http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:25:03 +0000 6 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/images/logosupsm.gif http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12220
I am against this in so many ways: the ending of compulsory History teaching before kids are 13, issues to do with delivery of topics such as the Holocaust, but also with the massive stress and extra workload I foresee in having to drive kids through GCSEs in one year, with maybe 2 or 3 groups running in parallel, with mixed ages in them. Let alone the lost gained time as once one group are through the summer exams the next batch of GCSE students start.

If you do currently do a two year KS3 (I know this is a growing trend) how do you manage to get full coverage?

Can anyone give me any reassurance about this not being as wrong and horrific as it currently feels?]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:25:03 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12220 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12059
I'm sure you guys have answered this sort of stuff before so I'm sorry if I'm at all repetitive but I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some insight.

Thanks,

Emmy]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:17:47 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12059 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12163
Firstly, I love how the students come and ask me and then I come straight on here and ask all of you! Well, two heads and all that.....

Ok, so my student wants to look at the consequences/impact of the El Salvadorian (sp?) war. She mainly wants to focus on the impact on the youth of the time. I am enthusiastic for a few reasons mainly because she is very enthusiastic about it and her family are El Salvadorians who left because of the war. She has a variety of viewpoints as her father left to escape the war whilst other family members stayed and fought for the Army. She is going to stay with them in December for a few weeks so has the opportunity to interview them. We were discussing the relevance of socio-economic background on the choices available to individuals at the time and maybe being able to interview someone who joined the Guerilla forces whilst she is there or speaking to a victim's organisation etc.

However, I have reservations.
I know nothing about this! Should not be a major problem as I can research and learn but it means I am unsure when advising her.
I'm not sure about availability of resources although I think questia should cover it.

Mostly, I am unsure if this is more sociology than 'history'.

Is this a suitable topic and how can the question be framed? Do they need to have 'controversy' in their essay's or can she critically analyse the sources i.e. her family members etc. ?

Thanks in advance! ]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:08:05 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12163 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12195 we are looking to change what we teach at A level to increase up take, currently we only have 5 at AS. Following a survey 19th C USA and nazis came out top for AS. We want to do USA unit but not sure if there are any text books out there for it. Does any one teach it? If so what do you use. I have emailed the board but await a response and 6th form prospectus needs to be in next Monday. ]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:34 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12195 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12207
Options are here again - almost...

This is the classic this year. History has been put in the same Option block as Geography. First time this has happened. IT GETS BETTER!!

As we do lots of BTEC courses at our school (have had to start writing one to keep a KS4 cohort, but that's another story), we have three Option blocks and this year (for some reason), SLT have decided to put all the GCSE options in ONE option block (History v Geography v French v Catering v Music etc) and the other two blocks are filled with BTEC courses... aarrgghh!!!!

Any suggestions to raise numbers as massive problems in Dept. e.g. non specialists with History, me only teaching 1 top set, 1 middle and 1 bottom set and missing three others...

Got a feeling one of subjects in Humanities (Geog or History) will disappear.

Phew!!

Now I've got that off my chest, any serious suggestions.

Many thanks

Jonathan]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:15:42 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12207 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12208
I'm also hoping that i can get the class to stick around after the showing to discuss the relevant themes.

So if anyone sees it before December, and if you have the time and inclination(!), could you discuss in this forum a) whether it is suitable for 16 yr olds, or whether it is too hard going and b. the themes of German Nationalism that emerge and could be picked up on in post-show discussion?

Many thanks! Katie]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:35 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12208 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12215
Some thoughts on which I'd appreciate some advice from experienced teachers.

In most 10-mark c) non-source questions, to achieve L4 (usually 6-9 marks) the candidate must 'fully explain' two or three of the three (usually given) factors. In essence, this seems not unlike what the candidate would normally do for the part-b 'explain' question.

To achieve L5, the candidate must go further: he or she must usually 'evaluate' the importance of the factors. Examiners' reports usually make much of the importance of 'linkage' here. In the past, I interpreted this 'linkage' to mean linkage *BETWEEN* the factors.

For example, consider the past question about whether or not one of (i) Rasputin's influence, (ii) Strikes and food shortages, or (iii) the collapse of the Russian Army was the *MOST* important factor in Tsar Nicholas II's fall in March 1917. Here, I taught the kids to respond by saying that *ALL* were needed for the end result to happen: Rasputin's influence helped CAUSE the food shortages & strikes (because he encouraged Alexandra to rule badly), and the latter proved the crucial test case that CAUSED the Army's morale to collapse in March 1917 (when the Petrograd garrison refused to kill the protesters and instead murdered their officers). Here, then, (i) led to (ii), and (ii) led to (iii) - in short, *ALL* the elements were linked - without any one in this 'chain of events', the end result wouldn't have occurred.

However, I increasingly suspect that this kind of linkage is *not* what the examiners are looking for. Instead, I sense that they just want linkage between each INDIVIDUAL factor AND THE END RESULT SPECIFIED IN THE Q.

As an example, 9c) in the Russia Depth Study 2009 Paper 1 asked the candidates whether (i) propaganda, (ii) the treatment of kulaks, and (iii) purges/show trials were EQUALLY important in Stalin's achievement of 'almost total control' of the USSR. Here, were the examiners wanting the kids simply to explain each one in turn, discretely, and then point out HOW IT PARTICULARLY forwarded Stalin's control?

In short, have I been overcomplicating things for the kids?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this issue,

Matt Spring]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:48:41 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12215 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12216
SMT want to know how we ID G&T. Has anyone got a list of Gifted Historicans (?)characteristics that they could give me before tomorrow?

Thanks,

Kay.]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:28:29 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12216 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12210
Origins of WW1 Essay Planning Tool.

I've written in such a way that I'll be able to adapt the concept for any number of essay titles - if anyone's got any feedback about how it might be improved etc please let me know!

Russ]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:41:57 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12210 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12218
Easi-speak information

TTS website

I think they've got a range of possible uses but I'm loathe to spend £325 on 10 of them without first finding out what other people think of them. Does anyone here have experience of using these or could you suggest alternatives that I might think of instead?
I can see them being useful for podcasting, recording empathy based interviews or local history sessions as well as orally recording assessment for students with SEN. To take this even further I'm also considering buying a digital camera (or two) for the department so if you've any suggestions then please let me know.]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:39:28 +0000 http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=12218