Is History Just About Dates?
By Paul Addison
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Introduction
 Many
of you will remember Sharon Leftwich’s Teaching and Learning Corner article on
Internationalism and the Curriculum at
Polesworth, and as mentioned in Mr Clarke’s
latest blog, the hard work of
Miss Leftwich and the various departments involved has been recognised by the
‘Leading Aspect’ award to the school on July 4th. This edition’s Teaching and
Learning Corner essay is by Paul Addison and focuses on aspects of the work of
the History Department, a very popular and successful subject in the school.
Mr P Fowler
(Deputy Headteacher) Is
History Just About Dates? History teachers are always interested
in dates and if anyone is interested in going on a date with a History teacher
please send for an application form from Mr Clarke at Polesworth High School.
Seriously, parents regularly comment on the fact that their children really
enjoy History and that it is very different to how it was taught when they were
at school. So what’s different about History? It is vitally important that
people have an understanding about their past. You cannot understand the present
without understanding the past. Malcolm X, a Civil Rights leader, said “History
is a people’s memory “. Whilst I am typing this article I can hear a discussion
in a Year 8 History lesson about the Black Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s
and Civil Rights is still a major issue today. Without History we would not be
able to comment on other issues such as :-
- Why Britain has always been a multi-cultural nation – its people being
made up of a mixture of Belgians, Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Jews,
Indians, Africans, West Indians, Chinese etc. etc.
- Why Britain is a democracy yet is not a Republic. What might Oliver
Cromwell think about that? Why are women allowed to vote but not sixteen
year olds? Why is peaceful protest better than terrorism?
- Why we have a Church of England
- The impact of war on Britain. Why people sacrificed themselves in the
First and Second World Wars. This month marks the 90th anniversary of the
Battle of the Somme. Why people continue to fight to defend this country.
History is also an exciting subject to teach and to learn. Pupils develop
skills in explaining different points of view, analysing evidence,
developing arguments and reaching judgements. They take part in role-plays
and mini-dramas e.g. Jerry Springer meets Mary, Queen of Scots, Julius
Caesar – This Is Your Life! They make videos and radio shows. They also use
ICT to research, evaluate and present arguments; to investigate Local
History and their own Family History. They also go on Educational Visits
(History Trips).
Before describing some of our most recent trips, I would like to thank
parents for all their support for the many trips the History Department
organises. Such trips play a key part in developing a child’s historical
thinking. Below is an outline of the History “educational visits” that have
taken place during the past year and will take place again next year:-
Year 7 (April)
Galleries of Justice in Nottingham
Part of a development study on Crime and Punishment from the Middle Ages to
the Present Day. Pupils take part in the trial of a Chartist and a modern
trial, they visit the Victorian prison cells and the gallows, they compare
these prisons to a modern prison and they look at people’s rights when they
are arrested.
Year 9 (November)
Black Country Museum
Part of a depth study on the Industrial Revolution. Pupils go on a canal
boat trip, go down a coal mine, visit workshops, houses, take part in a
lesson in a Victorian school go to the silent movies and the Edwardian
fun-fair.
Year 10 (October)
Raglan and Goodrich Castles
These trips form the basis of half the GCSE Coursework. Pupils take part in
an investigation of each site in its historical context as well as looking
at the reliability of the surviving evidence. This work is supported by a
series of lessons, videos, ICT exercises and textbooks.
 Years
12 and 13 (February half-term)
Paris and Versailles
This trip acts as a foundation for the Year 13 work on the impact of
Napoleon on France and Europe. All the key sites connected with the French
Revolution and Napoleon are visited – Conciergerie Revolutionary Prison,
site of the Guillotine, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Versailles, the
Bastille area. Plus extras like a boat trip on the Seine, a night tour of
Paris, the Musee d’Orsay and the top of the Eiffel Tower. There is even time
to shop on the Champs Elysee.
As you can see there are some Year Groups who did not go on
a trip last year but never fear we are always looking for new and exciting
destinations. In previous years we have taken Year 11 pupils to the Leeds
Medical Museum, Year 12 pupils to Hampton Court and the Imperial War Museum.
Some people have even been lucky enough to see Nuneaton Boro play
Middlesbrough in the F.A. Cup! Just remember Year 11 study the American West
– now there’s a possibility.
Mr P Addison
- Head of History Back to Top
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