History_training_pack_-_secondary[1] (1).ppt

history

1. Slide 1 of 33

Ofsted’s subject professional development
materials: History
A training resource for
teachers of history in
secondary schools
2012

2. Slide 2 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Ofsted publishes a number of subject surveys every
year. They look at developments in a specific subject
over the previous three years, based on specialist
inspectors’ visits to a range of schools.
This resource has been put together to help teachers in
secondary schools reflect on the main messages from
the history report History for all’ published in March
2011.
Subject leaders should take time to go through the
resource prior to using it in a meeting. This will help
you to appreciate that everything in it cannot be
covered in one session. It is far better to select the
issues which match your priorities and to allocate time
accordingly.
At certain points, specific questions are suggested for
discussion. They are to help you focus on your own
practice.
We will start with a short quiz about history to help you
think about what you know of history teaching today.
About this resource

3. Some questions on history at
GCSE and AS/A2
Quiz

4. Slide 4 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

1.How many students sat GCSE history (full course) in
2010 in England?
2.In relation to numbers of students taking subjects at
GCSE, history comes in the top 10 of subjects, but
where precisely in the top 10 for 2010 does it sit?
3.What proportion of students in 2010 took history at
GCSE in:
 maintained schools?
 independent schools?
 academies?
4.What proportion of students gained at least a grade
C in GCSE history in 2010?
GCSE history questions

5. Slide 5 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

1.How many students sat GCSE history (full course) in 2010 in England?
198,200
2.In relation to numbers of students taking subjects at GCSE, history comes in the top 10
of subjects, but where precisely in the top 10 for 2010 does it sit?
Second, behind design technology, all options combined
3.What proportion of students in 2010 took history at GCSE in:
 maintained schools? 30%
 independent schools? 48%
 academies? 20%
4.What proportion of students gained at least a grade C in GCSE history in 2010?
70%
GCSE history answers
Discussion point
Now answer the questions for your school. If your school differs from
the national average, why do you think this is the case?

6. Slide 6 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

1.How many students took history in 2010 in England
 at AS level?
 at A level?
2.Is the trend of entries for history at A level rising or
falling?
3.What proportion of students taking A level history
in 2010 gained grades B and above?
Post-16 history questions

7. Slide 7 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

1.How many students took history in 2010 in England
 at AS level? 48,000
 at A level? 45,100
2.Is the trend of entries for history at A level rising or falling?
Rising
3.What proportion of students taking A level history in 2010 gained grades B
and above?
56%
Post-16 history answers
Discussion point
Again, answer the questions for your school. If your school differs
from the national average, why do you think this is the case?

8. Slide 8 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

At what age can students give up history in England?
Is it…
at the age of 13?
at the end of Key Stage 3?
at the end of Year 9?
One last question

9. Slide 9 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

At what age can students give up history in England?
Is it…
at the age of 13?
at the end of Key Stage 3? Correct – whenever that may be.
at the end of Year 9?
Answer
Discussion points
1.When do students in your school give up history?
2.What particular problems does this pose for you in ensuring that
you cover the full programmes of study at Key Stage 3?

10. Slide 10 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

This training looks at five issues considered in the report. It
poses questions for discussion and provides some of the
commentary from the report. The questions covered are:
How popular is history in your school?
What history don’t you teach and why don’t you
teach it?
How can you ensure the most effective teaching in
history?
How can you ensure the best learning in history?
How effectively do you meet the subject-specific
history training needs of the teachers in your
school?
You can take the issues in any order and spend as long as
you like on each one. However, we suggest that at some
stage you find time to look at all five.
Overview

11. How popular is history in your school?
Issue 1

12. Slide 12 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

History is a popular subject in schools. We know this
because students told us so.
How popular is history in your school?

Discussion points
1.How popular is history in your school? Apart
from option choices, how do you know?
2.What can you do to make history more popular
and to engage more effectively with those
students who do not want to take the subject
beyond Key Stage 3?

13. Slide 13 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Students also told us they think history is important. In
our report, we link this to a key feature of the best
history subject leaders – ‘a well-articulated vision for
history’.
How popular is history in your school?

Discussion points
1.If you were to ask students in your school why
they were studying what they were studying in
history, what would their answer be? How do
you know?
2.How do you explain the importance of history
to your students, especially the sceptical ones?
What do you or should you tell them?

