a_scaffold_not_a_cage_progression_and_progression_models_in_history_by_peter_lee

13TEACHING HISTORY 113 © The Historical Association What is progression? ‘Progress’ has a wide range of meanings. No usage is compulsory, but however we decide to use words, we must ensure we know what job we want them to do. One important distinction to... More

13TEACHING HISTORY 113 © The Historical Association What is progression? ‘Progress’ has a wide range of meanings. No usage is compulsory, but however we decide to use words, we must ensure we know what job we want them to do. One important distinction to keep open is between ‘progress’ in general and ‘progression’ in particular. Pupils can make progress in any area of history, whether it is in keeping better notes, writing better essays, or giving better presentations to the class. But what counts as ‘better’ is likely to differ considerably for different activities. Betternoteswillprobablymeanahigherdegree of organization and quicker retrieval. Better essays will involve(amongotherthings)clearerstructureandgreater sensitivity to the question. Better presentations will mean stronger engagement with audiences and more acute judgement of what must be explained. The kind of achievement at stake impacts on how we measureprogress. Progressintheamountofinformation students are able Less