History Workshop

Level 1-3 History Externals

Team Solutions – The University of Auckland2014 1pm-4pm

Learning outcomes for this session

• Analyse 2013 external standards across L1-3 History to unpack common errors

• Examine ideas to support your students in preparing for examinations.

• Share useful strategies/practices that are working in your History classes.

• Discuss programmes and assessments.

Building Success in History

Level One – overall achievement

2011 2012 2013

% passed 83.3 83.7 80.7

% Excellence

12.1 11.5 11.9

2013 1.3 1.5 1.6All 81.9 80.9 78.6NZ Maori 68.5 64.3 60.6NZ European

86.4 84.7 82.4

Pasifika 65.8 70.1 72.8Asian 86.8 87.7 82.9

Possible reasons

• Format of the Papers• ‘New’ material• Questions changing – using different synonyms

• Sources paper too much reading• Students being taught prepared answers

• Preparation of Students• Literacy focus such as instructional words

• Unpacking the questions

• Revision techniques• Offering 2 externals• Teaching skills and concepts• Reading for meaning

Level 1 Hist./Geo. comparison

Level Two – overall achievement

2011 2012 2013

% passed 77.4 76.8 78.4

% Excellence

9.9 11.1 9.3

2013 2.3 2.5 2.6All 77.8 81.1 72.6NZ Maori 68.6 69.9 59.1NZ European

82.2 84.3 75.9

Pasifika 61.9 68 52.5Asian 78.5 86 82.4

Possible reasons• Format of the Papers• ‘New’ material• Question Format• Sources paper too much reading

• Preparation of Students• Unpack the questions• Number of externals being offered• Teaching skills and concepts• Reading for meaning

Level 2 Hist./Geo. comparison

Level 3 – overall achievement

2011 2012 2013

% passed 73.9 76.5 76.1

% Excellence

9.2 9.4 9.2

2013 3.3 3.5 3.6All 74.8 77 76.3NZ Maori 66.9 66.5 66.3NZ European

78 80.6 78.2

Pasifika 62.7 60.9 65.5Asian 75.3 80.4 81.1

Level 3 Hist./Geo. comparison

Possible reasons

Format of the Papers• New examinations

Preparation of Students•Instructional Words•Revision techniques•Number of externals being offered – 2 or 3•Teaching skills and concepts•Reading for meaning

Analysis of Examiners Reports for examinations

Level 1-3 History

Analysis Groups

• Split into three groups• .3 strand; .5 strand; .6 strand

• Read over the Examiners Report for your level.

• Make a list of the main issues/concerns that come up in the examiners report.

Main issues with .3

• Wrote very little or made a brief statement only• Misunderstood the question• Only referred to the introduction• Extracted material with no explanation• Reflected limited comprehension of the concepts• Did not select or provide supporting evidence• Described only one cause, effect or perspective• Misinterpreted the sources• Provided generic answers• Didn’t read the questions• Ignored the visual sources• Generic responses as to the concepts instead of

relating to the context

1.3 [decontextualised sources]

Historical skills refer to interpreting:•an idea or ideas•facts•perspectives•reliability•bias•limitations of evidence and the need for additional information.

2.3 [decontextualised sources]

Historical skills are used to identify concepts such as:•Perspectives•reliability or bias•continuity and change•intent and motivation•cause and effect.

3.3 [decontextualised sources]

Historians’ skills are used to identify historical concepts such as:•Perspectives•past and present•reliability and usefulness•bias or propaganda•continuity and change•intent and motivation•cause and effect•specific and generalised•influence and significance•contingency.

Main issues with .5

• No reasonable description of at least one cause and one consequence

• Poor choice of event• Wrote narrative and did not focus on specific causes and

consequences• Did not identify or define significance historical event• Limited understanding of the background and context• Causes and consequences too limited or too broad in scope• Did not complete both parts• Did not provide evidence; or provided evidence that was too broad• Did not link causes or consequences to the event• Historical errors that detracted from the essays validity• Wrote narrative or description not analysis• Didn’t cover both causes and consequences• Little understanding of the context• Did not define the historical event

1.5: 2011/12/13

2011: What were the causes of an historical event you have studied this year? How did this event affect people, or groups, in society?

2012: Identify and describe the causes that led to your chosen historical event. What were the consequences of this event on people, or groups in society?

2013: Identify and describe the causes of ________________ What were the most significant consequences of ___?

2.5: 2012Examine the causes and consequences of a significant historical event that had an impact on the lives of a significant number of people.

2.5: 2013Examine the causes of a significant historical event, and the positive and negative consequences of the event on people.

3.5: 2013Analyse the various causes of a significant historical event, and the consquences of that event on people’s lives.

NB: short/long/immediate/underlying term & political/economic/social/cultural etc.

Main issues with .6

• Chose an event with no connection to NZ• Did not make the connection to NZ clear• Describe a small part of event• Inaccurate, incorrect and irrelevant information used to support

answer• Did not identify or define the event• Poor understanding of the context• Causes and consequences limited in scope• Did not complete both parts of the essay• Did not provide evidence to support one of the two tasks• Historical errors that detracted from validity• Failed to answer the question directly• Answered only one part• Wrote a prepared essay that did not fit the question• Made generalisation that weren’t backed yup• Lacked basic structure and presented ideas in a muddle

1.6 [3 Qs/parts]:

Question 1 [2011/12/13]

2011: Describe what happened in your chosen historical event.

