In a nutshell. What is historical interpretation?The development of the historical process of analysing interpretations is also indispensable to developing knowledge and understanding of the past and should be an integral part of the History Threshold Concepts adopted by the department. It is suggested that a possible starting point for exploration of this History Threshold Concepts could be:
History is about different views about the past (Interpretations or representations). The past does not change, but our understanding of the past does change and not everyone agrees. |
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“History is but a bag of tricks we play on the dead” Voltaire
“History free of all values can not be written since historians would scarcely take the trouble to inquire laboriously into something which they set no value upon” (W H B Court)
This is an area which as received a plethora of pedagogical consideration by the history teaching community.In respect of thinking through the skill of analysing interpretations the HA Website communicates that:
“The fact that both the National Curriculum in England and the national assessment objectives that frame public examinations at GCSE and A-level include a focus on ‘historical interpretations’ (plural) as well as referring separately to students’ own use of evidence – makes it very clear that there is an important distinction between the disciplinary concepts of ‘evidence’ and ‘interpretations’. While the former is concerned with students’ use of sources to develop their own interpretation of events; the latter is concerned with students’ exploration and explanation of how and why interpretations developed by historians differ from one another. (Both have a critical role to plan in students’ historical learning – and both need to be carefully planned!) Giving students the confidence and the knowledge to handle competing interpretations is undoubtedly challenging, but the materials in this section show how careful planning within and across the key stages (including Key Stage 3) can help students of all ages to engage effectively with interpretations examining the relationship between historians’ accounts (in books and on television) and the particular questions that they have chosen to answer, as well as the sources on which they claim to have drawn.”
“History free of all values can not be written since historians would scarcely take the trouble to inquire laboriously into something which they set no value upon” (W H B Court)
This is an area which as received a plethora of pedagogical consideration by the history teaching community.In respect of thinking through the skill of analysing interpretations the HA Website communicates that:
“The fact that both the National Curriculum in England and the national assessment objectives that frame public examinations at GCSE and A-level include a focus on ‘historical interpretations’ (plural) as well as referring separately to students’ own use of evidence – makes it very clear that there is an important distinction between the disciplinary concepts of ‘evidence’ and ‘interpretations’. While the former is concerned with students’ use of sources to develop their own interpretation of events; the latter is concerned with students’ exploration and explanation of how and why interpretations developed by historians differ from one another. (Both have a critical role to plan in students’ historical learning – and both need to be carefully planned!) Giving students the confidence and the knowledge to handle competing interpretations is undoubtedly challenging, but the materials in this section show how careful planning within and across the key stages (including Key Stage 3) can help students of all ages to engage effectively with interpretations examining the relationship between historians’ accounts (in books and on television) and the particular questions that they have chosen to answer, as well as the sources on which they claim to have drawn.”
What is troublesome about historical interpretation?
What activities might support student understanding in historical interpretation?
How can we stretch and challenge this understanding further
Further resources to stimulate teacher thinking about students understanding of Interpretation
TH What's the wisdom on interpretations?
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TH New Novice or Nervous?
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