In memory of Ian Coulson, a great history teacher and friend of history teachers, who died ten years ago this month.

An unanticipated pleasure of living with disability is the value of brief conversations with strangers, themselves often pushing walkers or wheelchairs or juggling sticks. The mutual understanding doesn't need to be explicit but does so much good for our souls and our faith in human kindness

And i'll add this one - if you've used one of Barbara's 3 Tudor books do drop me a line - see below for explanation.

If you've found this book helpful, could you send me a few words about via DM or below. I'm hoping to put together a collection of positive comments for the author who's having medical treatment at the moment. Many thanks.

A doubly good day - a new Redmayn chapter online: 16. One Fortnight in Summer: 26th July to 11th August 1415 How did the delay to Henry V’s expedition affect the Redmayns? thinkinghistory.co.uk/MedievalFami... and my first tennis as a 74 yr old and since a brief hospital stay last month.

A happy moment this month hearing from a student I taught in the late 1980s. It's easy to wonder in teaching whether our work is worthwhile but such contacts out of the blue provide evidence that all the efforts teachers put in are worthwhile in ways far beyond the achievement of a good exam result.

An inspiration for anyone facing stoma surgery and even those of us who've had a stoma for decades. It's quite a birthday present knowing I was one of the first to have the experimental surgery (tho it didn't work back then) that now enables people to have internal pouches and hence stomas reversed

For VJ Day Sergeant George Dawson (seated), Royal Artillery 39-45, served in Indian and Burma, 42-45. An intelligent and kind man, he would have been an excellent teacher if born in a different decade. Like so many, he never spoke about his war in India and Burma.

🧑🏽🏫 Inclusive history in the classroom means acknowledging previously excluded voices and empowering teachers to share them. We're fundraising for a GRT Teacher Fellowship in memory of Helen Snelson, who advocated for inclusive, rigorous history. 💛 Support us here: shorturl.at/2wGcW #HACommunity

This new chapter could be useful but equally it could be an enjoyable read!

Completely 'not my period' as they say, but wow. What a treasure trove of little vignettes this provides for A Level students in particular. 👌🏻

Deeper background for anyone teaching about Henry V at KS3 or A level - how one family was involved in parliamentary discussions, recruitment, mustering, preparations for departure: How did the Redmayns experience the preparations for war 1414-1415? thinkinghistory.co.uk/MedievalFami...

New- chapter 15 of my exploration of the Redmayn family c.1355-1426: How did the Redmayns experience the preparations for war 1414-1415? Recruiting soldiers, making lists, meeting friends at parliament .. my grandmother helps too - cross-referencing 1415 & 1914 thinkinghistory.co.uk/MedievalFami...

Sunday morning and planning my session for Y7s visiting The Leeds Library on Tuesday. Just like 50 years ago in my first year teaching! Breakdown of timings, questions to ask, takeaways to identify, an extra source or two in case we finish early - hearing aids to charge ... didn't do that 50 yrs ago

Joyous news! Lancashire have won their first county championship match of the season. As I'm just starting a chapter about the Redmayns' involvement in the campaign leading to Agincourt, I'm drawing the optimistic parallel that Lancs, like Henry V, are about to turn despair into triumph -promotion!

@apf102.bsky.social Kirkstall c1990 - asked by the abbot (local headteacher) to visit when his Y5 spent day at abbey as monks,all in costume. LTU History students & i went as travellers - we even had a horse - but one of us showed symptoms of the pestilence and the Y5s had to decide if we could stay

Interesting to see a keynote at SHP Conference on Empathy and Emotional Literacy - KS3 resources for teaching about emotions in the Middle Ages in chapters 2 and 3 here: thinkinghistory.co.uk/Medieval/MAR...

CPD delight for history teachers from @histassoc.bsky.social - an inspiring & profound hour's conversation led by Penelope Harnett - follow-up to her keynote lecture at 2024 HA conference. Equally valuable for secondary & primary teachers @htenuk.bsky.social www.history.org.uk/secondary/mo...

Last chance to win £25 from Rayburn Tours if you book a ticket for #SHP25 today! If you can't make the whole weekend come along on Saturday, we have a really packed, exciting programme lined up. Tickets here store.leedstrinity.ac.uk/product-cata... and you can get all of this for just over £100

Lovely morning at The Leeds Library (founded 1768) planning for a school visit by Y7s next month. I have carte blanche to plan a 35 minute session - wonder if I can remember to do this teaching business? Suspect a continuum line and tabards may be resurrected.

‪I can highly recommend Michael's talk - it's a captivating, wonderful and important discussion - with Bristolian adaptations to the original Liverpudlian focus @histassoc.bsky.social conference, I suspect! You will thoroughly enjoy it.

Jim Shields, a very special history teacher in a very quiet way. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

One retirement fear was losing touch with so many good people in the history teaching community so It's been a real delightwhen emails have arrived from old friends and contacts - in thanks here's something on the pleasures of belonging to the history community thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/downl...

Some of my past ramblings about 'why learn about history?' thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/Curri... and on making this explcit with students of all ages thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/Impor...

Really good to read these highlighted items even from deepest retirement. It was this kind of argument that first got me excited about history teaching in 1973 @monsieurbenger.bsky.social

Posted Chapter 14 of my history of Richard and Elizabeth Redmayn - Why did Richard Redmayn continue in royal service under Henry V? 1413-1414 thinkinghistory.co.uk/MedievalFami... Richard was nearly 60 in 1413 so why keep riding to and from Westminster & elsewhere in all weathers? Was it ...

