F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship
An inno a i e Mal ese his o y ex book
based on his o y hinking skills and e iden ial wo k
Vella, Yosanne. „F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship: An inno a i e Mal ese
his o y ex book based on his o y hinking skills and e iden ial wo k.“ Ecke .Bei äge
2010/11. h p://www.edume es.ne /u n/u n:nbn:de:0220-2010-00524.
Ecke .Bei äge 2010/11
Yosanne Vella
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 1
F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship ; an inno a i e Mal ese his o y
ex book based on his o y hinking skills and e iden ial wo k.
D . Yosanne Vella
Senio Lec u e
Facul y o Educa ion, Uni e si y
o Mal a
In oduc ion
F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship is a new Mal ese his o y ex book o 13
o 15-yea olds choosing his o y as hei special op ion subjec in seconda y school. This
ex book was edi ed and pa -au ho ed by he au ho o his pape and published by he
Mal ese His o y Teache s’ Associa ion in Oc obe 2008. This ex book co e s he main
his o ical e en s ha a e p oposed in he s a e seconda y le el his o y cu iculum o his o y
special op ion g oups, e e ed o in Mal a as he SEC Syllabus. The i s school lea ing
na ional examina ion based on his cu iculum was held in May 2009.
I ha e been wo king in his o y pedagogy o o e 20 yea s, bu up un il now I ha e a oided
w i ing his o y ex books. Fo yea s he e ha e been many complains abou he lack o his o y
ex books in all le els in Mal ese schools, howe e I ha e esis ed he idea o being in ol ed
in he w i ing o one because I suspec ed ha in some ways he absence o a book was a
blessing in disguise. Th oughou he yea s I ha e as a eache educa o been p i ileged o
ha e wa ched some his o y lessons gi en by my B.Ed and P.G.C.E. s uden his o y eache s
which ha e been absolu ely b illian . These wonde ul his o y eache s in ol ed hei s uden s
in e ec i e asks and ac i i ies which uly engage his o ical hinking. I ha e o en wonde ed
would hese his o y lessons ha e occu ed had he e been a ex book? The emp a ion o
ollow sla ishly he o icial his o y ex book migh ha e been oo g ea o esis , and excellen
his o y lessons migh ha e been eplaced by medioc e ones. The las hing ou seconda y
school his o y s uden s need is a ex book o be lea n o by hea . Tha is no how good
his o y lea ning wo ks. S uden s need o be bomba ded wi h a a ie y o eaching app oaches
whe e he ocus is on ac i e lea ning in ol ing unde s anding his o ical knowledge wi h a
ocus on p ima y his o y sou ces and analyses o di e en pe spec i es and in e p e a ions. I
am no he only one who belie es ha ex books a e no necessa ily bene icial; his is wha
Ch is ine Counsell has o say:
“Teache s who a e lea ning o lead discussion, o de ise ac i i ies ha will suppo discussion
wi h younge o weake pupils, eache s who a e hinking ha d abou hei discipline ( he ac
ha i is p o isional and con es ed) need suppo They need nu u e. They don’ need ixed o
single ex books! This can only close down his o ical discussion in he lesson and inhibi
challenging p o essional hinking among eache s.”
Counsell:2004:29
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 2
Con es ing es ablished no ms in his o y ex book w i ing in Mal a
Howe e , wi h some cau ion i is possible o a oid he pi alls o adi ional his o y ex books.
The e o e as he edi o /w i e o his ex book I was e y ca e ul o make su e ha he
objec i e o F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship would no be o c ea e an all
encompassing co e age o he SEC syllabus, some hing o be egimen ally ollowed by he
class eache . On he con a y his ex book is mean only o o e a supplemen o he syllabus
o be used in conjunc ion wi h a ious o he ac i i ies. The p ac ical examples ound in his
ex book pu posely only ouch a ew o he sub- opics in he syllabus. I co-o dina ed and
edi ed his book howe e I w o e i oge he wi h nine o he w i e s. All hese w i e s a e
expe ienced seconda y school his o y eache s and mos o he exe cises we con ibu ed a e
ied and es ed asks we c ea ed and used wi h ou own classes and which p oduced exci ing
esul s. These asks a e eally mean o ac as empla es, on which eache s can build simila
in e ac i e ac i i ies. This ex book was pu posely s uc u ed no o ups age he eache s who
mus con inue o be he inno a o s o ac i e his o y lea ning.
