How the process of historical enquiry helps to make school history more accessible
This practice aims to tackle the challenge of how to enable low-attaining students to achieve highly, in a mixed ability classroom, particularly with regard to helping them to produce an extended piece of writing, based on analytical thinking and historical knowledge. To support weaker students, Michael Riley designed the learning on Emperor Augustus around a rigorous and engaging enquiry question that students answered by means of an extended piece of writing. The historical enquiry was divided into a sequence of lessons, each touching upon different aspects of the question, while connecting to the overall clear structure of the learning. In order to achieve accessibility for all students, three key scaffolding strategies were used for the learning: an initial hook, a thinking frame for the sequence of lessons, and a writing frame to structure the final extended writing.
The Practice
About the interviewee
Michael Riley is Director of SHP, which promotes a more meaningful, diverse and engaging history curriculum in English schools. Through his work, he seeks to make school history more challenging, fascinating and accessible for all students. He is particularly interested in helping learners to build historical knowledge and understanding through the process of historical enquiry.
Background to the project
The enquiry was initiated by Michael Riley. He was inspired by working with his colleagues and likeminded people of the School History Project, such as Jamie Byrom or Christine Counsell. His thinking about how to render school history more challenging, fascinating and accessible for all students is underpinned by three principles: first, all students should be engaged with history in a challenging way; secondly, all students should gain deep and broad historical knowledge; thirdly, all students should be engaged in historical enquiry that involves critical thinking and communication in an extended written format.
Additional Information
Support material
This practice, while making use of the case on learning about the greatness of Emperor Augustus, can be easily transferred by following key principles underpinning this practice:
- Expectations in terms of knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking should be kept high.
- The enquiry should be planned across a sequence of lessons. Your enquiry should have a rigorous and engaging question and provide a clear structure for the learning as well as a motivating learning outcome.
- The learning should be scaffolded, most notably by making use of a hook, and thinking and writing frames.
More info
More information about the work of the School History Project can be found at their website: http://www.schoolshistoryproject.co.uk/
Written by Henrik Hartmann (EUROCLIO) based on an online interview with Michael Riley (SHP) in The Hague on 27 July 2017.
This practice aims to tackle the challenge of how to enable low-attaining students to achieve highly, in a mixed ability classroom, particularly with regard to helping them to produce an extended piece of writing, based on analytical thinking and historical knowledge. To support weaker students, Michael Riley designed the learning on Emperor Augustus around a rigorous and engaging enquiry question that students answered by means of an extended piece of writing. The historical enquiry was divided into a sequence of lessons, each touching upon different aspects of the question, while connecting to the overall clear structure of the learning. In order to achieve accessibility for all students, three key scaffolding strategies were used for the learning: an initial hook, a thinking frame for the sequence of lessons, and a writing frame to structure the final extended writing.
The Practice
About the interviewee
Michael Riley is Director of SHP, which promotes a more meaningful, diverse and engaging history curriculum in English schools. Through his work, he seeks to make school history more challenging, fascinating and accessible for all students. He is particularly interested in helping learners to build historical knowledge and understanding through the process of historical enquiry.
Background to the project
The enquiry was initiated by Michael Riley. He was inspired by working with his colleagues and likeminded people of the School History Project, such as Jamie Byrom or Christine Counsell. His thinking about how to render school history more challenging, fascinating and accessible for all students is underpinned by three principles: first, all students should be engaged with history in a challenging way; secondly, all students should gain deep and broad historical knowledge; thirdly, all students should be engaged in historical enquiry that involves critical thinking and communication in an extended written format.
Additional Information
Support material
This practice, while making use of the case on learning about the greatness of Emperor Augustus, can be easily transferred by following key principles underpinning this practice:
- Expectations in terms of knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking should be kept high.
- The enquiry should be planned across a sequence of lessons. Your enquiry should have a rigorous and engaging question and provide a clear structure for the learning as well as a motivating learning outcome.
- The learning should be scaffolded, most notably by making use of a hook, and thinking and writing frames.
More info
More information about the work of the School History Project can be found at their website: http://www.schoolshistoryproject.co.uk/
Written by Henrik Hartmann (EUROCLIO) based on an online interview with Michael Riley (SHP) in The Hague on 27 July 2017.