History in
Years 1 to 10
Studies of Society and Environment
Key Learning Area
Occasional paper prepared for the
Queensland School Curriculum Council
by
Brian Hoepper, Professional Studies, QUT
Max Quanchi, School of Humanities and Social Science, QUT
on behalf of the
Queensland History Teachers’ Association
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is History?
How the teaching and learning of History has changed
History - linking with the Years 1 to 10 SOSE syllabus
Suggested curriculum themes and topics
Resources
1
1. What is History ?
1.1 The current state of the discipline
The discipline of History as it appears today on the shelves of bookshops and in the
subjects taught in schools and universities is unrecognisable against the "History" of
twenty years ago. This rapid transformation is reflected in the contents of the discipline’s
major journal, Australian Historical Studies.1 Once dominated by scholarly, footnoted
articles and book reviews, in recent years Australian Historical Studies has added
sections which analyse exhibitions, military and community celebrations, historical sites, a
"Reflections" section on the work of historians and a "Debate" forum which allows
historians to argue the merits of previously published articles. A blurring of discipline lines
has occurred as historical methodologies and approaches drift into (or are captured by)
cultural and literary studies, law, the sciences and social sciences. Not only has History as
a discipline been redefined, but its underpinning ideological and theoretical structure and
the nature of its scrutiny of the minutiae of past events has also been challenged.
In academia, the move is away from an objective, descriptive narrative and a past which
can be known towards histories which are reflective, socially critical and self-interrogating.
In the public domain, it is paralleled by a surge of interest in anything vaguely historical.
The Australian community continues to demonstrate a popular interest in the past, not in
History as a discipline, but History as an entertaining window on the past. National
competitions, commemorations of special events, historic homes, heritage walks,
antiques, vintage cars, History theme parks, historical drama, television documentaries
and historical movies are increasingly entertaining and informing Australians about what it
was like in the old days.
In primary and secondary schools, both trends are discernible. History is widely seen as a
curriculum content area which promotes knowledge about the past – a selection of truths,
insights, facts and collective memories about important events and people. This
engagement with the past is enjoyed through reading, excursions, role play, dress-ups,
debates, posters and projects. But there is also a trend towards a concept of the past as
a contested space and a record of events that needs interrogation. The Queensland
History Teachers’ Association (QHTA) has actively promoted this investigative, socially
critical approach in secondary schools. Was Caroline Chisholm really a friend of female
immigrants? Was Ned Kelly really struggling against the injustice suffered by poor rural
farmers? Was Breaker Morant really a victim of British military capitalism? Chisholm, Kelly
and Morant are fascinating characters from our past and their lives are worth studying and
proclaiming – but the stories we have told about them – at the time and since - also need
scrutinising.
1.2 Can we know the way it really was?
In 1998 a special issue of Australian Historical Studies was devoted to "The Fifties". It
sought to "fill in the spaces between the broad brushstrokes of images circulating in
1
Originally Historical Studies of Australia and New Zealand, and then just Historical Studies,
it has recently become Australian Historical Studies. It now competes with other journals such as
Australian Cultural Studies, Journal of Australian Studies and the Australian Journal of Politics and
History, as well as those from specialist fields such as Labour History, Aboriginal History, Public
History Review and others (see, Australian Historical Association Bulletin, No 84, 1997, pp. 5-29,
for a survey of History journals).
2
contemporary discourse"2 and to challenge the certainty experienced by those at the time,
and the certainty with which historians, then and now, described the era. What were the
1950s and 1960s really like? In earlier times and other locations, what was convictism,
the Boer War, the “Home Front” and the “Reds-under-beds” era really like? Other than
dates, the names of people, locations and the broad sequence of events - which
Historians usually agree on – the special issue of Australian Historical Studies argued that
our previous descriptions of the 1950s were based on a false understanding of what took
place. This assertion is one typical of a dynamic and competitive discipline. Historians are
busy attacking or defending the propositions that it is possible to know what really
happened (the truth). Most historians now agree that there are still undiscovered silences
and contrary interpretations, and that the past is only known through the prism of our
present and personal lens.
1.3 Moving towards a different History
The old History with its description of progress, order, authority, great men and great
events, cause and effect, chronology, enduring traditions and admiration for antiquity is
now challenged by a different History. The new History uncovers ruptures, abnormalities,
disorder, discontinuities, disjunctions and the lost voices of the past and insists that the
way we tell stories about the past can depend on who we speak to in the present. The
discipline of History has become a pastiche (of stories) and bricolage (of theories) 3.
Today, the discipline of History has been refashioned by new concepts, themes, and
technologies. There are debates about appropriate content and methodologies. New subfields continue to emerge as historians engage with Gender, Indigenous Australia, Public
History, Postcolonialism, Environmentalism, Globalisation, Memory, Photography,
Consciousness, and others. This has led to a History which is being told by academics,
amateur historians, museum and gallery curators, choreographers, artists, television
documentary makers, radio programmers and Hollywood-style film-makers. History has
been replaced by histories.
Rather than "The History of ....", posing as an incontestable, true account of the past, what
we have now are contested domains, contrasting views and a range of probable and
improbable guesses. Jocelyn Linnekin concluded that "as contending voices and points of
view proliferate, History becomes not so much a text as an ongoing debate".4 There are
now no absolutes in the discipline of History, only relentless introspection, and an array of
interpretations and speaking positions. History and Studies of Society and Environment
(SOSE) teachers now ask what happened, but also ask who owns the story, why was it
told this way and what conflicts of interest have shaped different versions of the story over
time.
1.4 SOSE and the old and the new History
The German writer Nietzsche’s three categories neatly summarise much of what History
can do in a SOSE curriculum. The SOSE initiative allows schools to develop in students a
Murphy J and Smart J, 1988, “Introduction” in Murphy, J. and Smart, J. (Eds), The forgotten
Fifties; aspects of Australian society and culture in the 1950s, a special issue of Australian
Historical Studies, Vol 28, No 109, pp.1 and 5.
3
Penny Russell and Richard White called their edited History of 19th and 20th Australia a
pastiche, “not a single story of Australia but … a range of stories which view the past from different
angles …a bridge from the seductive authority of older narratives to the fluidity of the histories of
today”. See, Russell, P. and White, R. (Eds), 1994, Pastiche 1; Reflections on 19th Century
Australia, Sydney, Allen and Unwin, p. ix.
4
Linnikin, J. 1997, “Contending approaches”, in Denoon, D. (Ed), The Cambridge History of
the Pacific Islanders, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 31
2
3
pride in the past - monumental History – the recording of progress, action and struggle. It
also allows students to develop an appreciation of material culture from the old days antiquarian History – the conserving of relics and revering the past. Finally, it allows
students to question earlier versions of the past - critical History – to probe injustices and
to envision a better life.
