History
Nau mai haere mai.
Welcome to the history area, supporting curriculum, teaching and learning in history with best practice approaches, a variety of effective strategies, and useful resources and website links.
At levels 6, 7, and 8, history explores global and local events that have been significant to New Zealanders. Students gain an understanding of their own heritage and of their place in a wider context. They will understand that people’s views on past events differ.
What is history about?
Senior history is part of the wider curriculum.
It reflects the vision, principles, values, and key competencies described on pages 8–13 of The New Zealand Curriculum.
History is part of the learning area of social sciences.
It has its own achievement objectives in The New Zealand Curriculum. The achievement objectives inform teaching, learning, assessment, and programme design – all contexts taught need to relate to them. There are no prescribed topics.
Why are we learning this?
Teachers and students need to see the relevance of the programme. Teachers may choose to invite their students’ input when choosing learning contexts that have significance to New Zealanders and, most immediately, to the students in the history class.
New Zealand history is seen within wider global contexts.
Where possible, history encompasses events occurring in New Zealand and/or global events involving or influencing New Zealanders. Historical scholarship encourages students to look for points of connection and for similarities and differences, and to focus on research that transcends the boundaries of nation states.
History places more emphasis on thinking critically.
Students are encouraged to question accepted interpretations of the past and to consider contesting theories of historians and commentators. This emphasis reflects contemporary historical scholarship.
There is also a more holistic approach to understanding concepts of identity.
