Developing a reflexive narrative of change in school history

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

Many history teachers are inspired by the work of historians and want to share their stories and arguments with students in school. Hywel Jones found Malcolm Gaskill's Witchfinders ‘gripping and intriguing'.

He decided to use the fascinating personal stories within as a tool to get Year 8 thinking about narratives of change. The resulting scheme of work raises some big questions, particularly concerning the need for historical specificity and the relationship between macro- and micro-history in the classroom. His findings are particularly relevant to those seeking to use personal stories in the classroom in order to elicit a broader, more nuanced understanding of historical change.