Topic variability and criteria in interpretational history teaching

This paper studies the teacher perceived applicability of historical
topics for interpretational history teaching and the criteria teachers
use to evaluate this applicability. For this study, 15 expert history
teachers in the Netherlands striving for interpretational history
teaching were purposefully selected. Teachers were asked to mention
historical topics using a ranking task technique to rank topics in order
of applicability and to elaborate on how the topics were ranked. The
results showed a large variation in perceived applicability among
topics, both within and between teachers. Eight different topicapplicability
criteria were discerned in the teachers’ elaborations:
(1) topic knowledge; (2) topic affinity; (3) topic constructedness; (4)
topic deconstructability; (5) topic abstractedness; (6) topic sensitivity;
(7) topic materials; and (8) topic inclusion in the history curriculum.
We found that teachers tended to judge topics as applicable for
interpretational history teaching partly depending on the degree of
‘canonised interpretativity’ in lesson materials and the curriculum, and
to the degree to which they belonged to ‘cold’ (morally neutral) or ‘hot’
(morally sensitive) history. A theoretical implication of the findings is
that interpretational history teaching is topic-dependent. Teachers
can be supported to teach history as interpretation by structured
pedagogies.