PGCE History

What are the qualities needed to get onto the course?

There are lots - but it essentially boils down to three things:

• a desire to teach
• a commitment to working with adolescents
• a love of history

These qualities are what we are looking for when the application forms arrive. Thus, has the candidate had any previous teaching experience, or at least been into a school to see what goes on there? Has the candidate worked with young people in the past or shown an interest in their welfare? Does the candidate have a genuine passion for the subject? This doesn't mean to say that everyone on the course has already taught for several years, been a social worker, possesses a Ph.D. and is President-elect of the Historical Association - but it helps! In all seriousness, before applying, go into a secondary school, the more regularly the better, to see what goes on. Try to familiarise yourself with the issues that concern teachers, and particularly teachers of history. What makes young people tick? Find out what the local branch of the Historical Association is doing, attend their lectures. Try to ensure that you follow a broad, balanced undergraduate programme which bears some relationship to Key Stage Three of the History National Curriculum - a copy of which is in good libraries everywhere. If you are invited to Durham, one of your three interviews (two individual and one group) will involve you discussing the subject in some depth.

Who gets on the course?

This ranges from students with first class honours degrees and doctorates to those who have taken more circuitous academic routes. Some have come straight from university, others are mature students who have had previous careers totally un-related to history, teaching and children. The aim is to have a balanced tutorial group, rich in collective experience. All learn from each other, tutors included, and all will be expected to play their part in making the course a success. What all have in common is that they are deeply committed to teaching exciting history.

Structure and Organisation

The course is based on the firm belief that history is a relevant, exciting subject to teach and does not consist of transmitting a mass of information to pupils who then memorise and regurgitated it. The course is practically biased and will introduce you to a range of approaches to teaching history, so enabling you to develop your own teaching style.

The course has three integrated components: the concurrent programmes, the diagnostic teaching practice and the main teaching practice. The concurrent programmes, undertaken in the two teaching practice schools, consist of two days of school-based work and three days of university-based work. These two elements fully complement each other and the work undertaken as part of the university method course is applied during the school visits and teaching practices.

The university-based method course will focus on a number of topics including:

• the nature, aims and justification of history
• the National Curriculum
• recent developments in teaching history
• lesson planning
• classroom management
• the use of documents and other sources
• teaching pupils of differing abilities
• computers in teaching
• the use of artefacts
• r�le playing and historical fiction
• fieldwork and visits
• job applications and interviews

The school-based activities involve structured classroom observations, planning and research projects and practical teaching - the latter starting by teaching individual pupils, eventually leading through group work to full classroom teaching.

The university-based activities will consist of lectures, seminars, workshop sessions, student presentations, r�le play and visits to historical sites. A number of sessions will be led by visiting teachers. The mixture of tutor-led and student-led sessions and of individual and group work is aimed at encouraging you to think critically about history, the way it is taught and the wider contribution it can make to the education of children. Throughout the course there will be regular tutorials and time for critical reflection, and as an integral part of the course you will be encouraged to evaluate the university course and your school-based activities.

Undoubtedly, one of the great strengths of the course is the way in which the university lectures, school tutors and students work together. Each year the course is modified to meet the current needs of the students.

The Course Tutors

The course is run by Dr. Martin Richardson (0191 334 8392) supported by Mr. Glynn Wales