Nietzsche’s three categories are somewhat obscured today because of the extensive
borrowing that has taken place between disciplines within the humanities and externally
with the social sciences and other disciplines. This borrowing is so prevalent that some
Historians see the discipline’s boundary as increasingly and dangerously blurred.5 In
schools it is also argued that History, if subsumed under the SOSE banner, will lose its
distinctive disciplinary identity. The QHTA argues that the opposite is the case and that
History as a discipline actually underpins and informs a SOSE approach, and that through
classroom application of historical processes, the concepts and skills of nearly all the
SOSE learning outcomes can be met.
The SOSE initiative allows primary and secondary schools to add a critical edge to
celebratory colonial narratives of powerful, authority figures, masters and rulers. It offers
opportunities to move towards more localised story telling about ordinary people,
community pioneers, forebears, family and next door neighbours. The SOSE initiative also
allows a move to the vernacular, and away from Eurocentric theories and models towards
respect for traditional knowledge and indigenous ways of recording and describing the
past.
At the primary and secondary school level, students still have the chance to enjoy
antiquarian, commemorative, celebratory and narrative History. But students also should
have the chance to develop skills of critical reflection, the questioning of evidence and the
chance to develop practical ways of challenging dominant paradigms and hegemonic
discourses. By critically examining the past presented in school textbooks, Internet sites
and video documentaries, students can move beyond the uncritical acceptance of what is
purported to have happened in the past. They can become sensitive to the ways that
versions of the past are constructed, and how those constructions are used and
sometimes abused to legitimise power and action.
Students can question what is presented to them under the guise of "History" or "the
past". They can seek out local, family and non-material evidence that will support (or
challenge) popular versions of the past. They can present mini-histories, time lines, role
plays, speeches, dramas, essays, historical maps and posters which offer to their peers
and local communities, a personal and alternative view of their own past.
Knowledge of the past is a powerful tool in the present. Knowing your own and others’
pasts is empowering. It invites action, it legitimises action and it creates active citizens.
History, as a key element of a SOSE curriculum, can do this for school students.
2. How the Teaching and Learning of History has Changed
Beginning in the 1970s, there was a dramatic change in the way that young people
studied History in schools. This change was encapsulated in the term the ‘New History’. It
had its origins in Britain, but its impact was soon felt in continental Europe, the United
States and Australia. That impact continues today, and it can be seen in the way History is
conceptualised and applied in the Key Learning Area of Studies of Society and
Environment.
For the defence of “traditional” History see, Windschuttle, K. 1998, The Killing of History;
How a discipline is being murdered by literary critics and social theorists, Sydney, Macleay Press.
5
4
2.1 The ‘Old History’
Until the 1970s, the ‘Old History’ had dominated schools. History was presented as a
straightforward and undebated chronicle of the past. It was often the story of heroic men
and their wondrous achievements. The ‘Old History’ celebrated the achievements of
nationalism, imperialism, militarism and industrialism. In Australian schools, History had a
strong Eurocentric emphasis. Much of what was taught focused on events and
developments in Britain and continental Europe, and on the expansion of European
influence in the rest of the world.
These ‘Old History’ approaches dominated the historical elements of Social Studies
courses in primary schools and the subject of History in secondary schools. Students
spent much time reading the set textbook, listening to the teacher embellish and explain
the stories in the text, and memorising key information about historical personalities,
events and developments. When undertaking projects, students often copied extracts
from encyclopaedia and texts, and dressed them up with illustrations and colourful
headings.
There was also a moral aspect to such teaching, as stories of heroism and achievement
were used to affirm such desirable values as diligence, bravery, altruism and honesty.
Characters such as Raleigh, Drake, Sidney, Horatio and a faithful Russian servant leapt
from the pages of Social Studies readers - spreading a cloak for the Queen, calmly
finishing a game of bowls, giving a cup of water to a dying soldier, defending a bridge, or
sacrificing self to save a noble family from wolves. Occasionally, a woman made an
inspiring appearance, nursing the wounded by lamplight in the Crimea, saving young
immigrant girls in Sydney from fates worse than death, or braving the surf to rescue
shipwrecked souls.
2.2 The ‘New History’
The New History began to change all that, especially under the influence of the innovative
Schools Council History 13-16 project in Britain. New approaches challenged the key
features of the old History and Social Studies: the undisputed character of the past; the
objectivity of historical accounts; the supremacy of Eurocentric values and achievements;
the dominant role of the teacher; the relative passivity of the student; the emphasis on rote
learning of information. And, at the same time, new developments in Social Studies
(largely emanating from the USA) dovetailed with the influence of the New History. These
developments ushered in a focus on inquiry, including the new approaches to both
primary and secondary sources that are widespread today.
2.3 Students using secondary sources
Put simply, these new approaches encourage young people to see that histories are
interpretations of the past, and that they are constructed using the available sources of
evidence. Thus, histories are partial in two senses – they are incomplete (because no-one
can have all the evidence, and tell the whole story) and they reflect the backgrounds and
beliefs of the people who produce them (because it’s impossible to tell the objective story
of the past). Students are therefore encouraged to read histories more critically – to
discern perspectives, standpoints and biases.
Here’s an extract from a written History (a secondary source) that was used in
Queensland primary schools from around 1920 until the 1950s.
5
Progress of Britain from 1714 till 1820
During the eighteenth century Britain made a great advance in trade and manufactures, in
wealth, and in the number of her people...
... the brains and hands of clever and resolute men found out the means of making goods
with far more ease, speed, and cheapness than had ever before been possible. Machines,
instead of hands, began to spin and weave...
Not only in cotton and in wool, but in silk and iron, and many other articles, steam soon
gave our workmen the first place in the markets of the world. The trade of the country
grew so fast that the Thames, the Tyne, and the Mersey were filled with forests of masts,
borne by ships that sailed to and from every part of the world...
In this same age, by conquest and discovery alike, the British Empire was much enlarged.
In India, our power grew under the rule of Warren Hastings, Lord Cornwallis, and Lord
Wellesley, brother of the Duke of Wellington.
In the course of the great war we became masters of the Cape of Good Hope, Malta, and
other places of value. New lands of settlement for colonists were either first found or first
explored, by the famous Captain James Cook.
History Reader Book VI, Blackie and Sons, Glasgow, c. 1920.
Using a ‘New History’ perspective, the standpoints and biases of this version of past
events might be discerned through some probing questions, such as:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What types of activity are praised in this source?
What types of people are praised in this source?
In the description of industrialisation, which people seem to be left out of the story?
In the description of industrialisation, what bad effects are not mentioned?
In this source, are ‘conquest’ and ‘discovery’ praised, or criticised?
The source refers to ‘settlement’ of ‘new lands’. What word(s) might an indigenous
person use instead of ‘settlement’? Why?
7. What words in the source suggest that the author thinks ‘nationalism’,
‘industrialisation’, ‘growth’ and ‘colonisation’ are good, or at least sees them as
‘natural’ or ‘normal’?