14. What history don’t you teach and why don’t you
teach it?
Issue 2

15. Slide 15 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

What history don’t you teach and why
don’t you teach it?
Politicians, academics and the media frequently complain that young people’s
grasp of history is poor. Recent newspaper headlines have included ‘No
children, Hitler came after 1066’ and ‘Trendy teaching is producing a generation
of history numbskulls’. It is also alleged that too little British history is taught in
secondary schools. As a result, it is claimed that students know very little about
their country’s history.
Discussion points
1.Do your students leave school with a good grasp of the history
they have studied? How do you know?
2.Are there any topics you ought to be teaching that you don’t?
Why don’t you teach them?
3.What are you going to do about this and how are you going to fill
the gaps?

16. Slide 16 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

What history don’t you teach and why
don’t you teach it?
Our evidence shows that the view that too little British history is taught in
secondary schools in England is a myth. Pupils in the schools visited studied a
considerable amount of British history and knew a great deal about the
particular topics covered. However, the large majority of the time was spent on
English history rather than wider British history.
The report recommends that secondary schools should ensure that pupils have
a greater understanding of the history of the interrelationships of the different
countries that comprise the British Isles.
Discussion points
1.Do you teach British history or English history?
2.What changes do you need to make to your schemes of work to
implement this recommendation?

17. How can you ensure the most effective teaching
in history?
Issue 3

18. Slide 18 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Activity
Write down three ways in which you ensure effective
teaching in history. Please make sure you are specific
about history and that you do not rely on generic aspects
of effective teaching.
How can you ensure the most effective
teaching in history?

Discussion point
Discuss these lists with your immediate colleague
and with the group.

19. Slide 19 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Activity
Look at the next slide. It gives a list of many of the
characteristics of highly effective teaching. This list was
included in the report.
How can you ensure the most effective
teaching in history?

Discussion point
Did you and your colleagues identify all the points
given?
As a group and/or as individuals, select the top
three things you need to concentrate on to improve
teaching and to make it even better in your school.

20. Slide 20 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How can you ensure the most effective
teaching in history?
The characteristics of highly effective teaching in history include:
the development of historical thinking, analysis and evaluation at the heart of the
lesson rather than as an afterthought at the end
a climate of historical enquiry in which trying to find the right answer really matters to
the students and where they develop an understanding of the complexities of the past
teachers’ excellent subject knowledge, clear exposition and judicious selection of
teaching strategies, including the use of ICT
a high level of challenge which obliges students to make well-considered judgements
based on historical evidence that is robust and increasingly broad in its range
high-quality activities: students are engaged in presenting and developing ideas,
arguing about the past and re-evaluating their historical thinking in the light of what
they have been learning
sufficient opportunities for students to listen, discuss and debate historical questions
and to respond thoughtfully so that others could comment
out-of-classroom activities for all students that enrich learning in history
careful monitoring of progress by teachers during lessons and regular assessment,
including peer- and self-assessment, which enables students to know how well they are
doing and what they have to do to improve in history.

21. How can you ensure the best learning in history?
Issue 4

22. Slide 22 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How can you ensure the best learning in
history?
Activity
Study these paragraphs from the report:
The best learning in history took place when the teaching developed pupils’
historical knowledge and historical thinking and, as a result, enabled them
to show their historical understanding. Historical thinking demands the
ability to investigate, consider, reflect and review the events of the past.
Consequently, pupils acquired historical knowledge which they learnt to
communicate in an increasingly sophisticated way. Their historical
understanding was revealed in the way that they communicated the
developments they had studied.
Particularly effective practice was characterised by teachers who not only
had good subject knowledge, but also good subject pedagogy, that is, a
good understanding of how pupils learn in the subject. The most effective
subject pedagogy, which ensured high achievement in history, was
shown by teachers whose approach focused on well-structured
enquiry, embracing independent thinking and learning.

23. Slide 23 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How can you ensure the best learning in
history?
Discussion points
1.How do you structure students’ learning in history?
Think about an effective historical enquiry you have recently
undertaken with a class at Key Stage 3. What made this enquiry
effective? Jot down the three key characteristics that made this
enquiry effective.
2.Discuss the characteristics you have selected with your colleagues.
Do you all agree?
Do your colleagues do anything in their lessons when the students
are undertaking enquires that you do not do?

24. Slide 24 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Activity
Read the following slide about the way in which
teachers developed pupils’ enquiry skills in history in
the best lessons observed by inspectors.
How can you ensure the best learning in
history?

Discussion points
1.Do your historical enquiries encompass all
these points?
2.Which ones do you not do?
3.How might you now amend future enquiries
to ensure that your pupils experience the
best learning in history?

