I learnt history in the traditional way - sat in a classroom, pen and paper to hand. I was lucky, this worked for my brain and I had brilliant, engaged teachers. But sitting still for an hour, staring at paper really doesn’t work for everyone! That’s why I like to keep my lessons more discussion based, encouraging students to branch out their thoughts and form connections themselves. This engages their cognitive thinking skills so that even when faced with an unknown or difficult question in an exam, they can apply those skills - whilst also jotting down the key facts to make sure they’re in there too!!!

I believe many different mediums can help your understanding of history, from debate, historical fiction and the huge development of historical information and education on social media currently. These can help to inspire students to develop genuine interests in a subject that they then wish to explore further, leading to a genuine interest in the subject. This also helps to develop critical thinking skills as we question the veracity of those works, their accuracy and I like to challenge students to find flaws in the things they watch and read - therefore engaging deeply with the content and learning along the way!

I also have a deep love for the subject and am always happy to learn. Therefore if a student has a niche interest, I’d love to explore it with them, provide resources for further study or just spout facts about the subject. If history isn’t their primary interest, I also like to provide short, interesting facts and make sure to keep my information accessible, having taught across different skill levels.