8. What words in the source suggest that the author thinks a male-dominated society and
a social class system are good, or at least sees them as ‘natural’ or ‘normal’?
The source above, being from early in the twentieth century, is perhaps an easy target to
critique. But students could also think critically about a more recent source dealing with
the same topic, as below:
'Revolutions in Agriculture and Industry'
Until she was overtaken by her rivals, Britain led the world in the production of
manufactured goods. She was for a time the world's greatest producer of coal, iron and
steel... The nation was rich and powerful, but the common people had paid a heavy price,
as we shall see...
The related changes in agriculture and industry had a great effect on ordinary people.
Child labour, exploitation of women, low wages, long hours, uncertain employment,
dangerous factories, and disease-ridden slums resulted. These became known as the
'seven deadly sins'...
The factories around which the slums spread were described by the poet Blake as 'dark
satanic mills'. Although a few factories were well run, most workers found them to be a
hell on earth...
The fencing of machinery, the Ten Hour Day (1848), better wages, and the restriction of
the use of child labour, were only some of the reforms gained as the union movement
grew stronger... Life for the working-class family gradually improved as new laws were
passed to regulate factories.
6
Margaret Macfarlane 'Revolutions in Agriculture and Industry' in B. Hoepper et al 1978,
Horizons, Thomas Nelson Australia, Melbourne, pp. 202, 205-6.
Students could ask similar questions about this source. In particular, they might note that
this author does refer to some elements overlooked by the earlier author – the
experiences of ‘common people’; social and economic disadvantages; the need for
reform; political and legislative responses. Still, they might also note that the overall
message is still an optimistic one, that celebrates growth and progress and that suggests
that existing systems are capable of providing effective remedies for social ills.
2.4 Students using primary sources
According to the principles of the ‘New History’, students are encouraged to construct their
own stories, explanations and interpretations. This involves examining and making
decisions about sources of evidence. In this way, ‘inquiry’ is a key activity in History and
SOSE classrooms. As an example, here’s a source that can be used by school students.
It’s from a book written by a woman who joined the Hitler Youth as a young girl in
Germany in the 1930s.
Inge Scholl recalls the Hitler Youth, 1961.
For we loved our homeland very much – the woods, the great river, and the old gray
retaining walls that rose on the steep slopes between groves of fruit trees and vineyards.
We were reminded of the smell of moss, of soft earth and spicy apples, when we thought
of our homeland. And every square foot of it was known and very dear to us. Fatherland –
what else was it but the greatest homeland of all who spoke the same language and
belonged to the same people! … And Hitler, as we heard everywhere, Hitler wanted to
bring greatness, happiness and well-being to this Fatherland; he wanted to see to it that
everyone had work and bread; he would not rest or relax until every single German was
an independent, free, and happy man in his Fatherland. We found this good, and in
whatever might come to pass we were determined to help to the best of our ability. But
there was yet one more thing that attracted us with a mysterious force and pulled us along
– namely, the compact columns of marching youths with waving flags, eyes looking
straight ahead, and the beat of drums and singing. Was it not overwhelming, this
fellowship? Thus it was no wonder that all of us – Hans and Sophie and the rest of us –
joined the Hitler Youth.
Inge Scholl, Die Weisse Rose, 1961.
Now, here are examples of the types of inquiry questions that a student could ask about
the historical source:
Questions:
1. Comprehension [identifying explicit information in the source]
Who wrote this account? What word does the author use when referring to Germany?
What organisation did the author join?
2. Interpretation [understanding implicit messages in the source]
The author says that Hitler wanted all Germans to have ‘bread’. In this passage, the
word ‘bread’ probably means more than just bread itself. What else could it mean?
3. Interpretation [identifying concepts represented by some words]
The author seems to enjoy discipline and order. What sentence, or parts of sentences,
seems to show that?
4. Interpretation [identifying values represented in the words]
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The author seems to be ‘patriotic’. What sentence, or parts of sentences, seems to
show that?
5. Analysis [identifying the different themes in a passage]
The author describes her love of Germany. What are the other messages in this
passage?
6. Analysis [identifying the different parts of one idea in the passage]
What features of the German countryside does the author like?
7. Evaluation [asking about the bias of the author]
What seems to be the author’s attitude towards Adolf Hitler? Quote part of the passage
to support your answer.
8. Evaluation [asking about the accuracy of the passage]
The author says that many people were attracted by the marching, the flags, the drums
and the singing. How could she know this? Could her claim be inaccurate? Why? How
could you go about checking the accuracy of her claim?
9. Evaluation [asking about the honesty of the author]
This account was written in 1961, almost thirty years after the events it describes. By
then, Hitler and Nazism were seen generally as evil forces in History. Would you
expect Inge to be honest when recalling her role in the Hitler Youth, and her feelings
at the time? Why, or why not? In 1938, Inge’s brother Hans and sister Sophie were
executed by the Nazis for organising an anti-Nazi demonstration. Does that
information affect how you treat her words? Why? Overall, do you think that Inge’s
account is an honest and believable one? Explain.
10. Evaluation [asking about the representativeness of the source]
Even if Inge is honest about her own feelings, does this prove that all or most young
Germans were proud to be in the Hitler Youth? Why, or why not? How could you
begin to find out about how other other young Germans thought and felt at that time?
As well, remember that this extract is a brief fragment of a much longer book written
by Inge. What would you like to ask about what Inge wrote in the rest of the book?
Why?
2.5 Students making judgments
All of the answers to the questions above can be used by the student when making a
judgment, or an interpretation, about the place of the Hitler Youth in German History. In
this case, the particular question being pursued might be: ‘Why did young Germans join
the Hitler Youth movement in the 1930s?'. When students make a judgment, it’s important
that they acknowledge that they can’t be one hundred per cent positive about that
judgment. So their answer might begin: ‘Some important historical sources suggest that
many young Germans were keen to join the Hitler Youth. They seemed to be motivated by
national pride and their love of Hitler, and also by the strong fellowship that they enjoyed
in the Hitler Youth’. At some stage, however, we would expect that students would
acknowledge that not all German youth felt that way. We would expect that they would
refer to evidence of dissent, reluctance or apathy.
2.6 Computers in teaching and learning History
There’s been much discussion recently about the ‘information superhighway’ and the
need for students to develop multiple literacies to navigate that highway. SOSE, including
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its History elements, offers rich opportunities for that to happen. The critical approaches
described above can be applied to the special challenge of computerised texts.
This means more, of course, than enthusiastically embracing the use of computers in
education, and sharpening your technological skills. Some of the most ardent advocates
of computers in education have warned of possible pitfalls. Young people, they claim,
need to learn how the almost limitless information on the Internet can be used as a basis
for forming knowledge and, ultimately, as part of the deeper process of developing
wisdom. Thus, they need to approach new technologies critically.
