Philippa Hunter

This article presents evidence of the first activity in a sequence of history pedagogy Thinking About History that engaged learners in connecting to their pasts as a way into history.

How do students understand concepts in school history curriculum and assessment documentation?

"Switched-on" history teachers tap into students' conceptual understandings, promote conversations about the processes of historical research, encourage critical and evaluative thinking, and so develop students' historical consciousness.

This article explores what a group of Years 11 and 13 students think about history, how they talk about it and what they are interested in studying. It suggests that being aware of student interests and considering how the key competencies relate to history as a subject could open the way for professional conversations about different ways to approach teaching history in high school.