Professional Focus Paper
Course: History
1.
Level: National 3
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
History National 3.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning from 3-18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3-15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes which build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the BGE, to meet the needs of all learners?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
History National 3 consists of three Units, providing learners insights into their own lives, society and the wider
world in which they live.
 Historical Study: Scottish
 Historical Study: British
 Historical Study: European and World
To achieve History National 3, learners must pass all of the Units. National 3 Units are not graded. There is no
mandatory content at National 3 and learners can study any aspect of the past that falls within the historical
studies. However, as classes may span Nationals 3, 4 and even 5, teachers will need to plan carefully to ensure
the contexts explored at National 3 are different from those at National 4 and beyond.
HISTORY
What are the key aspects of History National 3?
Integrated approach to skills development
History National 3 builds on the skills developed within the BGE. Staff may wish to consider thematic approaches to
learning and teaching. Gathering information and source handling are integral to studying history. Learners should
regularly use books or online resources, local museums and libraries to learn about the strengths and weakness of
a variety of sources.
Wider range of evidence of learning
There is a focus on assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching which can lead to naturally occurring
evidence. All of the evidence does not need to be from the one activity, but can be assembled from a variety of
tasks and assessments carried out during the course. Evidence may be presented for individual outcomes or
gathered for one unit, a number of units or the course as a whole by combining assessment holistically.
Staff can make use of a wider range of evidence of learning including, for example, digital or spoken presentations,
posters, leaflets, extended writing, notes or podcasts. Exemplification of assessment is provided in the Unit
Assessment Support. Advice and guidance on possible approaches to assessment is provided in the Unit Support
Notes.
Hierarchy of Units
Programmes of learning should be planned to encourage learners to aim for the highest level of achievement
possible. There is no mandatory content at National 3 but the aim of the course is to develop historical knowledge
and skills such as: a conceptual understanding of the past; interpreting basic information about a historical
development; stating the origin and content of a limited range of sources; a basic knowledge and understanding of
the factors contributing to, and the impact of, historical events; investigating skills; organising basic information
about historical themes and events and communicating a basic conclusion based on evidence.
Each Unit is split into two outcomes. The learner’s ability to comment on the origin of a historical source and outline
its content in basic factual terms will be assessed in Outcome 1 in the Scottish context. In Outcome 1 of both the
European and British Units, learners are required to interpret basic information about a historical development from
a source. In the British Unit, Outcome 1 also assesses the skill of organising historical information whilst in the
European context, the skill of drawing a basic conclusion is assessed. However, if units are being taken as part of a
course, then the evidence for Outcome 1 may also be presented in the other Units apart from the one to which it
has been assigned.
In Outcome 2 of all Units, learners are assessed in the skills of describing and explaining a historical event or
theme in a basic factual way.
These skills and knowledge will be developed further in National 4 and beyond. The skills developed in the
hierarchy of Units, enable staff to plan courses to cater for multi-level delivery. Careful planning of historical
contexts will be required to ensure learners can move between the levels as required and that content is not
repeated unnecessarily as learners progress through the SCQF levels. In the case of movement upwards from
National 3 to 4, teachers should plan for the completion of the National 4 Added Value Unit as well as developing
the additional source analysis skills of comparing sources that are assessed at National 4 but not National 3.
Added Value Unit
There is no requirement for an Added Value Unit at National 3 level.
HISTORY
What are the key features of learning in History National 4?
Active learning
Learners will be expected to take an active role in the learning process, working individually and collectively to
develop skills and to reflect on their learning. Staff should reduce the focus on teacher-led learning. Learning
activities, linked to their own interests, will develop learners’ abilities to explore, to analyse, to evaluate, to solve
problems, to communicate for different purposes, to create and to apply learning. For example, learners could
create a role-play script about a topic they are studying. Learners should use a range of sources to ensure the
accuracy of their information such as posters, newspaper articles, letters or adverts. The learners could then act
out the script. A good example might be using the resources Scotland’s History. Learners could be asked to work in
groups to write a short script of characters debating the positive and negative aspects of emigrating abroad to
Australia, Canada or America. This may be an opportunity to use local examples of people who have emigrated.
Learning independently
Learning independently involves learners making decisions, solving problems and initiating learning. Learners can
develop confidence and self-motivation through activities that offer a choice of approaches and resources. For
example, staff could ask learners to post their answers to a historical question on a Glow blog. They could then
comment on each other’s responses, making suggestions for improvement and learning from each other. The
discussions could be summarised in class and learners could agree on a class answer. Presenting history as an
issue is also a very good way of encouraging independent thinking and problem solving. For example, when
looking at the part William Wilberforce played in the ending of the Slave Trade, you might end the topic with the
discussion: 'Without the actions of William Wilberforce, the Atlantic Slave Trade would not have ended.’ Pupils
could work in groups with some arguing for the issue and others against.