There are also social justice issues. Even in a developed country like Australia, there are
many people without access to computers, and many schools that cannot afford new
technologies. So moves towards computer-based teaching and learning could produce
new inequalities. Further, it’s sobering to be reminded that over half the people on earth
have never used a telephone, much less surfed the Internet. There may be an information
superhighway, but most people are not yet travelling along it.
Still, for those with access to new technologies, there can be educational benefits. SOSE
students can be encouraged to ask critical questions about the materials they locate on
web sites. Because postings on the Internet are virtually uncontrolled, it’s very important
for students to think about the authorship, credibility, reliability and accuracy of what they
see. That approach is a far cry from the indiscriminate downloading of information for
projects and assignments.
At the end of this paper, there’s an annotated list of web sites. Visit some or all of these,
and evaluate them in terms of their probable reliability, the quality of their content, their
accessibility and their relevance to your teaching and your students’ learning.
There are other ways to use computers in the teaching and learning of History. Teachers
and students alike may choose to present work using applications such as Powerpoint.
Discussion groups may be set up on school or class home pages, where students can
share ideas. Email may be used by students to work on group tasks even when they are
not physically in the one place. Students may also use email or web sites to share ideas
with students in other schools, even on the other side of the world.
For teachers, web sites can offer opportunities for professional development. For
example, the Australian Federation for Societies for Studies of Society and Environment
(AFSSSE) maintains a web site which links teacher associations (including various History
Teacher Associations).
2.7 The advantages of an inquiry approach
The inquiry approach is quite different from the approach that was common in the ‘Old
History’. Rather than just accepting and learning the description provided by a set text, or
by the teacher, the students construct their own descriptions. The ‘Old History’ approach
did not call on higher level thinking processes. But the inquiry approach invites students to
think carefully, deeply and critically about historical sources (both primary and secondary)
and to make well-founded judgments about historical questions.
These processes acknowledge the problematic qualities of historical sources (they can be
incomplete, unrepresentative, ambiguous, dishonest, biased) and the partial and tentative
character of historical interpretations and explanations (they reflect the standpoints of the
writers, and the differences in the ways they’ve interpreted the available sources). Critical
inquiry can enable young people to recognise that some descriptions, interpretations and
assertions are more valid than others.
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This inquiry approach helps young people develop important life skills – especially the
ability to approach a challenge, opportunity or problem carefully, to weigh up the available
evidence, and to make a soundly based decision. The inquiry approach also helps young
people understand why different people have different attitudes and approaches. This
understanding can underpin ‘empathy’ – the ability to ‘put yourself in someone else’s
shoes’, to understand the knowledge, values, beliefs and attitudes that cause different
people to see the world in different ways.
In everyday life, this approach can foster active citizenship. It can enable young people to
read everyday texts (newspapers, television programs, political promises, advertisements)
carefully and critically. They can identify contradictions and inconsistencies in individual
actions and institutional practices. With such knowledge, they can negotiate more
effectively with individuals and organisations, calling for openness and accountability.
3. History - Linking with the Years 1 to 10 SOSE Syllabus
The concepts and processes of History are embedded in the Years 1 to 10 SOSE Syllabus
in many ways. The following sections highlight the ways in which 'History' can be related to
the Strands, Key Values, Processes and Core Learning Outcomes of the syllabus.
3.1 Strands
Time, continuity and change
This is the strand in which History is central. In studies of time, continuity and change, the
key History concepts of agency, causation and motive are explored. Issues of heritage,
tradition, conflict and cooperation arise. The major 'isms' - capitalism, communism,
imperialism, colonialism, nationalism, internationalism, racism, industrialism,
totalitarianism, environmentalism, militarism and pacificism - are studied.
SOSE students use processes of historical inquiry, in which they construct explanations by
subjecting sources of evidence to analysis, interpretation, evaluation and decision making.
Through History studies, SOSE students may make informed judgments about possible,
probable and preferred futures. They also come to understand the ways in which people
may exercise agency in effecting desired changes and continuities.
Place and space
Events and developments in History are influenced by, and impact upon, the social,
natural and built environments in which they take place. One major focus of the History of
humankind is the explanation and description of how people have used the resources of
particular localities to meet needs and wants. Studies of material development and
progress, and of maldevelopment and environmental damage, focus on changes in human
usage of place and space.
Place and space have been important factors in the historical development and definition
of communities and nations. Location has linked with racial, ethnic, folk and religious
factors. Disputes over territory have been key turning points in human History - whether in
civil or international wars, or in colonial occupation and resistance.
Studies of historical changes in technologies, cultures and economies can inform students'
understandings of the current processes of globalisation.
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Culture and identity
Through historical studies, people can describe and explain the ways in which cultural
practices have emerged and changed over time. These studies can explain the
emergence of different cultures in different times and places, and the processes of cultural
adaptation, assimilation, rivalry and conflict.
Historical studies can also highlight the different ways in which 'identity' has been
conceptualised at different times and in different places - including invented and assumed
traditions that are variously religious, secular, individualistic or communal.
SOSE students can study the ways in which culture and identity have been used as
rallying points for major historical forces - tribalism, regionalism, militarism, nationalism,
religion and environmentalism.
Systems, resources and power
All three elements of this strand are significant in historical studies. Such studies can focus
on the evolution of social systems, the human use of natural resources, and the ways in
which power functions in human societies.
Historical studies of social systems can focus on the development of communities, cities,
nations and supranational organisations. Within those broad contexts, more specific
systems can be explored - political, economic, military, legal, educational, cultural and
religious.
The History of resource usage includes studies of agricultural, industrial and technological
developments, and studies of the ways in which human and built environments have been
exploited, damaged, conserved and regenerated.
Power is central to studies of History. The concept of power is crucial in explaining why
particular changes occur and why others do not. Struggles over power have characterised
human History. Analyses of power relations are important in explaining systems of
inequality and disadvantage such as social class, racism and sexism. Power structures
also maintain and nurture cultural identity, artistic expression and systems of protection
and security.
3.2 History and the SOSE Key Values
Through History studies, SOSE students can understand the emergence of the various
values identified in the statement of SOSE key values. Studying and debating the meaning
and role of these key values – today and in the past - can provide criteria for students to
evaluate historical events, developments, traditions, institutions and practices. However,
because History focuses mainly on events remote in time and place, such evaluations
must be approached cautiously. In studying History, the emphasis is on understanding and
explaining the past, not on judging (and perhaps condemning) people's past ideas and
actions. Still, there is value in students asking whether past ideas and actions contributed
to the well-being of people and the planet - even while acknowledging that definitions of
'well-being' have varied over time and across cultures.
Democratic process
Through History studies, SOSE students can investigate the development of democratic
ideas, institutions and practices. They can understand the ways in which democratic ideals
challenged previously dominant ideological beliefs and practices. Students will understand
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how the scope of the term has widened to embrace people of different classes, genders,
races and ages. They can also understand different ways in which democracy has been
defined, and different traditions of democratic practice such as direct democracy,
representative (parliamentary) democracy and radical egalitarian democracy.
