The Methods of Historians

Abstract

In 1971 the History Teachers' Association of N.S.W. published Ways We Teach History, a book designed to assist teachers make history teaching more lively and meaningful. The great success of this publication testified that teachers and student-teachers welcomed practical ideas on classroom procedures. The six years that have passed since then have witnessed dramatic changes in all aspects of teaching in N.S.W. Indeed, the changes have been so great that some of the articles in Ways We Teach History have become 'dated' and so, rather than revise and reprint the original book, the H.T.A. decided to produce a new publication embracing not only fresh practical suggestions for the history teacher but also new ideas on the theory of teaching. The flexibility and freedom afforded teachers by the School Certificate History Syllabus has led to more creative and imaginative history teaching in the Junior School, but at the same time this 'freedom' has imposed certain strains on teachers, many of whom were not trained in the principles of curriculum construction and many of whom are faced with limited resources in many schools. New syllabuses in Higher School Certificate Modern and Ancient History together with revolutionary changes in methods of assessment at all levels of the high school have provided fresh challenges for the classroom teacher - and increased his problems!