Tutoring History

History can be a challenging subject both to teach and to learn. The combination of dates, names and events, means that occasionally it can be a dry subject. Fortunately when presented correctly it can be both engaging and, perhaps most importantly, reflect on the world the student can see around them.

So what approach could make history more palatable? In my experience the key is narrative. When presented as a story (or sequence of stories), rather than as a barrage of unconnected or uninspiring events, the subject can be easily digested. Fortunately - the exam boards seem to be recognising this. I recently gave a tutorial preparing a student for her GSCE exam. She was on the OCR syllabus and wanted extra help with the origins and conduct of the First World War. In this case, the subject is presented and framed in the syllabus in just the right way. The module covers British history from the 1890s to the 1930s - a broad time period, and one of unparalleled social change. It focuses on the shifts in power (and rights) from the ruling classes to the working classes and women. As such it covers the reforms to the Poor Laws, women's suffrage and the General Strike. All these events (including the First World War) are presented as a narrative that is punctuated by political and social shifts.

The student is encouraged to learn the dates, causes and effects of a sequence of acts designed to alleviate poverty and to empower previously powerless areas of society. Crucially, the student is also encouraged to consider these changes critically and to offer assessments of the validity of historical sources. During the course of this tutorial, it became clear that the student was strongest when presented with an historical event that had a narrative. Conversely they, understandably, found memorising the acts and dates without the thematic 'stories' of the historical events, difficult and uninspiring. To a degree, there is no way around this. In the exam, an awareness of how events progressed politically and socially is important, but so is an awareness of how they progressed chronologically. Following an assessment of her strengths and the gaps in her knowledge, I suggested a two pronged approach to her revision.

Firstly I suggested they use flash-cards for both the key dates of events, but also the political acts. That way they would be able to treat the memorisation of the details as a challenge of sorts. I then suggested that they draw up a timeline of the period before, during and after the First World War, but crucially focussing on themes rather than events - thus developing a summary of the historical narratives. With this, it should be possible to combine the two approaches - to contextualise the dates and acts within the key themes of the syllabus. This, together with the highly visceral details of the war itself, would give a strong foundation for developing an excellent critical and analytical approach to the subject.

In one respect there are no short cuts to learning history; the dates, names and dry facts need to be memorised. By ensuring that the facts are firmly embedded within a story, one that is both engaging but also relevant in some way to the student's life, history can come alive.