Subject knowledge updating is enjoyable and a huge challenge in a busy teacher's life. There are fantastic initiatives which make this process more collegiate. And some historians are incredibly generous with their time and engage with history teachers on social media and at conferences. Nevertheless, there can’t be many of us who...

This Issue's problem: Josie, PGCE history student, is finding that her use of the department's exercises on sources is not improving pupils' understanding of evidence.

This Issue's Problem: Charles Marks, PGCE history student, is very confused about teaching historical interpretations.

This Issue's Problem: Indira is having problems reconciling sources and stories in teaching history. 

This Issue's Problem: Tom MaCaulay is having problems with his subject knowledge.

This Issue's Problem: Louis is having problems teaching the history of medicine course at GCSE.

This Issue's Problem: Vera is worried that her Year 9 class already know all about World War One. 

This Issue's Problem: Steve Cloye is over half way through his first main teaching placement and has been struggling with the PGCE. His degree was in American Studies, and although this included American history he lacks confidence in his subject knowledge, and particularly in his understanding of the nature of the...

This issue's problem: Debbie Samson is finding it difficult to teach about change and continuity in meaningful ways.

This Issue's Problem: Rafe Sadler has just started his second teaching placement and is worried about the very different ways of working and expectations of teachers in his new department. In his first school, where history was taught within a humanities programme, the Key Stage 3 scheme of work had...

This issue's problem: Rob Collingwood keeps just making assumptions about his students' thinking. Rob Collingwood seemed to make a very promising start to his first school placement, but as time goes on his mentor is becoming concerned about the lack of connection between Rob's thinking and that of his students. Rob...

This issue's problem: Claudia Jones is very uncomfortable with any kind of sustained story-telling. Claudia Jones is a quietly spoken and rather nervous trainee. She struggled from the beginning of the PGCE to establish a strong  presence in the classroom, and although she has become more assertive about insisting on basic...

This issue's problem: Jim Boswell is constantly anxious about whether he knows enough to be able to start planning. Jim Boswell is an articulate, enthusiastic student teacher, with previous voluntary work experience teaching English to young asylum-seekers and refugees. Other previous roles in sports coaching and refereeing have clearly paid dividends...

This Issue's Problem: Martin King is worried about how to teach meaningful overviews...

This issue's problem: Susie Cook is struggling to sustain an emphasis on developing historical knowledge and understanding in teaching about genocide. Susie Cook worked for nearly ten years as a web designer before deciding to move into teaching. Once she had secured her place on the programme she spent several months...

This issue's problem: Helena Swannick tends to treat differences between historical interpretations simply as matters of opinion. Helena Swannick is a career changer who has decided to come into teaching after many years' working in human resources and some time at home caring for two young children. Her degree was a...

This issue's problem: Rose Valognes feels she hasn't got enough ways of getting knowledge across to the students before they can do something with it. After a positive start to her training year, Rose Valognes seems to have got stuck in a rut in her thinking, with her lessons falling...

Phil Nevers is so interested in the history that he's teaching that he gets caught up in fascinating digressions or overwhelms the students with complexity. Phil Nevers is a passionate historian with high ambitions for the students that he is teaching. He reads widely and is deeply committed to the...

Jane Whorwood’s concern to encourage students to think for themselves is leading to some very ahistorical thinking. Jane Whorwood has proved to be a generally confident and positive trainee, largely due to two years’ experience as a cover supervisor before committing to a formal training programme. She has made a...

This issue’s problem: Sam Holberry is getting very confused about the concept of similarity and difference Sam Holberry has returned to his main training school after a short placement in another school. Although he found it challenging to work with students he didn’t know, he enjoyed seeing a wider range...