When were Jews in medieval England most in danger?

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

A great deal has been written about causation in the pages of Teaching History. From camels to linguistics, this is a second-order concept that teachers and pupils frequently deliberate.

Departments balance the need for substantive knowledge with explicit discussion of causation. Ben Jarman wanted to introduce a ‘change and continuity' enquiry to his department, but similar  questions arose: should change and continuity be considered explicitly and separately as concepts? This article describes a journey from one enquiry question to another; from ‘When were Jews in medieval England most in danger?' to ‘Were Jews in medieval England always in danger?' Along the way, Jarman uses a careful analysis of students' work to critique his own practice and thereby develop their understanding of the past...