This is that activity Richard mentions below (I think) thinkinghistory.co.uk/ActivityBase...

Reading history is so much fun. Having gorged on two sets of essays by Rees Davies on the first English empire (11-14thC) my brain is now over-stimulated by David Bates' The Normans and Empire and he's sent me back to books by Ann Williams and Roberta Gilchrist. I should have retired 10 years sooner

Excellent day at @richardiiisociety.bsky.social's online conference - 1,150 sixth formers and a brilliant line up of scholars unravelling sources. Thank you @historylauren.bsky.social, @menysnoweballes.bsky.social, @mattlewishistory.bsky.social, @seanc1509.bsky.social & @davidgrummitt.bsky.social

This was a superbly organised day - 1150 students studying 15thC History at A level - wow! Many congratulations to the organisers and contributors for doing so much to help students and teachers.

I heard today that my history teacher from O and A level 1966-70 has died. He made a huge difference to me - he made me feel valued, confident and respected and that was what I carried forward - helping students feel respected is the essence of teaching. thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/downl...

Brilliant start to our #ITaP on creative pedagogical approaches in #HistoryEducation today. A morning of exploring the rich traditions of the #historyteacher community (including @iandawson51.bsky.social & Hilary Cooper) in stimulating disciplinary based creative thinking. #ITT

I'm no fan of time-travel books and have had more than enough of the Tudors but have just really enjoyed reading Alison Uttley's A Traveller inTime. Published in 1939 and written for children, it follows Penelope as she inadvertently slips between an early 20thC Derbyshire farm and the 16thC ...

I have just heard the sad news that Marika Sherwood, the co-founder of BASA (Black and Asian Studies Association) with @hakimadi.bsky.social has passed away. It was an absolute privilege to know Marika and collaborate with her on the pioneering OCR migration GCSE which has had such a huge impact ...

If you haven't read this book - and if you're not especially interested in medieval Wales, that's not surprising - you really, really should. The first chapter alone is extraordinary. The writing about as good as academic writing gets, and stylish with it. All written in a second language. 🗃️

Just finished one of the very best history books I've ever read - Prof Rees Davies' The Revolt of Owain Glyndwr. I can see why Prof Davies was so highly regarded by medievalists - clarity, command of such a wide range of sources, rich detail & penetrating summaries, sympathy for individuals plus ...

Delighted to hear that the @richardiiisociety.bsky.social A level online conference on The Wars of the Roses on 4 March will have over 30 schools and 1000 students attending. Brilliant achievement and it's a stunningly good programme. @jllaynesmith.bsky.social

Writing about Richard Redmayn attending November 1414 Parliament and this crossed my mind, using my experiences at teaching conferences

From Thinkinghistory's back catalogue - Raising Attainment by making Learning Visible by Dale Banham (& a bit by me) Full discussion & resources on Principles, Teaching GCSE Themes, Depth & Period Studies, Helping students communicate, Marking & Feedback thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/attai...

This looks to be a really valuable and important session

Attendees will reflect on: • The approaches used to help GCSE pupils to grasp big pictures of the past • How pupils' developing knowledge allows them to build chronological frameworks • How overarching questions or themes are returned to in order to support pupils to make links across the curriculum

If you're interested in using 'takeaways' for planning the original article is here. We developed the idea to create coherence across KS3 - what did we want students to take away and use again later in KS3, both content and conceptual understandings? thinkinghistory.co.uk/Issues/Curri...

With just 2 days left before the box office for the SHP Developing Teachers' Conference closes, there is just enough time to give you a wonderful free sample of our previous conferences: @iandawson51.bsky.social on developing students' chronological understanding www.youtube.com/live/r1jwfnU... ...

Here's the schedule for the day, it's packed to the rafters with top tips on history pedagogy, historical writing, assessment, diversity, planning and second order concepts. And it's not just for trainees! This is just really great History CPD for all of us led by experienced practitioners ...

Just 10 days left to get your tickets! If it is anything like our recent event at the British Library ('Wonderful', 'Inspiring', 'Intellectually Stimulating') then it's not to be missed! 6 workshops for secondary, 3 for primary and a fantastic keynote (winners of her book to be announced soon!) ...

Reposting link to a new article on Thinkinghistory, touching on an 'understanding-rich curriculum': "The most important questions to ask history students of all ages: identifying students’ metanarratives and preconceptions" See Home Page at thinkinghistory.co.uk/index.html

Re-reading Richmal Crompton's 'William and the Temporary History Master' - a man who had 'modern theories' about teaching history. 'He believed in making it real by acting it'. If anyone wants to add it to their trainees' reading lists it's from 'William's Crowded Hours' published in ..... 1931.

@sathnam.bsky.social described our keynote speaker, Shalina Patel as "the History teacher I wished I had at school"! You have just over 24 hours left to win a copy of her superb book, all you need to do is buy a ticket to @1972shp.bsky.social Developing Teachers' Conference! Tickets link below ...

A little something for Early Careers Teachers @htenuk.bsky.social @danlyndon.bsky.social @apf102.bsky.social @histassoc.bsky.social The most important questions to ask history students of all ages: identifying students’ metanarratives and preconceptions See link at thinkinghistory.co.uk/index.html

It's time to renew or sign up for @htenuk.bsky.social membership! Current HTEN members should have received an email inviting them to renew their membership by the end of January. If you are interested in becoming a member of HTEN, please do email [email protected] or drop us a DM.