Students will appreciate that these democratic traditions are European in origin, and that
non-European societies were based on, and still may embrace different beliefs about the
balance between individuality, freedom, authority and decision making.
Social justice
Studies of History highlight strong links with social justice values. Students can explore the
historical emergence of beliefs in justice, human rights, equality and freedom. They will
understand how injustices - real and perceived - have motivated progressive historical
struggles. They will note how the notion of 'justice' has been extended to include people of
different ethnicities, classes and genders (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights),
non-human life forms (the 'rights of nature’), and future generations ('intergenerational
equity').
Ecological and economic sustainability
Through History studies, SOSE students can investigate the changing ways in which
people have perceived, valued and used the natural environment. Students can trace the
origins of the current perceived ecological crisis, and of the various responses of
'environmentalism' – Global summits, green politics, community action.
Similarly, students can study the different ways in which societies have embraced the
challenge to balance human needs and wants with the need for social justice, peace and
environmental sustainability. They can investigate the recent calls for ecologically
sustainable development, and the energetic debates about that goal.
Peace
Studies of History have often been preoccupied with human conflict, especially through
studies of warfare, revolution, dissent and oppression. There has also been a focus on
attempts to resolve global, regional, national and civil unrest. Inevitably, such studies have
grappled with the challenge of creating peaceful relations within societies and among
nations.
Such studies can present SOSE students with challenging questions: Can there be peace
without justice? Is the idea of a 'just war' defensible? Grappling with these questions, and
others involving the SOSE key values, can be a vital part of young people's preparation for
citizenship in the complex modern world.
3.3 History and Learning Outcomes
The following tables list some specific SOSE core learning outcomes that relate directly to
the study of History. The outcomes statements refer to both conceptual knowledge and
processes.
In these tables, key terms related to History have been underlined for emphasis. The
number of underlined words indicates how valuably History can help students’
achievement of the SOSE learning outcomes.
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Table 1 Time, continuity and change
Level
1
Relevant Outcomes
TCC 1.1
Students describe their past and their future using evidence from familiar settings.
TCC 1.2
Students sequence evidence representing changes and continuities in their lives.
TCC 1.3
Students share points of view about their own and others’ stories.
TCC 1.4
Students describe effects of a change over time in a familiar environment.
TCC 1.5
Students identify what older people value from the past.
2
TCC 2.1
Students explain different meanings about an event, artefact, story or symbol from different
times.
TCC 2.2
Students record changes and continuities in familiar settings using various devices.
TCC 2.3
Students cooperatively evaluate how people have contributed to changes in the local
environment.
TCC 2.4
Students describe cause and effect relationships about events in familiar settings.
TCC 2.5
Students identify similarities and differences between the experiences of family generations.
3
TCC 3.1
Students use evidence about innovations in media and technology to investigate how these
have changed society.
TCC 3.2
Students create sequences and timelines about specific Australian changes and continuities.
TCC 3.3
Students use knowledge of people’s contributions in Australia’s past to cooperatively develop
visions of preferred futures.
TCC 3.4
Students organise information about the causes and effects of specific historical events.
TCC 3.5
Students describe various perspectives based on the experiences of past and present
Australians of diverse cultural backgrounds.
4
TCC 4.1
Students use primary sources to investigate situations before and after a change in Australian
or global settings.
TCC 4.2
Students illustrate the influence of global trends on the beliefs and values of different groups.
TCC 4.3
Students share empathetic responses to contributions that diverse individuals and groups
have made to Australian or global history.
TCC 4.4
Students critique information sources to show the positive and negative effects of a change or
continuity on different groups.
13
TCC 4.5
Students review and interpret heritages from diverse perspectives to create a preferred future
scenario about a global issue.
5
TCC 5.1
Students use primary and secondary evidence to identify the development of ideas from
ancient to modern times.
TCC 5.2
Students represent situations before and after a period of rapid change.
TCC 5.3
Students collaborate to locate and systematically record information about the contributions of
people in diverse past settings.
TCC 5.4
Students explain the consequences of Australia’s international relations on the development of
a cohesive society.
TCC 5.5
Students identify values inherent in historical sources to reveal who benefits or is
disadvantaged by particular heritages.
6
TCC 6.1
Students evaluate evidence from the past to demonstrate how such accounts reflect the
culture in which they were constructed.
TCC 6.2
Students use their own research focus to analyse changes or continuities in the
Asia-Pacific region.
TCC 6.3
Students collaboratively identify the values underlying contributions by diverse individuals and
groups in Australian or Asian environments.
TCC 6.4
Students produce a corroborated argument concerning causes of a change or continuity in
environments, media or gender roles.
TCC 6.5
Students develop criteria-based judgments about the ethical behaviour of people in the past.
Table 2 Place and space
Level
2
Relevant Outcomes
PS 2.2
Students predict possible consequences for an ecological system when an element is affected.
PS 2.5
Students express a preferred future vision for a familiar place based on observed evidence of
changes and continuities.
3
PS 3.5
Students describe the values underlying personal and other people’s actions regarding familiar
places.
4
PS 4.2
Students predict the impact of changes on environments by comparing evidence.
5
PS 5.5
Students evaluate ideas concerning sustainability to identify who may benefit and who may be
disadvantaged from changes to a Queensland industry.
6
PS 6.4
Students use maps, tables and statistical data to express predictions about the impact of
change on environments.
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Table 3 Culture and identity
Level
1
Relevant Outcomes
CI 1.1
Students compare ideas and feelings about stories of diverse cultures including Torres Strait
Islander cultures and Aboriginal cultures.
2
CI 2.3
Students participate in diverse customs and traditions to identify how these contribute to a
sense of belonging to groups.
3
CI 3.1
Students identify the contributions of diverse groups, including migrants and indigenous
peoples, to the development of their community.
CI 3.4
Students communicate an awareness of change within Aboriginal cultures and Torres Strait
Islander cultures.
4
CI 4.1
Students investigate how religions and spiritual beliefs contribute to Australia’s diverse
cultures.
CI 4.4
Students describe changes resulting from cross-cultural contact on Australian and nonAustralian indigenous cultures.
5
CI 5.2
Students devise practical and informed strategies that respond to the impact of particular
perceptions of cultural groups held by a community.
CI 5.4
Students describe how governments have caused changes to particular groups.
CI 5.5
Students express how dominant and marginalised identities are constructed by media and
other influences.
6
CI 6.3
Students collaboratively develop a community strategy for celebrating or moderating the
effects of globalisation on cultural groups to which they belong.
CI 6.4
Students describe instances of cultural change resulting from government legislation or
policies that have impacted on cultural groups.
