Agora

Agora is professional reading journal for History teachers. Each issue provides perspectives on a particular theme, from curriculum-focused content to pedagogical practice, along with teaching strategies, classroom activities and educational resources addressing the broader History curriculum.

Reflection

Editorial

Assessing Historical Thinking: Challenges and Possibilities • Historical thinking has become a central concept in history teaching. The educational literature has identified several challenges and approaches to weigh up when designing effective historical thinking assessment tasks.

A Quick Guide to Designing SACs for VCE History • An overview of the key issues and considerations that need to shape the designing of assessment tasks in History.

What’s the Point of Assessment? • The data generated by assessment doesn’t necessarily improve student outcomes or teaching. Here’s how a teaching team can plan a differentiated curriculum that hits a bullseye for both.

Inclusive Assessment Strategies for Culturally Diverse Classrooms • How we design and scaffold learning for students in culturally diverse classrooms can overcome the inequities they face due to the emphasis on knowledge-based assessment.

The Students Become the Teachers • When teachers ‘let go’ of some control over assessments, students feel ownership of their learning and the quality of their work will improve.

Assessment in the History Classroom: Incorporating Inquiry Approaches • If inquiry is used in the classroom to teach content and historical thinking skills, it makes sense to also incorporate this approach meaningfully into assessment tasks.

The National History Challenge: An Opportunity for Meaningful Assessment and Enduring Understanding • The National History Challenge can help students form enduring understandings through their study of History.

Assessing VCE Examinations from the Perspective of the Assessors • Becoming a VCE Examination Assessor can be daunting but it is rewarding and can help your teaching.

Designing Assessments for the Primary History Classroom • How do you assess well when teaching primary history?

Approaches to the Historical Inquiry SAC in Unit 3/4 History • Here’s how you can develop a historical inquiry SAC that will help your students develop their historical skills without sacrificing time needed to cover examinable content.

Revolutionise Your Study Skills and Exam Technique • These strategies and tasks will help students (and new teachers) prepare for exams.

Designing and Implementing SASSY Scaffolds for SAC and Exam Success • Catchy rubrics can help students remember the key ingredients they need to produce high-scoring responses to short answer, extended response and essay questions.

Class Activities to Assess Knowledge and Skills in VCE History Revolutions • Some simple informal activities and revision prompts in class can inform teaching choices and formal SAC assessment approaches.

Activities and Assessments on Nero and the Great Fire of Rome • Some useful rubrics can help you assess the work of individual students and groups in a study of Nero and the Great Fire of Rome.

Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of Exemplars • Writing is integral to most assessment tasks in History. A number of strategies can ensure that students draw connections between their own writing and the exemplars you provide.

HTAV Turns Forty • Longstanding members of HTAV reflect on its achievements and challenges over the past four decades.

Kritikos • Reviews

Agora