Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

In the last edition of Teaching History, Maria Osowiecki described in detail the fourth lesson in a five-lesson enquiry entitled: What was remarkable about the Renaissance? She also shared her resources for two lively, interactive activities - the Renaissance Party and a balloon debate. Here she complements that piece with a full account of the entire lesson sequence, an explanation of the conceptual underpinning of the pupils’ work (historical significance) and a full discussion of the learning styles debate and how it influenced her work. She challenges some common assumptions about learning styles and suggests that establishing particular pupils’ preferences may not be the best way forward. She argues, instead, that conceptual subject rigour and diversity of learning experience for all are more important factors in enabling pupils to tackle and overcome their difficulties.