History in schools being looked at (again)

As part of a review about the national curriculum, once again history lessons are under the spotlight as their value to educating children in a much broader sense than dates and names is recognised, and their current provision for understanding history itself is being analysed.

I direct you to the BBC's article about this....

Hmmm, it sounds like there is some good common sense going on, although it could sound like a drive to teach children about how glorious a nation we were/are. 

 I agree that the way history is taught can be a bit bewildering, as periods are covered in a way which often feels disjointed, and it gives the appearance of about 5 brief periods of interest which you study again, and again, and.... (The Reformation: Studied the Tudors in Junior School. Studied the Tudors and the Reformation in high school. Studied the Tudors and the wider Renaissance at A-Level. One of the first year options at University? THE REFORMATION AND RELIGIOUS CHANGE IN RENAISSANCE EUROPE! for pity's sake...)

Sometimes it can be hard to engage students as they can't see the relevance of studying medicine through the ages, or the Tudors, in their current lives. Learning to analyse information, and make sense of the often conflicting accounts was a key benefit I picked up from the excellent Mr Martin (my long suffering history teacher) and something that can be applied in many situations, as is the ability to weigh evidence and provide a reasoned judgement with references. 

May be worth watching as this develops. 

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