Apart from wanting to be in a place where people know how to pronounce Elspeth, Scotland was an obvious choice when selecting destinations with a strong sense of identity grounded in history. I began by making contact with Dr Joseph (Joe) Smith, whose recent publications are directly relevant to my Fellowship (including one from March 2019 and another in August 2019). Joe has been a dynamic host from the outset, and I am especially grateful that he was still able to accommodate my visit with a tertiary education strike underway (which I support as a teacher who has participated in recent industrial action back home!) | |
Joe reached out to teachers in his network so I could meet some peers in different contexts. I visited five Scottish schools, which helped me come to grips with the practicalities of how secondary History is taught alongside Geography and Modern Studies in the Broad General Education. Our professional dialogue included discussing the impact of whether history is compulsory discipline in the middle years, and how decisions about what and how to teach are made, with a less prescriptive curriculum than in Australia. I also appreciated listening to students' candid perspectives about learning history. For senior secondary classes, schools can choose from a shortlist of topics for three historical studies: Scotland; Britain; and European and World. Therefore, learning about an aspect of Scottish history is compulsory if students choose to continue studying history. I also learned about ‘teachers as curriculum makers’ being a key premise of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.
Visiting Scotland also presented me with an opportunity to explore the role of teacher associations, by connecting with the Scottish Association of the Teachers of History (SATH). I met Rebecca Hanna, the new president, and Chris Mackay, immediate past president, and discussed the machinations of running our associations. I was also able to observe Rebecca and Chris teaching source-focussed lessons about the Holocaust. HTASA and SATH have much in common, although interestingly SATH no longer charges membership fees and derives most of its income from running professional development. We will be keeping in touch!
At Stirling University on Thursday, I attended a session for pre-service teachers (PST) about the requirement to conduct a practitioner enquiry in their probationer year, to promote research- and data-informed teaching as a career-long professional practice. I was also invited to present my perspective as an Australian history teacher at a third-year PST workshop and was impressed by the calibre of the discussion regarding the purposes of learning history. Joe made himself available throughout the week as a 'critical friend' so that I can keep on developing possible findings for my Fellowship. I am really enjoying this intellectual stretch and am grateful for support from Joe and my previous hosts to continue testing and strengthening my tentative ideas from the trip so far. It's not even halfway through yet but my mind is constantly buzzing!
THANK YOU to:
Visiting Scotland also presented me with an opportunity to explore the role of teacher associations, by connecting with the Scottish Association of the Teachers of History (SATH). I met Rebecca Hanna, the new president, and Chris Mackay, immediate past president, and discussed the machinations of running our associations. I was also able to observe Rebecca and Chris teaching source-focussed lessons about the Holocaust. HTASA and SATH have much in common, although interestingly SATH no longer charges membership fees and derives most of its income from running professional development. We will be keeping in touch!
At Stirling University on Thursday, I attended a session for pre-service teachers (PST) about the requirement to conduct a practitioner enquiry in their probationer year, to promote research- and data-informed teaching as a career-long professional practice. I was also invited to present my perspective as an Australian history teacher at a third-year PST workshop and was impressed by the calibre of the discussion regarding the purposes of learning history. Joe made himself available throughout the week as a 'critical friend' so that I can keep on developing possible findings for my Fellowship. I am really enjoying this intellectual stretch and am grateful for support from Joe and my previous hosts to continue testing and strengthening my tentative ideas from the trip so far. It's not even halfway through yet but my mind is constantly buzzing!
THANK YOU to:
- Joe, Emma, Tom and Charlie for your hospitality
- Prof. Mark Priestley for helping me prepare for visiting Wales next and other guidance
- Scott Doyle from Stirling Uni at Falkirk High School
- Mike McCabe, Anne Connor, Michele Duck, Gregor Michael, and students at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh
- Lynne Morton, Aileen West and students at St Margaret's Academy, Livingston
- Chris Mackay from SATH at the High School of Glasgow
- Rebecca Hanna from SATH, as well as Rachel Bryson, Gem Scotland, and students at Linlithgow Academy
- All other schools who replied to Joe's call out to host me - I would have loved to visit everyone if time permitted. The door is always open if you visit Adelaide!
- Shona Wallace and Muriel MacKenzie from Stirling Council
- Pre-service teachers at Stirling University - all the best for the remainder of your courses!