SETTING US FREE?HOW SHOULD WE ASSESS PROGRESS IN A POST-LEVELS WORLD?ALEX FORD & BARBARA HIBBERT – NORTHERN HISTORY FORUM, NOVEMBER 2013

CONTEXT “As part of our reforms to the

national curriculum , the current system of ‘levels’ used to report children’s attainment and progress will be removed. It will not be replaced.” (DfE, 2013)

So what next for progress and

progression in History?

A – ABOLISH LEVELLING AND ADOPT A TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO PROGRESSION

B – CONTINUE USING NC LEVELS / ATTAINMENT TARGETS

B – CONTINUE USING NC LEVELS / ATTAINMENT TARGETS

Level 4 “Describe” Level 5 “Explain” Level 6 “Analyse” Level 7 “Evaluate”

Bloom’s Taxonomy ‘…moving from National

Curriculum Level 4 to Level 5 (or whatever) is not an adequate description of progress let alone a prescription for progress.’ (Counsell, 2000, p. 41)

C – DEVELOP A MEANINGFUL PROGRESSION MODEL

‘Historical thinking is neither a natural process nor something that springs automatically from psychological development . . . it actually goes against the grain of how we ordinarily think.’ (Wineburg, 1999, p. 491)

Mastery concept – a toolkit rather than a ladder?

C – DEVELOP A NEW MODEL WITH MEANING“Competent historical thinkers understand both

the vast differences that separate us from our ancestors and the ties that bind us to them; they can analyse historical artefacts and documents,

which can give them some of the best understandings of times gone by; they can assess the validity and relevance of historical accounts, when they are used to support entry into a war,

voting for a candidate, or any of the myriad decisions knowledgeable citizens in a democracy must make. All this requires “knowing the facts,” but “knowing the facts” is not enough. Historical thinking does not replace historical knowledge:

the two are related and interdependent.” (Seixas, 2008, p. 6)

THE BIG SIX AS A MODEL

Mastery concept – a toolkit rather than a ladder?

Seixas and Morton: Historical Significance Evidence Continuity and Change Cause and Consequence Historical Perspectives The Ethical Dimension

What should OUR Big Six be?

Inspiration

• Expertise in Departments

• Teaching History• Schools History

Project• Historical Thinking Project (free

chapters)• Various books and

articles

ONE POSSIBLE MODEL FOR CAUSATION

1. Causation2. Change and Continuity3. Historical Evidence4. Historical Interpretation5. Historical Perspectives6. Communication

What SIGNPOSTS would indicate a

mastery of Causation? What misconceptions

would need to be overcome?

Change happens because of MULTIPLE CAUSES and leads to many different results or consequences. These create a WEB of related causes and consequences.

Different causes have different LEVELS OF INFLUENCE. Some causes are more important than other causes.

Historical changes happen because of two main factors: The actions of HISTORICAL ACTORS and the CONDITIONS (social, economic etc.) which have influenced those actors.

CAUSATION: MASTERY MODEL (SCOTT, 1990; MORTON & SEIXAS, 2012)

Signpost 1Causal Webs

Causation is attributed to a single cause, usually ST, or multiple causes are given but not explained.

Multiple short term and long terms causes of events are identified and explained. Relationships between causes are recognized

Signpost 2Ranking Causes

There is no differentiation between the influence of various causes.

The causes of historical change are analysed and different causes are ranked by their influence

Signpost 3Underlying Causes

Historical causes are personalized to be the actions of great leaders or are seen as abstractions with human intentions.

Historical change is explained through the interplay of the actions of historical actors and the underlying conditions (SPERM) in which they operated

Signpost 4Unintended Consequences

Past events are seen as the result of specific plans and actions.

A differentiation is made between the intended and unintended consequences of actions

STUDENT APPROPRIATE PROGRESSION MODELS

Student friendly models How can these be worded? If it is too complex to explain,

is it appropriate for KS3? Can these tie into

assessments? How? How can we give students a

concrete sense of achievement as well as a model for mastery?

DIFFERENT CONCEPTS?

What do we value in History? How do we want them to think

historically?

Any good history begins in strangeness. The past should not be comfortable. the past should not be a familiar echo of the present…The past should be so strange that you wonder how you and the people you know and love could come from such a time…When you have traced this trajectory, you have learnt something.” (White, 1998, p. 13)

• There are major differences between modern WORLD-VIEWS and those of people in the past, this means their beliefs, values and motivations.

• The perspectives of HISTORICAL ACTORS are best understood by thinking about the CONTEXT in which people lived and the WORLD-VIEWS that influenced them.

• Looking at the perspective of an HISTORICAL ACTOR means drawing INFERENCES about how people thought and felt in the past. It does not mean using modern WORLD-VIEWS to imagine the past.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

Application to the Black Death? Unit of work looking at the

impact of the Black Death and exploring reaction of people in Britain

Begin with a chapter of John Hatcher’s “Black Death” as the disease arrives in Alice’s village.

Students could continue the story looking at impact on how people reacted.

Could add to the story as the history develops… Understanding perspectives

WHERE NEXT?

Open up debate and discussion as a profession. Share models, assessments, student progression models and ideas History Teachers Discussion Forum Contacting the HA directly Blog on andallthat.co.uk ->

Teachers -> 2014 Gove KS3 Blog Range of other concepts in the

Appendix as well as examples of assessments, medium term planning sheets and other tools

Opportunity to lead other subjects and whole school practice – get the assessment that we want