other side of the world.

From now until the end of the year you can retrace these momentous journeys on a blog.

Welcome to the history room

Welcome to the history room.
At The History Room blog resources, ideas and website links are available for all who are interested in history and the teaching of history.
The image above has been selected to advertise the 2012 ANZAC Spirit Student Prize.

Websites you may like to take a look at for information about the 2011 History Teachers Association of Australia (HTAA) National conference to be held at Loreto College in Adelaide from 3-5 October.
History Teachers Association of SA
The History Teachers Association of Australia