What understanding of chronology can we expect of older primary school children?

Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.

Introduction - Issues and Concerns

Was I wise to accept the invitation to write this piece? There has been little research to shed light on the question [of what understanding of chronology can we expect of older primary school children]. The answer depends on how and what children have been taught about chronology, on the extent of their historical knowledge, linguistic knowledge, mathematical skills, motivation and general ability. Time is also a cultural concept and is experienced and recorded in different ways. Progression in all aspects of historical thinking is complex. Chronology is also a complex concept. It derives from Greek meaning the study of time; it does not just mean the ability to recite dates or put them correctly on a time line. It also involves understanding the causes and effects of changes, duration, slow changes and rapid changes, similarities and differences within and between periods, the key events and the ethos of periods, concurrent changes in different societies or in aspects of a society.