History Skills Blog
What is the difference between usefulness and reliability?
How to answer a “to what degree/extent” essay question
The problem of ‘perspective’ in the History classroom: we cannot seem to agree on what it means
Both students and teachers are confused about ‘perspective’
After one week of remote teaching, these are the things I’ve learned
The crazy world of “Covid-ucation”
I taught students to read hieroglyphs and they loved it
Teaching code-breaking, problem solving and teamwork
Why don’t you start history research with a hypothesis?
A solution to student frustrations with history research tasks
Most History teachers struggle to teach centuries correctly
Most History teachers struggle to teach centuries correctly and we must work together to fix it
It has never been easier, nor more important, to study history than right now
What's the Difference Between Perspective and Bias?
One of the most common mistakes made by students when analysing sources is to confuse ‘perspective’ and ‘bias’. While the two analysis skills are related, they are very different. This article will, hopefully, make the distinction between the two clear so that students will never again confuse the two.
No Pens, No Paper, No Problems: The Fully Digitised Classroom
It has now been twenty years since I graduated high school and it is amazing how different the world of education has become. I remember relying solely on pens, lined exercise books and class texts. That was all. Computers were still new and there was only one in my classroom, which nobody knew how to use.
How things have changed. While pens and books still exist in classrooms, most of my students now depend on their laptops to complete class and assignment work. This change is a reflection of similar changes in the workforce. It is a rare company that asks employees to complete tasks by writing on paper. Most jobs use computers.
Over the last nine years as an educator, I have been proactively seeking to modernise my own teaching practice to reflect the world that my students will be entering. As of this year, I can finally say, that I have managed to fully digitise my classroom.
As a result, I now no longer need pens, paper, whiteboard or markers, printed worksheets or lined paper. What is most interesting is that my students haven't even noticed. Their world is so fundamentally based on technology that it is 'normal' to them.
A Guide to Teaching Essay Structure
Prevent students from 'telling a story' in their essays by helping them understand how arguments work
The Best Advice I Received as a New Teacher
Let's be honest: being a teacher is one of the best jobs in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most stressful and exhausting jobs. I am about to begin my ninth year as an educator and, despite all I have learnt about the profession during that time, the experience of my first year is still fresh in my memory.
I remember the adrenaline-induced panic I felt at the beginning of each new class, desperately hoping that the next lesson would go well. I also remember spending many hours every night planning, organising and creating lessons for the next day. Finally, I remember agonising over the behavioral challenges I faced from a small number of students and my own sense of failure at being unable to find solutions.
Awesome Free Windows Apps for Every Educator
Over this time, I have collected a list of awesome apps which I use on a regular, almost daily, basis. Each of them has helped to streamline my teaching and has opened up new ways to engage students with my lessons.
If you’re looking at digitising your own classroom, I hope that these help you as well.
What’s the Difference Between Source Analysis and Evaluation?
When using historical sources in class, both teachers and students know that they need to ‘analyse and evaluate’ them. But what do these two words mean? What is the difference between ‘analysis’ and ‘evaluation’?
A Teacher's Experience with the Surface Go
For the last three years, I have been lucky enough to have been awarded as a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert (otherwise known as a MIEE). This means that I get to hear about Microsoft’s latest education initiatives and give feedback to the company from a teacher’s perspective. It is an incredibly valuable experience, one that is open to all educators.
A Day in the Life of a History Teacher
As a History teacher, I believe I have one of the best jobs in the world. Every day I get to share my passion for the past with hundreds of students and I never grow tired of seeing people become fascinated with all of the crazy and impressive things that humans have done over thousands of years.
But what is it like to be a History teacher? What does a typical day look like?
If you’ve ever considered becoming an educator and were curious about what a career in teaching was like, or if you're simply curious, then I thought I would share some answers to those questions above.
From the Colosseum to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Why Bother Studying History?
As a History teacher, it will come as no surprise that I think that studying the past is one of the most enjoyable things we can do. However, I frequently get asked by students, teachers and even my own friends why someone would invest so much time in people and events that haven’t existed for a very long time.
I thought I would summarise my typical answers to these people in today’s blog post.
A Global Museum
How Flipboard Can Help Bring a World of Ancient Wonders to Classrooms Half a World Away
Constructive (Source) Criticism
Do you feel like you should be doing more source criticism in your History lessons but not sure how? It can be surprisingly simple to do!
Letting Students ‘Choose Their Own Lesson’
What if you gave students the choice of how to learn? What if you gave them options for how to complete a lesson?
Microsoft Surface Vs Apple iPad in High School Classrooms
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© Michael James, 2014-2020
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