2012: Describe what happened in your chosen historical event

2013: Describe what happened in your chosen historical event.

1.6: Question 2 [2011/12/13]

2011: Describe how TWO of the people OR groups in society that you identified on page 3 were affected by the historical event.

2012: Describe how the people OR groups in New Zealand society that you identified on page 3 were affected by your chosen historical event.

2013: Describe the perspectives held by TWO different people or groups on your chosen historical event.

1.6: Question 3 [2011/12/13]

2011: Explain why your chosen historical event was of significance to New Zealanders. •In your answer, you could discuss aspects such as:•the importance of the event to people alive at the time•how deeply people’s lives were affected at the time•the extent to which the event continues to affect New Zealand society.

2012: Explain why your chosen historical event was of significance to New Zealanders.•In your answer, you could discuss:•how important the event was to people alive at the time•how the event and its outcomes affected people’s lives at the time•how long and how extensively the event and its outcomes affected New Zealand society.

2013: Explain why your chosen historical event was of significance to New Zealanders and how it affected them.•In your answer, you should refer to:•how important the event was to people at the time•the effects of the event and its outcomes on people’s lives at the time•how extensively and for how long the event and its outcomes affected New Zealand society.

2.6: 2012Examine what happened during the historical event you have chosen, and how the significant historical event affected New Zealand and / or New Zealanders in the short-term and / or long-term.

2.6: 2013Examine the background of the significant historical event you have chosen, and how the event affected New Zealanders in the short term and long term.

3.6: 2013Analyse different forces that influenced a significant historical trend, and the extent to which this trend impacted on people’s lives.

So where to next?• Teach how to:

• write an essay • how to unpack the question• how to direct the essay discussion towards the question

being asked• unpack the command words – describe, examine analyse

• Incorporate concepts and skills into lessons on a regular basis so they become familiar with them

• Avoid appearance of rote learned and taught answers by teaching:• question unpacking• Analysis

• Teach the concepts e.g. causation

• Ensure students are critical thinkers able to define their event in light of the question, establish the significance of their event and use evidence to support their generalisations

Some ideas to use

To engage with writing in the subject and on the context students need:

SKILLS: •Question analysis, selection of material, establishing relevance, ordering and structuring material, linking ideas, presenting an argument

VOCABULARY: •To assist with ordering and distinguishing (primary / secondary; immediate, subsequent, temporary, permanent, superficial, fundamental etc) •To assist with linking and distinguishing (consequent, subsequent, alternatively etc.)• To understand and apply the concepts and vocabulary associated with the and each context studied (change, continuity, cause, effect, significance, conflict, diplomacy, civil disobedience etc).

•MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES with time to reflect and assimilate

•MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK from teachers and peers

Essay Writing

What is an essay?

Getting started:• What is an essay?• The sum of the parts: What is an introduction, a paragraph, a

conclusion

• Students make posters to put up on wall. Keep them low and accessible so things can be added, amended, refined as the unit proceeds.

• As they become more attuned to the notion of essays add qualitative measures – new posters. “A GOOD introduction has/does...; a GOOD paragraph has..., A GOOD conclusion has...”

• Finish off with exemplars that have been discussed and analysed from class-generated samples (preferably).

– This is an EXCELLENT introduction because...– This is a MERIT paragraph because....

Vocabulary

• Brainstorm words that link, compare, contrast, distinguish, explain, evaluate, conclude etc. (They could distinguish verbs, adverbs, adjectives and nouns by using different colours.)

• Word Cube Activities • All the words brainstormed in the first activity that

appear in the standards• Concepts specific to the context• Vocabulary specific to the context• which can sit on their desk / be taken home for use

in writing tasks.

This idea came from Wellington College, where it was being used very successfully

Essay Writing

Unpacking the Question:– What are the key words in the title?

• Think about what they need to answer

– What are the key issues in the title?• Focus on the content and the historical issues

– Why has this question been asked (significance)?• Consider the historical context, the historiography,

address why we are interested in the question

– What is your opinion on the matter?• What do you want to say? Level 3

– Opening points to be made in each paragraph• Provides the skeleton of the essay

Adapted from Harris, R. “Why essay writing remains central to learning history at AS level” Teaching History Vol 14, p 15, 2001

Structure and Organisation

• Take exemplars and jumble them (cut and paste) then either:

• Get students to work in groups to un- jumble them and put them in what they think is the correct order.

• Each group notes down the reasons for their decision (based on content, language etc.) for later plenary discussion.

Ordering the essay

• Christine Counsell resource on the Great Fire of London – used at SocCon in 2011

• Rework this for Rosa Parks’s arrest, Birmingham Campaign, Taranaki War, Impact of Early Contact etc

Planning and Writing• Aim to do LOTS of essays

• Provide 4-5 questions from previous externals and that you have constructed

• Require each student to produce 3 or more plans.

• Students work in peer groups to review and revise plans

• Each student chooses their ‘best/favourite’ plan and writes an in-class essay (give 45 minutes to keep some semblance of what should be external timing)

• Peer groups mark each others’ work using assessment schedules from the Examiner’s Reports

Feedback and Feedforward

• Focus on what they did well

• Point to specific steps they can take to improve their performance OR replicate it if they are at excellence.

• DON’T put a grade/mark/result on the paper.

• Conference with each student

• Formally record your assessed result as the conclusion of the conference.