Hodder GCSE History for Edexcel: Medicine Through Time, c1250–Present

Ian Dawson is Publications Director of the Schools History Project and creator of the website thinkinghistory.co.uk which is pioneering work on active learning in History. He has been adviser to QCA on a wide range of issues in History teaching including the teaching of chronology.

Teaching a new specification is daunting, especially when it is new and lacks supporting resources. Textbooks make a world of difference; good ones can act as the basis for an effective Scheme of Work while bad ones confuse teachers and students alike.I read the Hodder Education textbooks for the new 9-1 Edexcel GCSE History course with growing relief. Both the Medicine Thorough Time and Weimar and Nazi Germany books are rigorous, thorough and engaging. A great deal of care and thought has clearly gone into finding and selecting interesting primary sources and I am certain these will support a sense of period and kindle real enthusiasm in students.In the Medicine textbook, Ian Dawson's focus on his own grandfather's role in WW1 is particularly inspiring. Students sometimes struggle in history because they are unable to see the connection between events in the past and their own lives; such a personalised case study offers students a very direct link between the modern world and the subjects they study in lessons.Both textbooks make 'getting better at history' an explicit focus. Including this material is a well-judged decision as it allows students to take ownership over their own learning and empowers them to learn independently. These parts of the books will be of particular use to departments lacking experienced staff as they break down exactly what the new examinations will be testing.These books have made preparations for the new GCSE far less stressful. They have increased my confidence in planning and have made the extensive revisions to curriculum feel much more manageable. We will be using these textbooks in our department and have no qualms in recommending them to other schools.