Evidence
Evidence and the use of sources in the history classroom
There is a section on evidence and the use of sources in the book (pages 218-221). This is just to update the resources to incorporate some things that have come out on this issue since the book went to print.
Always a useful starting point if you are a history student teacher, either from the point of view of developing your professional practice, or for use in writing M level Masters assignments, is the Historical Association’s ‘What’s the wisdom on…..’ series. The series provides new history teachers with an overview of the ‘story so far’ of practice-based professional thinking about a particular aspect of history teaching, drawing on the professional wisdom and experience of classroom history teachers. It synthesises key messages from Teaching History articles, blogs and other publications. The guide includes practical suggestions suitable for any key stage and signposts basic reading on the issues in question. The one on evidence and the use of sources can be accessed at What’s the wisdom on… Evidence and sources / Historical Association (history.org.uk).
John Simkin’s Spartacus website now has a feature which post a primary source for the history classroom every day. This allows history teachers to post on Twitter questions that could be used with the source. (Maybe a creative exercise for those students on PGCE courses.) There will be two sources every day – one visual and one written. John has chosen the Battle of Hastings and Walter Tull (to encourage students to think about Black History month) for the first posts. He will post at around 7.00 every work-day morning using the hashtag #HistoryPrimarySources.
https://spartacus-educational.com/History_Visual_Sources.htm
Arthur Chapman has amended a useful diagram to show what we are trying to do when we use sources in history.
‘How can we turn this trace of the past (and past account) into evidence for or against a claim? Which question can best ventriloquise it into a source of sustained positive or negative arguments about the past?’ (Arthur Chapman Tweet, 5 October 2021).
‘Historical sources in the classroom: purposes and use’, by Keith Barton (2018).
Barton argues that although historical sources are a common feature of history classrooms, purpose of using them is not always clear, and as a result, instructional activities with sources may not be as effective or meaningful as they should be. He argues that this lack of clarity stems in part from the fact that there are four distinctly different reasons for using sources, and each carries its own implications for classroom practice. These purposes are 1) illustration and motivation; 2) evidence for historical inquiry; 3) visual or textual interpretation; 4) source analysis. By reflecting on how each of these purposes can play a role in the classroom, which kinds of sources are appropriate for each, and where they fit into an overall sequence of instruction, teachers can ensure that their use of sources deepens and extends students’ historical understanding.
Helping Students Think about the Provenance of Sources – Ian Dawson. Another really useful resource from Ian Dawson’s Thinking History site.
A diagram that Ian designed for an A level book in 2011, aiming to help students understand the different types of books and other materials that lay behind the textbooks they were using. Invaluable for getting students to understand that text books and academic books about history (and history on television) often have different aims and purposes and are written for different audiences.
Information and evidence in a nutshell, Arthur Chapman. Teaching History’s ‘In a nutshell’ feature provides a very succinct (one page) and useful recap/explanation of some of the key issues in teaching and learning history. This one is taken from Teaching History, No. 137 (2009): 40.