Table 4 Systems, resources and power
Level
3
Relevant Outcomes
SRP 3.2
Students create a representation of occupational specialisation and interdependence in an
industry from the past, present or future.
SRP 3.4
Students describe simply the basic principles of democracy and citizenship from ancient to
modern times.
4
SRP 4.4
Students present comparisons of government and citizenship in pre- and post-Federation
Australia.
SRP 4.5
Students classify values that underpin campaigns and organisations associated with human or
environmental rights.
5
SRP 5.2
15
Students design models of the Australian economic system to demonstrate its relationship to
global trade.
SRP 5.5
Students apply the value of social justice to suggest ways of improving access to democracy in
Queensland or other Australian political settings.
6
SRP 6.2
Students make practical suggestions for improving productivity and working conditions in an
industry or business.
SRP 6.4
Students communicate informed interpretations to suggest reforms to an economic, a political
or a legal system.
SRP 6.5
Students apply understandings of social justice and democratic process to suggest ways of
improving access to economic and political power.
4. Suggested Curriculum Themes and Topics
The themes in the following table offer valuable opportunities for SOSE students to
engage in historical inquiries and to develop understandings of historical concepts and
information. For each theme, some relevant outcomes are identified within each strand.
Others are possible.
In a subsequent table, a specific topic is identified, together with a possible key question at
a specific level, and a sample approach relevant to that question.
Table 5 Suggested themes, strands and outcomes
Themes
Histories, historians and historiography
Personal & family histories
Local histories
Histories, heritages and traditions
The History of ideas and beliefs
History and human progress
History, change, causation and motive
History and conflict
History and cooperation
History and cultures
Environments and History
TCC
2.2, 3.1, 6.1,
6.3, 6.4
1.1, 1.2, 1.5,
2.1, 2.4
1.4, 3.1, 3.5,
5.3
3.1
PS
CI
3.5
1.1
1.1, 4.5
5.3
3.1
3.3, 3.5, 5.5
5.4
4.2, 5.1
3.3, 5.1, 5.4,
5.5
1.3, 1.4, 2.4,
3.1, 3.4, 4.1,
4.2, 5.2, 5.5,
6.1, 6.3
5.5
5.4
3.5, 4.2, 6.1
4.2
2.1, 2.2, 2.5
3.5, 4.4, 5.1,
5.5
6.4
1.1, 2.3, 3.4,
5.2, 6.1
3.1, 3.5, 5.1,
5.5
5.5
3.1, 4.1, 4.4
5.5, 6.2, 6.4
SRP
4.4
3.4
4.4, 4.5, 5.5
4.1, 4.5
5.4
4.5
1.1, 1.2, 2.3,
3.1, 3.2, 3.4
4.1, 5.1, 5.4,
6.1, 6.2, 6.3
6.4
3.5, 4.2, 4.4,
5.1, 5.5, 6.1,
6.4
3.1, 4.5
16
History, civics & citizenship
6.1, 6.5
History, economies and work
5.3, 6.4
History and Australian national
development
History, technologies and media
History and globalisation
History and futures
5.5
3.2, 3.3, 3.4,
3.5, 4.3, 4.5,
5.3, 5.4, 6.3,
6.4
3.1
3.1, 4.1, 4.5
1.2, 1.5, 2.5,
3.3, 4.3, 4.5
4.4
2.5, 3.3, 4.3
3.1, 4.4
5.4
6.3, 6.4
3.2, 6.4
3.4, 4.4, 4.5,
5.1
3.2, 5.2, 6.2,
6.4
3.1, 4.1
3.2
5.2, 6.5
Table 6 Suggested specific topics
theme: Histories, historians and historiography
specific topic: Immigrant histories of Australia
key question at level 6: How diverse have been the immigrant experiences of Australia since
1945? [Outcome TCC 6, TCC 6.3]
sample approach: Using published books, interviews, diaries, film and video, students write a
number of different histories of immigrant experience, and compare those histories to highlight
how histories are constructed from different standpoints.
theme: Personal & family histories
specific topic: My own History.
key question at level 1: How can I show my own History? [Outcome TCC 1.1]
sample approach: Each student sequences evidence (birthday cards, photos of home and
family, toys, birth certificate) of events in their life since birth (birthdays, toddling, walking, coming
to school, achievements, celebrations).
theme: Local histories
specific topic: The development of the local community.
key question at level 3: Who helped build our community? [Outcome TCC 3.5]
sample approach: Using a class-constructed local map and time line as the foundations, each
student researches the contribution of a person or group to the development of the community.
The research is presented in the form of a display card attached to either the map or time line. The
class discusses and debates the relative merits of each person and group. They evaluate whether
the display tells the 'whole story', whether some contributions may have been overlooked in
historical records, why, and how the story might be made more complete and representative.
17
theme: Histories, heritages and traditions
specific topic: Australian heritage environments
key question at level 5: Why have some Australian environments been ascribed special
heritage value? [Outcome PS 5.4]
sample approach: Different significant heritage environments are allocated to different groups
of students. The groups use website searches and text research to highlight the criteria for
ascribing heritage value. Following displays and reports, students discuss the adequacy of the
identified criteria, and make subsequent recommendations.
theme: The History of ideas and beliefs
specific topic: Bikers, bikies, beliefs and behaviours.
key question at level 5: How has the mystique of motorcycling been manufactured and
maintained? [Outcome CI 5.5]
sample approach: Students draw on popular representations of motorcycling in books, film,
advertisements and magazines, together with interviews and observations, to explore and explain
the shared and diverse values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of those who ride, and the
attitudes to motorcycle cultures of those who don't.
theme: History and human progress
specific topic: The women's movements
key question at level 4: What have been the achievements of the women's movements of the
twentieth century? [Outcome SRP 4.5]
sample approach: Through study of primary and secondary sources, and through survey,
questionnaire and interview, students prepare a report (in essay, poster, video or hypertext form)
evaluating the successes of one or more women’s organisations or movements in effecting
changes in women's status and roles.
theme: History, change, causation and motive
specific topic: The effects of the seasons
key question at level 2: How do Queensland and Tasmanian children react to changes in the
seasons [Outcome TCC 2.1]
sample approach: The Australian class establishes e-mail links with a class in Tasmania
through an Internet pen pal approach or a 'travel buddies' approach. Through regular
communications, the class constructs a large display that traces the comparative responses of the
two groups of children to seasonal changes.
18
theme: History and conflict
specific topic: Indigenous/Non-indigenous contacts in the past 200 years
key question at level 5: Does White Australia have a Black History? [Outcome TCC 5.5]
sample approach: Students evaluate this ambiguous question through study of primary and
secondary sources. They explore both the character of the contacts, and the historiographical
issue of how those contacts have been portrayed by historians and popular writers, artists,
photographers, song writers and film makers at different times in Australia's History.
theme: History and cooperation
specific topic: Multicultural Australia
key question at level 5: Has Australia become a successful experiment in multiculturalism?
