Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Challenges of Compulsory History in the Australian School Curriculum
- 1 Compulsory History: the Issues Confronting Teachers
- 2 Student Engagement through Historical Narratives
- 3 Pedagogical Dimensions of Historical Novels and Historical Literacy
- Part II Understanding the Genre of Historical Novels
- Part III Deconstructing the Historical Novel
- Conclusion
- References
3 - Pedagogical Dimensions of Historical Novels and Historical Literacy
from Part I - The Challenges of Compulsory History in the Australian School Curriculum
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Challenges of Compulsory History in the Australian School Curriculum
- 1 Compulsory History: the Issues Confronting Teachers
- 2 Student Engagement through Historical Narratives
- 3 Pedagogical Dimensions of Historical Novels and Historical Literacy
- Part II Understanding the Genre of Historical Novels
- Part III Deconstructing the Historical Novel
- Conclusion
- References
Summary
As many teachers and educators seriously question the role of textbooks in the History lesson, teachers and educators are looking increasingly to alternative and more engaging teaching/learning strategies (Villano, 2005). Recognising the significant pedagogical advantages of using historical fiction in their classrooms, some teachers have long used historical fiction as a central teaching/learning strategy in the History classroom. Now, however, student teachers and teachers are advantaged — and consequently, should be reassured — by an emerging amount of research showing how the teaching of historical literacy through historical novels can be achieved. There is, I argue, ample evidence of the many pedagogical advantages of using historical novels in their teaching.
Consider this classroom scenario: there is a Year 9 class researching different aspects of medieval history. One group is researching the design of a typical castle. The teacher reads a short section of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth (1989) to the group. The selection describes the layout and design of a castle as seen through the eyes of William, a potential attacker. The goal is for students to design their own castle based on the description from the novel. This is a challenging lesson, requiring students to envision text. The teacher reads the excerpt, a few sentences at a time. At appropriate points, she pauses and gives the students time to sketch. Follett (1989) describes the moat as a figure 8.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Whose History?Engaging History Students through Historical Fiction, pp. 29 - 44Publisher: The University of Adelaide PressPrint publication year: 2013