Teaching and learning

Over the past six or seven years interest in the pupil or student voice has soared. We are now fortunate in having the data from two major surveys conducted by Tim Lomas (as an LA inspector) and then Richard Harris and Terry Haydn as ITT...

When so much of Key Stage 4 time is spent making sure that students know enough to answer any GCSE question that might arise, it is tempting not to stray too far from the conventional exam preparation routines.  Ever so often you might want to...

Learning in Key Stage 4 history lessons is nearly always good but rarely is it outstanding.  Because we are so aware of the examination requirements and the need to induct history students into the black art of exam technique, we tend to do too much...

At first sight you might be slightly surprised to see film and ICT bundled together.  Ten years ago they most certainly would not have been.  With the advent of digitisation, however, things have changed significantly.  It is now rare to find departments that do not...

The advent of the new GCSE history specifications for first teaching in September 2016 has forced us to consider how we help students to develop chronological understanding over different time scales, be it a thousand years of a development study or 200 years of a...

Having worked so hard to develop pupils understanding of historical interpretations at Key Stage 3, many history teachers feel short-changed when it comes to Key Stage 4.  Not only is there little real sense of progression, there is often little reward for spending time on...

Some of the best GCSE lessons I have ever seen have been enquiry-led where students have been given a little more scope to raise their own questions, research independently and write up their findings in creative ways. Before coursework became so formulaic, there were excellent...

This section offers a veritable treasure trove of imaginative tried-and-tested ideas which will be a source of inspiration for you in your GCSE teaching. As there is some overlap with KS3 you will find that many of the explanations can be found there too. However, all...

This section has highlighted a number of issues relating to GCSE teaching that you might identify with and be interested in seeing other talented teachers' solutions.  It does not claim to be complete, and there are already additional articles in preparation.  Attention inevitably focuses on...

This is not meant to be painting by numbers. You will see from the detail of the many outstanding lessons featured on this site that there are many and varied ways of teaching an excellent lesson in KS4 history.  Having seen hundreds of outstanding lessons...

With so much emphasis placed on the three-part lesson, due largely to the National Strategy, it is tempting to follow that simplistic model at Key Stage 4.  Many do, and feel triumphant when they manage to plan a good starter AND a plenary!  I have...