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at GCSE offer my son or daughter?

What can the s tudy of

His tory

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:Three things at leas t

Career relevance.

Personal development as a thinking individual aware of context.

Enjoyment through stimulating content and teaching methods.

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How can

be relevant to a career?

His tory

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Independent thinkers.

Open-minded.

Disciplined.

Good at problem solving.

Able to pick out the essential from the trivial.

In this rapidly chang ing world

:employers want people who are

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’ Don t jus t take our word for. it

The highly respected ‘Which?’ consumer guides wrote the following in their ‘Which Subject, Which Career? Book 2002’

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‘historians are regarded as having had an education that trains their minds to assemble, organise and present facts and opinions and this is a very useful quality in many walks of life and careers…history is an excellent preparation for very many other jobs’

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The following prominent people

s tudied His toryin Higher Education and have made it to the top of their chosen field!

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Journalism and WritingDermot Murnaghan, BBC Breakfast TV presenter (Sussex); Jeremy Bowen, BBC News reporter (UCL); Joan Bakewell journalist and author (Cambridge);Alan Green BBC Radio 5 Live football commentator (Queens); Martin Tyler Sky Sports football commentator (UEA);John Inverdale BBC Grandstand presenter (Southampton); Jonathan Legard BBC motor sports reporter (Leeds); James Moir controller, BBC Radio Two (Cambridge);Peter Wilby editor of the New Statesman (Sussex); Bill Neely international news editor for ITV News (Belfast);Melvyn Bragg ITV presenter, South Bank Show (Oxford); Jeremy Warner Business editor, The Independent (UCL); Michael White political editor, The Guardian (UCL); Salman Rushdie author (Cambridge); Andrew Morton Diana biographer (Sussex).

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Bus ine s sLord John Sainsbury CEO Sainsbury’s (Oxford); Howard Springer CEO Sony America (Oxford);Martha Lane-Fox Founder of Lastminute.com (Oxford);Clara Freeman, OBE Chairman of Opportunity Now   Anita Roddick, founder of Body Shop (Bath Spa); Gerald Corbett ex CEO Dixons, Railtrack, Woolworth (Cambridge);Julia Cleverdon Chief Executive of Business in the Community (Cambridge);Patrick Gillam ex CEO BP, Standard Chartered Bank (LSE); John Varley Chairman of Barclays Bank (Oxford);Helena Stride Head of Education at Imperial War Museum; Anthony Hudson Former chairman of ICI (Birmingham);Charles Miller Smith Current CEO of ICI (St Andrews); David Montgomery former CEO Trinity Mirror PLCSarah Tyacke Keeper of the National Archives (London).

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, Politics Unions and LawGordon Brown Chancellor of the Exchequer Neil Kinnock former leader, Labour Party (Cardiff); John Prescott MP Deputy Prime Minister (Hull);Diane Abbott MP first black woman MP, (Cambridge);Mike Mansfield QC top barrister (Keele); John Scarlett Head of MI6 (Oxford);Frances Crook, Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform (Liverpool);Chris Patten European Commissioner and Oxford Chancellor elect (Oxford);Dr John Reid MP Secretary of State for Health (Stirling); Paul Murphy MP Secretary State Northern Ireland (Oxford); John Monks Gen Sec TUC (Nottingham); Anna Blackstock Dir Gen DTI (Oxford); Alex Salmond MSP Scottish National Party (St Andrews); Seb Coe former athlete and MP (Loughborough); Michael Portillo MP (Cambridge); Alan Milburn MP (Lancaster); Tim Yeo MP (Cambridge)

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Entertainment

Louis Theroux (Oxford); Simon Thomas Blue Peter (Birmingham); Simon Mayo Radio DJ (Warwick); Conan O'Brien US talk show host and Simpsons writer (Harvard); Michael Palin presenter and Python (Oxford);Suzanne Warner Deputy Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission; Chris Martin of band Coldplay (UCL); The Chemical Brothers DJs and dance music band (Manchester);Nicky Wire Manic Street Preachers (Swansea); Neil Tennant Pet Shop Boys (N London); Sting former History Teacher!Sacha Baron Cohen creator of Ali G - studied History at Oxford.

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Be sure to ask for a Be sure to ask for a viewing of Professor viewing of Professor Nicholls’ DVDNicholls’ DVD.. Hear what successful people Hear what successful people

have to say about historyhave to say about history Judge the relevance of the Judge the relevance of the

subject anewsubject anew

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Of course, history wasn’t the only thing that ensured the success of all these people, but certainly the life skills gained from the subject would have played a big part!

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How can

His torydevelop pupils as individuals?

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Context and Perspec tive

The past and its people will no longer be seen as inferior. It is difficult to look at the achievements of the past whilst maintaining a clear sense of modern superiority. Will we just ‘learn about’ or will we ‘learn from’?

The student of history is no longer an aimless, complacent wanderer through life but part of something big – with all its splendours and faults.

Young people will no longer see themselves and the context in which they live as all pervading:

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Inspiration and Warning

Every history course will study larger than life individuals whose achievements defied all the odds.

Brunel – does genius always bring success in the financial world?

Pasteur, who battled illness to fight infectious disease.

Hitler – a man who seduced a civilised nation and led it into barbarism.

!The pas t and its charac te rs can be both

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The s tudy of a his tory course

can ensure a pupil

le arns to think, independently rather

than become a follower of the

.views of others

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“Students of history will be less likely to believe large lies – or small ones!

The broad mass of the nation will more eas ily

fall vic tim to a large lie .than a small one

” Adolf Hitler, 1925

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Tole rance in a Judgemental World

History cannot guarantee tolerance though it can give it some intellectual weapons. It cannot open closed minds but it may sometimes leave a nagging grain of doubt in them.

John Slater (Former HMI Staff Inspector for History) 1989

“”

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‘ When I was at school his tory se emed to involve copying out

.’ note s and learning date s

Have lessons changed?

Can students actually enjoy studying the past?

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You might think that all they will be doing in history is trying to remember lots of dates and facts…

Let us assure you this is not the case!

Students will not have to spend the entire time dredging their memories and writing things down.

Their lessons will be full of different and exciting activities.

’ , ’ !They won t fall as le ep in his tory that s for sure

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So what do s tudents

actuallydo in

his tory?le s sons

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Students will be doing role plays…

constructing reasoned arguments both in writing and spoken aloud…

playing a variety of simulations to bring alive situations and to illustrate difficult concepts...

visiting historical sites: scenes of real, often tragic but always significant, events…

learning how to become masters of debate.

By the end of the course they won’t just repeat the views of others - they’ll be producing and supporting convincing views of their own.

, His tory is taught through many ways

:for example

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?And subjec t matte r

Yes…………that’s interesting too.

!Look

Here you will need to inse rt the s lide s you prepared .for the content se c tion of your pre sentation for pupils

Outline of content for parents

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We hope this presentation has caught your imagination as to the possibilities opened by studying history, but…………

’ It s your son or daughter

!who must make the choice

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History is for every one!

If you would like to find out more

visit our website at:

. . .www his tory org uk