Agora 2022-1 Knowledge v Skills

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Knowledge v Skills | Agora vol. 57 no. 1 (2022)

	Knowledge v Skills Agora vol. 57 no. 1 (2022) Download complete issue

REFLECTION/EDITORIAL
	Reflection Bianca Crawford Editorial Guy Nolch
THEMA Reflections on the theme
	Four Approaches to the Knowledge Versus Skills Problem in the Teaching of History Robert John Parkes, School of Education, The University of Newcastle The degree of focus on knowledge or skills in History teaching can lead students to accept or question a single account of the past, or even leave multiple accounts in contention.
	Reflections on The Big Six Tom Morton, Co-author, The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts Reflecting on the influence of The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts on History teaching, its co-author believes they can be made more powerful by connecting them to narratives that support the teaching of three controversial issues.
	Skills v Content: A False Dichotomy? Ben Lawless, Lawless Learning and Matilda Education Knowledge lacks significant meaning without the accompanying skill base to interpret it.
	The Power of Knowledge Ashley Keith Pratt, Melbourne Girls Grammar The argument that knowledge is merely a delivery mechanism for skills misunderstands the crucial role that knowledge plays in developing student understanding of their world, and in creating a coherent and sequenced curriculum.
	From Historical Thinking Concepts to Historical Thinking Skills Elisa A. Litvin, Assumption College Kilmore The historical thinking concepts that underpin Victoria’s History Curriculum teach students to use the same habits of mind that historians use in their own practice.
	Focusing on Knowledge or Skills Is a Question of Cognitive Load James Sach, Goulburn Valley Grammar School Knowledge committed to long-term memory frees up the working memory available to apply that knowledge.
	Curriculum Choice and Planning for Student Agency Tom Hopwood, Lalor Secondary College Student agency is the measurement of how much student learning is ‘theirs’ rather than ‘given to them’. This demands careful, thoughtful and controlled deployment of subject content.
	Historical Knowledge and Skills Underpin Democratic Citizenship in a Diverse Classroom Nyree Wilson, Dandenong High School The Victorian History Curriculum can provide students with the skills and knowledge required to support a thriving democracy by considering multiple points of view.
	Gathering Knowledge and Interpreting Sources to Write Historical Fiction Alli Sinclair, Author, The Codebreakers Like historians, writers of historical fiction apply historical thinking and research skills to delve into the past before packaging their knowledge for a broad readership.
	Careers in History resources These resources highlight the key skills that students develop when they study History, as well as the career pathways they can pursue. HTAV acknowledges the support of the Victoria Government and the Department of Education and Training.
PRAKTIKOS Teaching ideas
	How to Hook Students Who Are Hostile to History Ralph Jackman, Parkville College By focusing on the many ways we use historical skills, disengaged students can see how history touches everything from their daily interactions to their highest aspirations.
	The Writing Revolution in the History Classroom Gordon Brown, University High School Some simple writing tasks can enable students to express complex historical thinking.
	Acronyms that Build Confidence with Source Analysis Katrina Davey, St Catherine’s School The use of acronyms can reduce student concerns about analysing sources and bring a uniform approach to teaching historical skills.
	Juggling Historical Knowledge and Skills in the Primary Classroom Karen Rogers, Ringwood Heights Primary School The curriculum directs primary teachers of History to incorporate knowledge, skills, capabilities and cross-curricular priorities in their classroom practice. Four exercises that elicit different types of thinking can help you implement these requirements.
	Applying the Skills and Knowledge of the Museum to the History Classroom Jodie Smith, John Monash Science School Sharing how history is practised in museums can help students understand how historical knowledge is shaped and changes, see the complexity of primary sources, and establish significance.
SUNGRAPHÔ Research and analysis
	Breaking through the Dichotomy between Historical Knowledge and Skills Paul Kiem, University of Sydney We are overdue for an evaluation of what has been achieved by an unbalanced focus on skills.