25. Slide 25 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How can you ensure the best learning in
history?
The report noted that, in the very best lessons seen, teachers developed pupils’
enquiry skills by:
providing a clear framework and sense of direction for the investigation
controlling the scope of students’ expectations and encouraging them to
identify and pursue valid lines of enquiry
ensuring that research activities were matched by high levels of cognitive
challenge
encouraging students to think for themselves and giving them sufficient
time to consider what they were studying and what this told them about,
for example, the importance of an event, or the consequences of an action
maintaining a relentless focus on subject-specific thinking that helped to
develop students’ willingness to pose high-quality historical questions,
propose hypotheses about the past and work things out for themselves.

26. How effectively do you meet the
training needs of all the teachers who
teach history in your school?
Issue 5

27. Slide 27 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How effectively do you meet the subject-
specific history training needs of the
teachers in your school?
In this section we are going to look at the importance of meeting the training
needs of all the teachers who teach history in your school, specialists and non-
specialists.
Discussion points
1.How do you and your colleagues who are subject specialists keep
yourselves up to date on history? Jot down the three main ways
you do this.
2.How do you meet the training needs of the non-specialists who
teach history in your school? Again, jot down the three main ways
you do this.
We are also going to consider how well you use:
the expertise available in neighbouring schools to improve history in your
school
the expertise available in your school to help your neighbouring schools.

28. Slide 28 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How effectively do you meet the subject-
specific history training needs of the
teachers in your school?
Consider this list of some of the characteristics of good or outstanding
professional development seen in the schools visited:
Discussion point
Compare this list with your own lists. Which of these approaches have
you used in the last year? If you are not doing any of our examples,
what are you doing to ensure improvement?
regular in-house training involving subject-specific sessions
high-quality, external subject-specific training that was shared systematically
and comprehensively with colleagues in school
regular use of membership of the Historical Association (including its
magazines and monthly newsletters for secondary teachers and its online
professional development guidance)
attendance at training sessions by examination boards
active encouragement of teachers to become examiners and moderators at
GCSE and/or A level and to use the expertise gained in school to help
students and teachers.

29. Slide 29 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

How effectively do you meet the subject-
specific history training needs of the
teachers in your school?
In the report we noted that the most effective departments were aware of
training needs, recognised the importance of self-help and had effective links
with neighbouring schools, either within a local cluster or as part of a local
authority network. Examples of good practice included teachers:
Discussion point
Which of these approaches have you used in the last year?
deciding to make links with a local school for the purposes of improving
moderation of assessments at Key Stage 3
combining with colleagues in other schools in the area who taught the same
examination course to invite the Chief Examiner to conduct a training
session about their concerns in preparing students for the examination
using their own expertise in joining teachers from neighbouring schools to
discuss concerns and advise each other, following a survey of what training
they might offer
taking opportunities to observe colleagues teaching, in their own school and
in neighbouring schools.

30. Slide 30 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

The report recommends that all schools should
develop formal and informal networks, clusters and
federations to provide greater opportunities for
teachers of history to work together on subject-specific
training.
How effectively do you meet the subject-
specific history training needs of the
teachers in your school?

Discussion point
What more can you do to improve training for
specialists and non-specialists in your school and to
support your neighbouring schools, especially the
primary schools, that is appropriate and cost-effective?
For example, do you know the best departments for
history teaching within a 10- or 20-mile radius of your
school? Ofsted publishes lists of schools that have been
judged to be outstanding in subject surveys. You can
access this list at:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/schools/for-
schools/about-our-survey-reports

31. Summary and conclusion

32. Slide 32 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

Please consider this question as your summary task:
Summary task

Discussion point
What three priorities and accompanying actions do
you now have for improving history in your school
as a result of the discussions in which you have just
been engaged?
To help you in this, we suggest you look at the specific
criteria we use to judge history on subject inspections.
You can find this material on Ofsted’s website:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/generic-grade-descriptor
s-
and-supplementary-subject-specific-guidance-for-
inspectors-making-judgements

33. Slide 33 of 33 Ofsted’s subject professional development materials: history (secondary schools) January 2012

We hope you have found this resource helpful in prompting discussion about how to improve provision and outcomes for young people in history
in your school.
There is much more in the History for all report, which can be found on Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/090223
You will also find examples of good practice on Ofsted’s website: www.goodpractice.ofsted.gov.uk
We welcome comments on this training resource. Please write to [email protected] and ensure that you put ‘History Professional
Development Materials’ in the subject box of your email.
Conclusion