Because there is no mandatory content, learners have real opportunities to explore aspects of history that interest
them most. For example, learners may wish to study local history, selecting local sources of information and
choosing the most appropriate way to respond including, for example, through writing, podcasting or other digital
media. Analytical and evaluative skills might be developed in a piece of structured extended writing, a mind-map or
through creating a video or PowerPoint presentation. Through careful planning, staff can link aspects of local
history to work in multi-level classes. For example, learners studying National 3 might research letters written by
local Scottish soldiers in World War One. This is a good link to ‘The Era of the Great War’ Unit at National 5. There
are wills and letters on the Scottish Archives for Schools.
How will you plan opportunities for learners to learn independently?
How will you plan contexts to ensure there is progression without unnecessary repetition of content?
What exciting issues can learners debate while studying National 3?
Responsibility for learning
Learners should be expected to take responsibility for and plan their own learning, based on an understanding of
how best they themselves actually learn. Learning activities could be planned in consultation with learners, taking
account of interests, aspirations and prior learning. Opportunities for personalisation and choice, for example in the
choice of an area to research within a unit or the mode of presentation, will enable learners to show what they can
do. This will also motivate learners and ensure that individuals are challenged appropriately. For example, an
individual or group might take responsibility for researching a particular part of a topic. Given clear deadlines, the
individual or group could be asked to develop a short lesson to teach the rest of the class about what they have
found. Each group or individual could provide a task for the rest of the group to learn from.
HISTORY
Learners should be encouraged to monitor their own progress and set targets, aiming to make effective use of
feedback to improve. By planning regular opportunities to discuss and review learning, including self- and peerassessment activities, staff will help learners engage with this process and to set meaningful targets for
improvement. For example, staff may wish to have learners peer-assess a small selection of history homework in
groups. The groups could then give feedback to the class, highlighting the areas of strength in each answer, and
discussing the ways in which each answer could be improved. It will be helpful to focus discussions about progress
on the aim of the course as identified above.
How will you support learners to take responsibility for and plan their own learning?
What key areas will you discuss with learners to ensure they are making progress with the aims of the course?
Collaborative learning
Collaborative learning challenges learners to think independently and engage in discussion and debate. In history it
enables learners to test out their ideas and argue about the past from their point of view. It can also assist in
developing confidence and providing evidence that learners can argue a case and come to valid conclusions.
Learners will be able to explain their thinking while being able to explore, develop and reinforce knowledge. For
example, learners could take charge of researching different aspects of a historical question. They could work with
a partner to check their learning before teaching others in a group. As a group, they could then be asked to come
to a conclusion on the big question and back this up using the evidence they have gathered collaboratively.
Collaborative learning also helps to develop a range of important literacy skills. Effective collaboration makes the
learning process visible and encourages deeper and more reflective learning. For example, learners could work in
pairs to describe the actions of William Wallace during the Scottish Wars of Independence. They could then work in
a group to consider the impact of Wallace’s actions on Scotland in the 13th and 14th centuries. The whole class
could then consider whether Wallace’s actions still have an impact in Scotland today. Effective use of technology
can facilitate this collaboration further. Learners could use a programme such as Puppet Palls on the iPad to
communicate their findings. Staff may wish to explore how a class blog could be used to record reflections on
learning and to facilitate peer-assessment.
As learners become more confident, they could begin to collaborate, not just with their peers, but also with learners
from other establishments, from the wider community and from around the world. This may help them to
understand that different cultures have different views about the past depending on what sources they have access
to.
How might you develop collaborative approaches to learning and make effective use of technology?
Applying learning
Learners will apply their skills and knowledge to enrich their learning across all aspects of their learning in history.
They should be encouraged to be open to new ideas and to develop the ability to think critically and creatively. The
absence of mandatory content opens up the opportunity for learners to choose topics for more independent and
open-ended study where source handling and knowledge and understanding can be integrated and applied. The
skills developed can then be applied in learning across curriculum areas and in future learning, life and work.
History lends itself to the development of literacy skills including, in particular, reading and writing. Numeracy skills
such as information handling will also be developed. By studying history, learners should be more able to
understand and participate in society to become informed citizens. They should be able to apply their
understanding of aspects of the past to recognise the origins of some of today’s problems which will encourage
HISTORY
them to see the relevance of their learning. They should be able to use their source handling skills to find out about
and form a view on current social, political and economic issues.
Links with other curriculum areas, such as languages, are essential to help learners apply and make connections in
their learning. For example, by studying war poetry in English they may be able to increase their understanding of
what they study in history and also bring some contextual understanding to the poems.
How can you ensure that learners can access opportunities to apply their learning in other curriculum areas?
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
History National 3: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48594.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/curriculumareas/socialstudies/index.asp
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nationalqualifications/subjects/history.asp
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
© Crown copyright, 2012
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