This is a qualitative research study which investigates the curriculum decision-making of four primary school history subject-leaders in the North-West of England. A grounded theory approach was utilised. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the subject-leaders and an audit of their schools' history curriculum completed. The curriculum…

In the nineteenth century, a new method for teaching anatomy shifted the professor's position from the middle of the lecture amphitheatre to one side of the room. In this spot, the wall was used to display a variety of visual "flat technologies" such as blackboards, oil paintings, wallcharts and light projections, among other visual…

I use Edward Said's (in: Culture and imperialism, Vintage, 1993) theory, that nations 'are narrations: who owned land, could settle, plan its future, are all stories of imperialism. The history teacher could not only consider 'what to read', but also 'how to read' taking account of the processes of imperialism; of the macro-history of world…

In "Teaching about the Vietnam War: Centering Southeast Asian Refugee Voices through Children's Literature," Sohyun An provides content and pedagogic knowledge for teaching about the Vietnam War through Southeast Asian refugee children's books. The author provides a brief overview of the war from Southeast Asian perspectives and…

As an Early Career Teacher, Eleri Hedley-Carter set out to make the history she teaches in school more reflective of her undergraduate study of history--a discipline that strives to uncover a diverse past through various lenses and historical methods. In addition to expanding her school's curriculum to include an enquiry that centred on African…

The concept of 'powerful knowledge' has become extremely influential in discussions about curriculum in England over the last ten years. However, the concept seems to have done little to revolutionise curriculum design, and in some cases it has led to curricular narrowing and a focus on an increasingly nationalistic narrative in history. Michael…

Ever since the 1970s, politicised debates have raged over the teaching of history, dubbed the 'history wars'. These debates continue to impact primary and secondary teachers' choices of history curriculum foci to this day. This research aimed to discover history teachers' understanding of how to develop diversity within their history curricula and…

The politicization of history education relating to colonialism in former major colonial powers, like Britain and France, and former colonies has for obvious reasons received ample scholarly attention. But how is colonial history represented in educational materials aimed at primary school students in countries with a less evident connection to…

Teachers unconsciously, and at times intentionally, use metaphors to graphically image new reform policy. This qualitative multiple case-study explores how secondary school teachers employed metaphors to communicate excitement and/or frustrations with a new history curriculum they were implementing in Zimbabwe. Findings from semi-structured…

This picture-type analysis of front covers of the German magazine "Der Spiegel" starts from the premise that the magazine's front covers convey history narratives that might play an important role in history education. Pupils can learn from them which history narratives dominate public discourse or cultural memory. The article provides a…

Textbooks are among the most important means of education in terms of instilling leadership skills in students. The characters presented as models in the textbooks play an important part in building up such leadership skills with the help of quotes from such characters, texts written with reference to them, and the activities developed…

Food is perfectly positioned to link students' lives to the deep and broad historical forces around them. Like everybody else, students procure and consume food on a daily basis, use it to mark special occasions, share it with friends, enjoy or dispute it with families, all perhaps without ever considering its potential for historical analysis.…

Controversial issues are often regarded as abundant in history education. Most topics can be regarded as controversial in one way or another. The purpose of this article is to analyse the way history teachers in Swedish lower secondary schools relate controversial issues to a particular view of the nature of the subject of history. By analysing…

From 2022, New Zealand schools are teaching a new compulsory history curriculum that aims to teach diverse New Zealand histories, while foregrounding the centrality of Maori histories and the impacts of colonisation. The new curriculum will upend a long history of 'forgetting' the nation's contentious and conflictual past, and in particular the…

Recent theories of historical consciousness focus on the role narration plays in contemporary people's attempts to give meaning to the past and orient their practical life as citizens. This article examines the need for probing students' historical ideas and for developing narrative competence as a way to engage them critically in contested…