When I app oached he His o y Teache s’ Associa ion wi h my p oposal o he c ea ion o a
his o y ex book o his o y op ion classes, he Commi ee immedia ely welcomed he idea and
ga e me hei ull suppo . I explained ha his was no going o be a no mal his o y ex book
based on na a i e bu a he a o ally new app oach in his o y ex book w i ing in Mal a. This
p ojec , o indeed one can call i a p ojec a he han a me e book, was going o be a eam
e o . I wan ed he w i e s o be all p ac ione s in he class oom, his o y eache s who we e
in e es ed in his o y hinking skills and wo king wi h sou ces.
The pedagogical p inciples behind he eaching app oach in his ex book a e no based on
Mal ese adi ional his o y eaching app oaches which es on he assump ion ha his o y is a
eady p oduc ; he w i ings o his o ians, and he e o e should only in ol e ansmission o
in o ma ion and ac s. The emphasis o his book is on he 'wha ' o each no he 'how' o
each. The eaching app oach behind his ex book is di e en om adi ional app oaches in
ha besides he his o ical in o ma ion he exe cises in ol e sou ce analysis and ocus on
speci ic his o y hinking skills, wha R.Ben Jones ou lined back in 1973 as a his o y eaching
me hod ha "lays less emphasis on con en and mo e on he p ocess o lea ning". (p.14)
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 3
Pedagogical p inciples behind lea ning objec i es o ex book
The eaching app oach adop ed o his ex book has p o ed o be highly success ul and
e ec i e in his o y eaching (Sco , 1978; Shemil ,1987; Ha ne ,1995; Lee, Pe e , Dickinson,
Ala ic & Ashby, Rosalyn ,1996; Vella, 2004)). I is an app oach which challenges s uden s’
hinking and p oduces highe o de hinking, all pe ec ly possible e en wi h young pupils.
Lee, Dickinson and Ashby (1996) showed ha child en’s hinking in his o y is a mo e
sophis ica ed han p e iously imagined. A e analysing child en’s ideas on es ing
explana ions in his o y, Lee, Dickinson and Ashby (1996) ad ise:
“F om he poin o iew o day- o-day class oom his o y eaching, ou
analysis so a sugges s ha we need o ecognise ha qui e young child en
can begin o make sophis ica ed dis inc ions and de elop powe ul
in ellec ual ools. We may need bo h o ma ch such ideas wi h g ea e
p ecision in ou eaching objec i es, and o inc ease ou awa eness o
assump ions which hold some child en back.” (p.19)
Fo his o occu a his o y ex book should c ea e a class oom en i onmen which o e s an
ac i e lea ning si ua ion o he pupil, a he han one which p esen s he ex book as he gi e
o in o ma ion. I we limi his o y o me ely handing o e one ac a e he o he , we would
be missing he key objec i e o no jus his o y eaching bu o his o y i sel . Ki son Cla k
(1967) says ha good his o y p oduces people ha hink abou a he han me ely accep
in o ma ion:
“Wha is you au ho i y o saying his? And, as a pa icula ques ion: How
do you know ha his happened? They a e ques ions which bo h his o ians,
and men and women who a e no his o ians, ough o lea n o ask much
mo e o en han hey do.”(p.55)
The e o e i is impo an o each in his o y no jus he ac ual knowledge, bu wha B une
(1966) calls he ‘s uc u e’ o he subjec . His o ical me hod in ol es his o ical hinking and i
is he analyses o sou ces in pa icula , ha p o ide he p ac ice o a mode o hinking simila
o wha he his o ian goes h ough. This app oach in his o y ex book w i ing is in ac based
on cons uc i is eaching me hods. Vygo sky (1978) emphasises he ole o he eache as
acili a o and his ex book emula es his ole. Abso bing skills and concep s on you own is a
slow p ocess howe e unde s uc u ed guidance a highe a ainmen le el is eached. I is
hoped ha he key ques ions ound in he ac i i ies o his book s uden s’ hinking will be
suppo ed and his o y skills and concep s in he lea ne s s a o eme ge.
