I have taken the social studies module this year as I was never overly engaged with history and geography at school. I remember very little about what social studies topics I done at primary school, the only one I do remember is the Vikings and that was because the teacher used to bring the shared TV in and we would watch some videos (I remember thinking it was amazing getting to watch TV in school). Apart from this my experiences are very limited and so I have taken this module to develop my understanding and discover ways in which I could make teaching of social studies in the classroom more relevant and enjoyable.
On the first week of the social studies elective we had an introduction to the history aspect of the module looking at why we teach history in the primary classroom. We were looking at what skills and knowledge we should develop through the teaching of history and we were advised to read The T.E.A.C.H Report which was published by the Historical Association in 2007. The report focused on the importance of teaching emotional and controversial historical issues, it stated that “The study of history can be emotive and controversial where there is actual or perceived unfairness to people by another individual or group in the past. This may also be the case where there are disparities between what is taught in school history, family/community history and other histories. Such issues and disparities create a strong resonance with students in particular educational settings.” (Historical Association, 2007, p 4). The report states to have good practice when teaching emotive and controversial history teachers must;
- Have a clear purpose and rational that emphasises identity, values and diversity.
- Teach history as both a body and form of knowledge.
- Allow for independent inquiry.
- Provide time and opportunity to reflect and cover different perspectives and beliefs.
- Explore different narratives and the past from different perspectives.
- Expose learners to large variety of sources.
(Historical Association, 2007)
However, the report stated that many teachers refrain from teaching emotive and controversial history due to their lack of subject knowledge (Historical Association, 2007). However, Hoodles (2008) debates this, they suggest that teachers often think they know little about a particular historical subject but when they are given time to think about it they do know a lot about it, they just don’t know where they learned it. Furthermore, the report suggests teachers refrain from teaching emotional and controversial history as they feel certain issues are not appropriate for certain age groups (Historical Association, 2007). Even though the report is seen to be critiquing teachers for not teaching emotional and controversial history to younger pupils I can fully understand why they don’t. It is my opinion that it is not appropriate to teach young children about brutal wars and mass death, I believe if we teach emotional and controversial history then it should be age appropriate and we should ensure what we are teaching does not majorly upset or offend any of our pupils. The report does recognise this point and states if teachers were provided with more guidance and encouragement then they would be able to improve the teaching and learning of emotional and controversial history and have a better understanding of what they could potentially teach and to what stage (Historical Association, 2007).
I struggle to think of what emotive and controversial history I studied while at primary school, I think the closest I got was studying World War Two and watching Goodnight Mr Tom. As much as this was emotive, I feel there could have been a lot more emotive and controversial issues explored through the context of World War 2. I hope in my teaching I can find a winder variety of contexts to explore emotional and controversial history, but I would also like to explore the emotional and controversial issues of today’s society and make the links between the two.
References
Historical Association (2007) The T.E.A.C.H Report. Available at: https://www.history.org.uk/secondary/resource/780/the-teach-report (Accessed on: 14th September 2018)
Hoodless, P. (2008) Teaching History in Primary Schools. Exeter: Learning Matters.