[Outcome TCC 5.4]
sample approach: Students use biographical and autobiographical writings by immigrants from
different cultural and ethnic groups in Australia, together with interviews, surveys and the analysis
of current media representations, to evaluate the extent to which government policies promoted
the emergence of multicultural values, attitudes and practices.
theme: History and cultures
specific topic: New Year celebrations
key question at level 2: How can the New Year be celebrated? [Outcome CI 2.3]
sample approach: Students compare the mainstream Australian celebrations of New Year with
the celebration of the Chinese New Year by Chinese-Australians and other Australians. They
investigate the diversity of celebratory approaches in each, and try to identify the cultural and
other factors which produce that diversity.
theme: Environments and History
specific topic: The impact of the automobile
key question at level 6: How has a particular community been changed by the increasing use
of private automobiles? [Outcome PS 6.4]
sample approach: Students use a combination of text research, field studies and interviews to
construct a picture of the impact of automobile use on a particular community. In groups, students
then devise a preferred strategy for responding to current and future developments, and for
promoting positive possibilities.
theme: History, civics & citizenship
specific topic: Indigenous Australians as citizens
key question at level 4: [Outcome SRP 4.4]
sample approach: Students investigate, document and explain the ways in which indigenous
Australians were denied, and then gained formal citizenship status, and evaluate the extent to
which that achievement has been matched by active involvement in social issues, developments
and decision making.
19
theme: History, economies and work
specific topic: Telecommunications in Australia
key question at level 3: [Outcome SRP 3.2]
sample approach: Students use a 'slice of time' approach to construct depictions of the
telecommunications industry in Australia in 1909, 1959 and 1999. Causal factors are identified.
The advantages and disadvantages of changes are evaluated from the perspectives of workers in
the industry, consumers and the community at large.
theme: History and Australian national development
specific topic: Changes in Australian schooling
key question at level 6: How and why has life in Australian schools changed during the past
century? [Outcome TCC 6.4]
sample approach: Students use a combination of research approaches - oral History
interviews, study of texts and policies, examination of artefacts, site visits - to describe and explain
the changes and continuities in Australian schooling practices.
theme: History, technologies and media
specific topic: The impact of television on Australian society
key question at level 3.1: How has television ownership and viewing affected family and social
life in Australia? [Outcome TCC 3.1]
sample approach: Students use an oral History approach, interviewing people who can provide
evidence about family and social life at key stages in the past - just before television was
introduced; when television ownership became widespread; when colour television was
introduced; when VCRs became common; when pay TV was introduced - to produce a report
(perhaps in the form of a television current affairs segment) in answer to the question.
theme: History and globalisation
specific topic: Workers in the global fashion industry
key question at level 6: How fair are conditions in the global fashion industry? [Outcome
CI 6.3 ]
sample approach: Students investigate this question, using mainly web site searching, to
prepare a report to the Australian federal government on how to respond to any unfair aspects of
the industry. Students focus on the development of off-shore manufacturing using cheap labour,
and the exploitation of child models in the advertising sector of the fashion industry. Students also
discuss proposals for responding at personal, group and community levels.
20
theme: History and futures
specific topic: The future of our neighbourhood
key question at level 2: What would we like our neighbourhood to be like in ten years time?
[Outcome PS 2.5]
sample approach: Students examine evidence of the ways in which the local neighbourhood
has changed in recent times, both materially and socially. They discuss what the 'probable future'
may be, given current trends, and what their 'preferred future' would be. Students discuss practical
steps which could be taken to bring the 'preferred future' to fruition.
5. Resources
5.1 Texts about History and historiography
Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G. & Tiffin, H. (eds.). 1992, ‘Part 1: History’ in The Post-Colonial
Studies Reader, Routledge, London, pp 355-83.
Blainey, G. 1993, ‘Drawing up a balance sheet of our History’, Quadrant, Vol 37, No 298,
pp 10-15.
Bennett, T. et al. (eds.). 1992, Celebrating The Nation; A Critical Study of Australia's
Bicentenary, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Broome, R. 1994, ‘Aboriginal victims and voyagers; confronting frontier myths’, Journal of
Australian Studies, Vol 42, pp 70-77.
Carter, P. 1987, ‘Introduction; a cake of portable soup’ (pp x iii-xxv) in Road to Botany Bay,
Faber and Faber, London.
Chappell, D. 1995, ‘Active agency vs passive victimisation; decolonised historiography or
problematic construct?’, in Talu, A. & Quanchi, M. (eds.), Messy Entanglements, PHA,
Brisbane.
Curthoys, A. 1996, ‘Opening address; Thinking about History’, Australian Historical
Association Bulletin, No 83, pp 14-28.
Danaher, G., Coombes, P. & Danaher, P.A. 1993, ‘Some implications of poststructuralism for studying and teaching History in Australian universities and schools’,
Australian Historical Association Bulletin, No 74, pp 33-39.
Davison, G. 1988, ‘The use and abuse of Australian History’ in Making the Bicentenary,
Special Edition of Australian Historical Studies, Vol 23, No 91, pp 55-76.
Dening, G. 1995, The Death of William Gooch; A History's Anthropology, University of
Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
Etherington, N, 1996, ‘Presidential address; Trends and prospects’, Australian Historical
Association Bulletin, No 83, pp 29-42.
21
Farrell, F. 1990, ‘Specialisation, fashions and change’ (Chp 8 pp 155-86) in Themes in
Australian History; Questions, Issues and Interpretation in an Evolving Historiography,
UNSW Press, Sydney.
Hamilton, P. 1994, ‘The knife edge; debates about memory and History’ in Darian Smith,
K. & Hamilton, P. (eds), Memory and History in Twentieth Century Australia, OUP,
Melbourne, pp 9-32.
Healy, C. 1997, ‘Introduction’ (pp 1-10) in From The Ruins of Colonialism; History as
Social Memory, CUP, Melbourne.
Hudson, W. & Bolton, G. (eds.), 1997, ‘Creating Australia’ (Chp 1, pp 1-11) in Creating
Australia; Changing Australian History, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Linnekin, J. 1997, ‘Contending approaches’ in Dennon, D. (ed.), The Cambridge History of
the Pacific Islanders, CUP, Cambridge.
McIntyre, S. 1996, ‘Discipline review; History’, Australian Historical Association Bulletin, No
83, pp 1-13.
McIntyre, S. & Thomas, J. (eds.). 1995, The discovery of Australian History 1890-1939,
Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
McIntyre, S, 1988, ‘The writing of Australian History’, in Borchardt, D.H. & Crittenden, V.
(eds.), Australians; a Guide to Sources, Fairfax Syme Weldon, Sydney, pp 1-29.
Morehead, A. 1956,The Fatal Impact, Penguin.
