Teaching and learning through personal, family and local history

E-CPD

By Author; Tim Lomas, Web Editor; Simon Brown, published 6th January 2010

N.B. This unit was produced before the 2014 curriculum and therefore while much of the advice is still useful, there may be some out of date references or links. 

This unit is concerned with the way that primary age pupils can make use of their own personal, family and local history to make sense of the world in which they live.   Such areas have always been seen as more directly to the children's experience but they can still present challenges - not the least of which is the absence of commercial and other schemes of work.  By its very nature the content can rarely be made universal and thus has not excited much commercial interest.   This has added to the pressure on teachers to devise appropriate and motivating activity. 

This unit is divided into the following enquiries:

  1. What are the key features of effective personal, family and local history?
  2. What makes a valid experience for primary pupils regarding personal, family and local history?
  3. How can personal, family and local history help develop the key concepts of history?
  4. How can personal, family and local history use experiences outside the classroom?
  5. How much support is there to help plan valid personal, family and local history experiences?

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1. Key features

  • 1. What are the key features of effective personal, family and local history?
  • 1.1 What are the features of good personal, family and local history?
  • 1.2 Using family and local sources
  • 1.3 Thematic approaches

2. Valid experience

  • 2. What makes a valid experience for primary pupils regarding personal, family and local history?
  • 2.1 Devising appropriate learning experiences
  • 2.2 Improving a local history activity

3. Developing the key concepts of history

  • 3. How can personal, family and local history help to develop the key concepts of history?
  • 3.1 Matching key ideas to concepts
  • 3.2 Using a local history source to develop conceptual understanding.
  • 3.3 Good practive when investigating the theme of crime and punishment

4. Using experiences outside the classroom

  • 4. How can personal, family and local history use experiences outside the classroom?
  • 4.1 Planning learning experiences outside of the classroom
  • 4.2 Investigating health and sanitation in a 19th century town

5. Support

  • 5. How much support is there to plan valid personal, family and local history experiences?
  • 5.1 Familiarisation with resources
  • 5.2 Researching sources for an enquiry
  • 5.3 Sources for local history themes

6. Further Reading/Bibliography

  • 6. Bibliography/Further Reading