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Move Me On 96: Struggling with language register - getting pitch right
Teaching History feature
This Issue's Problem: John Ball is having difficulty getting his language register right
Problem:
John is several weeks into his first school placement. He is very much enjoying the PGCE course. It is proving to be the intellectual and practical challenge that he hoped. He has come to the course...
Move Me On 96: Struggling with language register - getting pitch right
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Analysing Anne Frank: a case study in the teaching of thinking skills
Teaching History article
For those lucky history departments in and around Newcastle this article will not be news. Peter Fisher alludes to the quasi-religious atmosphere that is often discernible amongst history teachers who have been working with the Thinking Skills groups linked to University of Newcastle Department of Education. He is not exaggerating...
Analysing Anne Frank: a case study in the teaching of thinking skills
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Ordinary pupils, extraordinary results: a structured approach to raising attainment at GCSE
Article
It is a very common complaint that history GCSE is unfairly demanding compared with other subjects. Well, it probably is. But that does not stop history at Robert Clack School from outperforming every other subject except art. Nor is this the story of one of those schools with an unusually...
Ordinary pupils, extraordinary results: a structured approach to raising attainment at GCSE
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Why Gerry likes history now: the power of the word processor
Article
Ben Walsh argues that many teachers of history completely miss the point of the word processor. Criticising those who use it merely for 'typing up' he reminds us that the purpose of the word processor, as with any other resource, is to teach good history. He analyses the types of...
Why Gerry likes history now: the power of the word processor
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The 'structured enquiry' is not a contradiction in terms: focused teaching for independent learning
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated
Mike Gorman uses the language of the National Curriculum Order to describe and analyse his practice. Yet he throws down a challenge to those who use it uncritically rather than interpreting it to make their...
The 'structured enquiry' is not a contradiction in terms: focused teaching for independent learning
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Move Me On 92: Having problems teaching causation
The problem page for history mentors
This Issue's Problem: Melville Miles, student history teacher, is in Term 3 of his PGCE year. Melville has taught a number of excellent lessons in which he enabled pupils to reach high levels of historical understanding. His diagnostic assessment of pupils' work is unusually sophisticated for a PGCE student. Melville's...
Move Me On 92: Having problems teaching causation
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Being ambitious with the causes of the First World War: interrogating inevitability
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated
Gary Howells asks hard questions about typical teaching and assessment of historical causation at Key Stage 3. Popular activities that may be helpful in addressing particular learning areas, or in teaching pupils to use the...
Being ambitious with the causes of the First World War: interrogating inevitability
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Emotional response or objective enquiry? Using shared stories and a sense of place in the study of interpretations for GCSE
Article
In this article, Andrew Wrenn explores some issues that teachers might consider when supporting 14 and 15 year olds in their study of war memorials as historical interpretations. Tony McAleavy has argued that ‘popular' and ‘personal' interpretations and representations are just as worthy of study at Key Stage 3 as...
Emotional response or objective enquiry? Using shared stories and a sense of place in the study of interpretations for GCSE
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Northampton Branch Programme
Article
Leicester & Northampton Branches Joint Programme of Online Talks & Activities 2025-26
All talks are online and take place at 6pm-7.30pm. Booking is through Eventbrite.
Entry is free of charge.
All enquiries for Leicester Branch: Dr Alex Byrne. alexander.bryne@dmu.ac.uk
All enquiries for Northampton Branch: Professor Matthew McCormack. Matthew.McCormack@northampton.ac.uk
9...
Northampton Branch Programme
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Sharing The Past: Northamptonshire's Black History
Book Review
Northamptonshire Black History Association Pub 2008; ISBN:978 0 9557139 1 0; £12.95 [+£2.30 p and p] from: NBHA, Doddridge Centre, 109 St James Road, Northampton, NN5 5LD.
How fortunate Northamptonshire history teachers are! With the current emphasis on community cohesion and diversity in the New Secondary Curriculum, they are presented...
Sharing The Past: Northamptonshire's Black History
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Emotional response or objective enquiry? Using shared stories and a sense of place
Teaching History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.
In this article, Andrew Wrenn explores some issues that teachers might consider when supporting 14 and 15 year olds in their study of war memorials as historical interpretations. Tony McAleavy has argued that ‘popular' and...
Emotional response or objective enquiry? Using shared stories and a sense of place
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Reading Branch History
Branch History
Brief outline history of the Reading Branch of the Historical Association
Reading is one of the places to have had a branch before the First World War, between 1908 and 1911 as was shown in The Historian, ‘The Branches of the Historical Association 1906-2006'. The story of the current Reading...