Moses, J. (ed.), 1979, Historical disciplines and Culture in Australasia; An Assessment,
University of Queensland Press, Queensland.
Pascoe, R. 1979, The Manufacture of Australian History, OUP, Melbourne.
Potts, D. 1991, ‘Two modes of writing History; the poverty of Ethnography and the
potential of narrative’, Australian Historical Association Bulletin, No 66-67, pp 5-24.
Reynolds, H. 1994 ‘History’ (Chp 1, pp. 24-40) in Nile, R. (ed.), Australian civilization,
OUP, Melbourne.
Russell, P. & White, R. (eds.). 1994, Pastiche 1; Reflections on Nineteenth Century
Australia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Russell, P. & White, R. (eds.). 1997, Pastiche 11; Memories and Dreams; Reflections on
Twentieth Century Australia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Ward, J.M. 1963, ‘Historiography’ in McLeod, A.L. (ed.), The Pattern of Australian Culture,
Melbourne,
White, R. 1981, Inventing Australia; Images and Identity 1788-1980, Allen and Unwin,
Sydney.
Windshuttle, K. 1996, ‘Paris labels and designer concepts’ (Chp 1 pp 7-40) in The killing of
History, Macleay, Sydney.
Young, R. 1990, White Mythologies; Writing History and the West, Routledge, London.
22
5.2 Texts about teaching and learning History
Gilbert, R. (ed.). 1996, Studying Society and Environment: A Handbook for Teachers,
Macmillan, Melbourne.
Husbands, C. 1996, What is History Teaching?, Open University Press, UK.
Marsh, C. (ed.). 1998, Teaching Studies of Society and Environment, Second Edition,
Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Portal, C. (1987), The History Curriculum for Teachers, The Falmer Press, Lewes.
5.3 Other references
Books: Curriculum
Smith, D. L. & Lovat, T.J. 1995, Curriculum: Action on Reflection Revisited, Social Science
Press, Wentworth Falls.
Grundy, S. 1987, Curriculum: Product or Praxis, The Falmer Press, Lewes.
Marsh, C. (ed.). 1998, Teaching Studies of Society and Environment, second edition,
Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Books: History curriculum
Birt, D. & Nichol, J. 1975, Games and Simulations in History, Longman, London.
Dickinson, A.L. & Lee, P.J. 1978, History Teaching and Historical Understanding,
Heinemann, London.
Gray, I. 1988, Essentials of History, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne.
Fines, J. 1983, Teaching History, Holmes McDougall, Edinburgh.
Schools Council. 1976, A New Look at History, Holmes McDougall, Edinburgh.
Shemilt, D. 1980, History 13-16 Evaluation Study, Holmes McDougall, Edinburgh.
5.4 Journals about teaching and learning History
Agora, Victorian Historical Association, Melbourne.
American Historical Review.
Australian History Association Bulletin.
Curriculum Perspectives, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Belconnen, ACT.
Hindsight, History Teachers’ Association of Western Australia.
The Australian History Teacher, History Teachers Association of Australia.
The History Teacher, Queensland History Teachers Association, Brisbane.
Teaching History, The Historical Association, London.
Teaching History, History Teachers' Association of N.S.W.
23
The History and Social Science Teacher, Grolier Ltd, Toronto.
The Social Educator, SEAA, Australia.
Social Education, National Council for the Social Sciences (USA).
Theory and Research in Social Education, National Council for the Social Sciences (USA).
5.5 Web sites
The following list includes a range of types of sites that History teachers and/or students
might access.
Queensland School Curriculum Council. Available URL:
http://www.qscc.qld.edu.au/home.html (accessed August 2000)
This site includes the full version of the Queensland Years 1 to 10 SOSE Syllabus,
together with sample curriculum modules.
Curriculum Corporation: Discovering Democracy. Available URL:
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/democracy/ (accessed August 2000)
This site includes background papers and news related to using the Discovering
Democracy School Materials Project resources.
AFSSSE (Australian Federation of Societies for Studies of Society and Environment).
Available URL:
http://www.pa.ash.org.au/afssse/ (accessed August 2000)
This site is the official site of the national professional associations in the SOSE field. It
includes links to state associations.
Education Network Australia. Available URL:
http://www.edna.edu.au/EdNA/ (accessed August 2000)
This is the teacher professional development site established by the federal government.
Education Queensland Framework Project. Available URL:
http://education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/ (accessed August 2000)
This site includes papers, discussion groups and materials on the ‘New Basics’ and ‘Rich
Tasks’.
PRIMEDIA Special Interest Publications available URL:
http://www.theHistorynet.com/ (accessed August 2000)
A USA-based site with rich resources on many historical topics.
The US Library of Congress official site. Available URL
http://www.loc.gov/ (accessed August 2000)
Internet History Sourcebook. Available URL:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ (accessed August 2000)
Paul Halsall has authored this site. It features vast numbers of resources on a large range
of topics. The Modern History Sourcebook component includes readings on historiography
and philosophy of History, as well as a section on History and the movies. The site is
based at Fordham University in New York.
The Hidden Histories project. Available URL:
http://www.mov.vic.gov.au/HiddenHistories/ (accessed August 2000)
This site encourages student research and writing of Aboriginal histories. A collaboration
of the Victorian Department of Education's Global Classroom Project and Museum
Victoria's Indigenous Cultures Program team.
24
History teachers at Cherwell School in England. Available URL:
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/cherwell/History/ (accessed August 2000)
Large numbers of historical sources, both textual and pictorial. This site includes links to
extensive online collections of articles and documents.
The Royal Ontario Museum. Available URL:
http://www.rom.on.ca/ (accessed August 2000)
Very engaging site. It uses elements of the museum’s collection to stimulate historical and
archaeological thinking by those who visit the site.
Jack Turner’s War. Available URL:
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/turner/ (accessed August 2000)
A Canadian site which is government funded, that features a rich collection of photographs
taken by Jack Turner during World War 1. It demonstrates the value of the Internet in
allowing access to pictorial sources.
National Archives of the Public Records Office in Britain. Available URL:
http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk//politics/ (accessed August 2000)
This web site offers valuable textual and pictorial sources on political struggles, including
those of the Chartists and the Suffragettes.
The Art of the First World War, funded by UNESCO. Available URL:
http://www.art-ww1.com.html (accessed August 2000)
Displays 100 paintings held by some major galleries and museums in Europe.
British National Grid for Learning (NGfL). Available URL:
http://vtc.ngfl.gov.uk/resource/cits/history/index.html (accessed August 2000)
This site on using information technologies in History is a component of the project
sponsored by the British government NGfL project. It is worth visiting the home page of the
NGfL to see the other elements that are accessible.
Industrial Revolution Hunt site. Available URL:
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/hunteuropesi. (accessed August 2000)
This is a reminder of the need to be careful when using the Internet. The site is marked by
some grand generalisations and some atrocious expression. The site appears to have
been authored by school students.
25