8.4 Helping trainees to plan a sequence of lessons

Standard S3.1.2 states: “To ensure pupils make good progress, teachers need to be able to plan sequences of lessons designed to extend pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding over a period of time”. When trainee history teachers learn how to plan sequences of lessons they are engaging in a highly creative and challenging process that is fundamental to quality learning in history. Developing an understanding of the possible criteria for selecting historical content, of the ways in which our selected content can be linked to history’s procedural concepts and of the strategies for engaging and motivating pupils across a sequence of lessons is a deeply rewarding, but intellectually exhausting process. We should acknowledge this with our trainees from the outset!

Fortunately, professional practice in the history education community has developed robust approaches to planning sequences of lessons. In many secondary history departments lesson sequences planned around historical enquiries is now a firmly- rooted feature of curriculum planning. The principle of ‘enquiry’ – that is, a sequence of lessons built around an intriguing historical question that pupils are able to answer in a substantial and motivating final activity – is one that trainees are likely to encounter both in professional literature and on school placements.

As with individual lesson planning, we need to give careful thought to the timing and nature of trainees’ developing skills in medium-term planning. Exactly how will an understanding of the relationship between individual lessons and sequences of lessons be developed in the university-based course? How will trainees be expected to make use of their placement school’s scheme of work?. How will possible tensions between different approaches to medium-term planning be handled? What specific guidance and support will trainees need in order to plan successful sequences of lessons?

Before trainees can be asked to take greater responsibility for medium-term planning by designing complete lesson sequences around enquiry questions they will need an understanding of the essential features of rigorous, challenging and motivating enquiries:

• The nature and variety of carefully-crafted enquiry questions that shape the lesson sequence and imbue each lesson with a sense of purpose
• The nature and variety of initial stimulus material that can be used to create a sense of puzzle and to engage pupils at the outset
• The ways in which learning activities can be knitted together to ensure steady knowledge-building and pupil motivation
• The nature and variety of end products that can be used to guarantee rigorous learning outcomes

The planning process can be made explict by asking trainee history teachers to analyse and evaluate existing models of enquiry-based planning. A range of models can be found in:

• Articles and ‘Cunning Plans’ in Teaching History,
• QCA’s Key Stage 3 Schemes of Work,
• some Key Stage 3 textbook series
• the ‘exhibitions’ on National Archive’s Learning Curve website
• QCA’s Innovating with History website

Activity 8.4.1 Supporting trainees in their early attempts at planning historical enquiries

As trainees become more skilled and sophisticated in planning sequences of lessons they may need extra support in some of the following:

• Reflecting on the significance of the chosen content for their enquiries
• Ensuring that the overall aims of the enquiry are clearly defined
• Building the intricate relationship between historical thinking and the acquisition of new knowledge.
• Ensuring consistency between the enquiry question, the initial stimulus material, the learning activities and the final product.
• Getting pupils to care about the historical issue in question.
• Establishing a connection between learning history and the development of personal values and attitudes

Activity 8.4.2 Deepening trainees’ understanding of planning historical enquiries