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 4
E idence and Sou ces
P ima y sou ces p o ide e idence om he pas , bu sou ces and e idence a e no one and he
same, Hin on (1990) explains he di e ence be ween hem in he ollowing way:
"The dis inc ion be ween e idence and sou ces is an impo an one because
sou ces a e me ely he aw ma e ial o an his o ian; only when hey a e
app op ia ely in e oga ed will hey yield e idence" (p.7)
The chap e s in his ex book s a wi h a b ie backg ound summa y o each opic
bu hen his is ollowed by wide ange o his o y sou ce wo k on he pa icula
hemes. This ex book a ge s h ee ypes o p ima y sou ces; w i en sou ces,
pic o ial sou ces and o al sou ces.
W i en E idence
W i en sou ces a e wha academic his o ians mos ly wo ked on and in his ex book such
hings as documen s, manusc ip s, le e s, ly ics, s a is ical da a, newspape documen s and
books we e used.
W i en sou ces a e gene ally ecognised as impo an o iginal sou ces which canno be
dismissed and igno ed. As Fines & Nichol (1997) say "Th ough eading documen s and
wo king upon hem, child en come ace o ace wi h people om he pas in hei own wo ds.
A documen o ces he pupil o pa icipa e a i s -hand in a dialogue wi h he pas " (p.81).
Jamieson (1971) quo es he au ho s o A chi es and Educa ion (HMSO, 1968) who desc ibe
he exci emen and ele ance o w i en documen s:
‘ he o iginal le e o documen is cha ged wi h an emo ion, an u gency and
an immediacy, o which he la e p in ed eco d can ne e p e end. Fo a
child o ead o he o u e o Guido Fawkes is one hing; i is ano he o see
he i m signa u e o his examina ion o No embe 8 h and he al e ing hal -
comple ed e o o No embe 10 h, w i en a e he execu ion o he king’s
wa an , o use ' he gen le o u e i s , e sic pe g adus ad ima endi u .'
Tha Nelson eally did lose an a m a San a C uz becomes empha ically
clea when we see his igh - and le -handed le e s. A leas o some – and
p obably o mo e han is gene ally imagined- he o iginal documen , le e
o jou nal is he bes doo in o he pas ". (p.28)
Simila ly he ac i i ies in ol ing w i en sou ces in his ex book ied o cap u e his ‘doo o
he pas ’. The ollowing a e jus h ee examples o w i en sou ce asks aken om he
ex book F om he Coming o he Knigh s o EU Membe ship:
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 5
Example 1 : S a is ical da a 1914
Example 2: Newspape a icles ea ly 1960s
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 6
Example 3: Ea ly wen ie h cen u y song ly ics
Pic o ial E idence
Pic u es as his o ical isual e idence can be any hing ha shows an image om he pas in
some o ma . They a e use ul o depic ing an image o a pa icula momen in ime and
pic u es ha e long been used by eache s o each a ious subjec s no jus his o y, howe e ,
pedagogically hei impo ance in his o y ex books goes way beyond me ely showing
some hing o child en in an in e es ing and mo i a ing way. In his o y ex books, pic u es can
be used no me ely as illus a ions bu as sou ces in hei own igh .
Pic u es appeal much mo e han ex o ou isual pe cep ion because less men al ene gy is
needed and he way a pe son in e p e s pic u es depends e y much on his o he pas
expe ience, mood and in e es . (Pe e sson, 1989) They can be e y exci ing sou ces o use,
o example wi h ega ds o po ai s, Mo is (1989) calls hem " he gossip columns,
news lashes, pa y poli ical b oadcas s and amily albums o he pas " and says: “Po ai s a e
he e o e a bubbling mass o pen up emo ions, e en s, commen s and pe sonali ies" (p.3). In
he case o his o ical poli ical ca oons Ha ison (1981) says ha " he ca oon may help o
secu e a en ion because i is no el, because i p omises un". (p.110)
This ex book used po ai s, pain ings, maps, pho os, pos e s and poli ical ca oons o c ea e
ac i i ies and asks whe e pupils can analyse p ima y sou ces. The ollowing a e a ew
examples o illus a e how p ima y isual sou ces we e used in F om he Coming o he
Knigh s o EU Membe ship:
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 7
Example 4: Six een h Cen u y Maps
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Vella – An Inno a i e Mal ese His o y Tex book 8
Example 5 : Eigh een h cen u y po ai s
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