Reading Branch History
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Plymouth Branch Programme
Article
website: http://www.ha-plymouth.org.uk
contact: Alan H. Cousins
1 Russell Court, Russell Close, Saltash PL12 4LZ, Tel. 01752 843750
a.cousins345@btinternet.com
Meetings are open to all and are free for national or local members of the Historical Association, and for University of Plymouth students. The “Liberation Line” talk on October 7...
Plymouth Branch Programme
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Communicating about the past: Resource G
Article
James Woodcock, 'Does the linguistic release the conceptual? Helping Year 10 to improve their causal reasoning' in Teaching History 119: Language issue (June, 2005)
In this subtle article, James Woodcock experiments with introducing new vocabulary to a mixed-ability year 10 class working towards the enquiry question '"Hitler was not to...
Communicating about the past: Resource G
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Britain's Olympic visionary
Historian article
Forty-six years before the modern Olympics began, the small Shropshire market town of Much Wenlock was the seemingly unlikely setting for the establishment of an ‘Olympian Games'. Commencing in 1850, they were to become an annual festival in the town. The architect of this sporting enterprise was a local surgeon...
Britain's Olympic visionary
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From tragedy to triumph: The courage of Henrietta, Lady of Luxborough 1699-1756
Historian article
Why is Henrietta Luxborough, who was born in 1699, of interest today? In the first place because of whom she was; in the second because of what happened to her; and in the third because of her courage which enabled her to overcome adversity and lead a life utterly different...
From tragedy to triumph: The courage of Henrietta, Lady of Luxborough 1699-1756
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Nuneaton Branch Programme
Article
Enquiries to Branch Secretary Michael Arnold. michael.arnold@cantab.net tel 07785 337147
Venue: Unless otherwise stated talks start at 7.30pm on Thursdays at Chilvers Coton Heritage Centre 4 Avenue Road, Nuneaton CV11 4LU. Ample parking available.
Associate membership is £15 per year. Talks free to national HA members and students, visitors: voluntary...
Nuneaton Branch Programme
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Winchester Branch Programme
Article
All enquiries to Branch Secretary Eleanor Yates – email historicalassocwinchester@outlook.com or text or call 07973 427915
Lectures will be at 7.30pm. Unless otherwise stated, the venue is The Science Lecture Theatre, Kingsgate Street, Winchester SO23 9PG, and sometimes online additionally.
Lectures are free to members and students, visitors are asked for a...
Winchester Branch Programme
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Beckenham & Bromley Branch Programme
Article
All enquiries to Mrs A Wagstaff 020 8777 7742 BeckenhamHA@uclmail.net
Entry to meetings is free for HA members and £2 for visitors.
Associate membership of the branch is £14 for 2025/2026 or £24 with our monthly news bulletin, the Beckenham Historian.
All meetings take place at 7.30 p.m. in Christ...
Beckenham & Bromley Branch Programme
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Teaching and learning through personal, family and local history
E-CPD
N.B. This unit was produced before the 2014 curriculum and therefore while much of the advice is still useful, there may be some out of date references or links.
This unit is concerned with the way that primary age pupils can make use of their own personal, family and local history...
Teaching and learning through personal, family and local history
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Hertfordshire Branch Programme
Article
Meetings are held at the Backhouse Room, 116 Handside Lane, Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL8 6SZ on Saturdays at 3pm
Meetings are free for members, £3 for visitors. Associate membership £15 per season.
For more information contact Barbara Wiltshire barbarag.wiltshire@btinternet.com or telephone 01438 716020
Hertfordshire Branch Programme 2025-6
Saturday...
Hertfordshire Branch Programme
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Hull & East Riding Branch Programme
Article
The Hull and East Riding branch meets at the Nordic Centre (The Danish Church), Osborne Street, HULL. HU1 2PN. This is a five-minute walk from the train, coach and bus Interchange. There is a small car park, free to all attending events, and parking on Osborne Street is quite easy....
Hull & East Riding Branch Programme
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Support Us
Information
As a charity the HA is completely independent of any government or statutory support, so we rely heavily on the work of volunteers (branch officers, workshop leaders and contributors to our publications). We also need donations and legacies to develop new resources and to help ensure everyone can access great...
Support Us
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Who do we represent?
Information
You don’t have to be an historian or history teacher to join the HA; you just need to love history.
Our membership includes many thousands of history teachers and schools, academic historians, museum and heritage organisations, students of history of all ages – and many other individuals who just love...
Who do we represent?
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Teaching history through photographs in the internet and digital age
Primary History article
Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content and links may be outdated.
Images allow us to step back in time and ask important historical questions such as ‘Were the Victorians just like us?' Growing digitisation and the spread of the internet allow teachers and learners...
Teaching history through photographs in the internet and digital age