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Scrutiny of the statements of UK politicians about the nature and purposes of teaching history in schools shows a strong desire to return to the "traditional" form of history education which was dominant in the UK until the 1970s, with its strong emphasis on a positive and heroic rendering of the national past and movement away from the idea of history education to develop intellectual autonomy and provide historical perspectives on contemporary issues and problems. The concluding section of the paper considers the implications of this attempt to "turn back the clock" and argues that it is intensifying the polarization between policymakers and history education professionals, perhaps ultimately leading to a form of school history which many young people consider to be irrelevant and implausible.

The article examines the enduring popularity of a form of school history which is based predominantly on the idea that the transmission of a positive story about the national past will inculcate in young people a sense of loyalty to the state; a reassuring and positive sense of identity and belonging; and a sense of social solidarity with fellow citizens. England is one of the countries which has to at least some extent moved away from this model of school history; but the past few years have seen suggestions for a move back to a history curriculum which focuses predominantly on the transmission of 'Our Island Story'; and which presents a positive rendering of that story. The history curriculum in England is currently under review; and public pronouncements by politicians; academic historians and newspaper editorials suggest strong pressures towards a restoration of what is often termed 'traditional' school history; which was prevalent in English schools before the advent of what has been termed 'New history' in the 1970s. The paper questions some of the arguments which have been put forward in order to justify a return to a history curriculum based on a positive and unproblematic narrative of the national story and suggests that such a course of action is based on some unexamined assumptions and a limited understanding of pedagogy and learning. The final section of the paper outlines several weaknesses and flaws in the arguments for reverting to a traditional (i.e. 'nation-based' and celebratory) form of school history; and some of the dangers inherent in such a project.

The last thirty years have seen a radical revision of the ways in which university graduates have been inducted into the teaching profession in England and Wales. Even within this relatively short time span, it is possible to discern a significant change in the manner in which change in this facet of education has been attempted. The 1980s were characterised by a cautious, piecemeal and gradual evolution towards a system of 'partnership' between schools and universities, with graduates spending an increasing percentage of their training in school rather than in the University. More recently the move towards school based teacher education, and to an imposed 'competence' model of accreditation, has been more precipitate, and less consensual. The contrast with the manner in which earlier changes to the system of initial teacher education in England and Wales were effected is even more striking. The paper outlines the changes in approach to reforming initial teacher education in England and Wales and considers the implications of these changes for those engaged in educational research. The same period has also seen a change in the extent to which the government has directed education policy from the centre. Examination of these changing approaches to the reform of initial teacher education, and to the genesis and means of policymaking, reveals that at different points in time, the comparative influence of evidence and ideology has fluctuated, as has the relationship between policymakers and academics. The implications of these fluctuations for university departments of education and for educational researchers will be considered. ; En els últims trenta anys, hem assistit a una reconsideració radical de la manera com els llicenciats universitaris han estat iniciats en l'ensenyament a Anglaterra i Gal·les. Malgrat que es tracti d'un breu espai de temps, és possible discernir un canvi significatiu en la manera com s'ha tractat de portar a terme un canvi en aquest aspecte de l'educació. Els anys vuitanta es van caracteritzar per una prudent i gradual evolució cap a un sistema «d'associació» entre les escoles i les universitats. Els estudiants ocupaven més temps d'instrucció a l'escola que no pas a la universitat. Més recentment, l'acostament a l'escola com a base de la formació va ser redefinit des d'un model precipitat i poc consensuat d'acreditació segons «competències». El contrast amb les anteriors modalitats de formació de mestres a Anglaterra i Gal·les és encara més notable. L'article subratlla els canvis d'enfocament en la reforma de l'etapa inicial de l'educació de mestres a Anglaterra i Gal·les, així mateix, considera les implicacions derivades dels dits canvis per a aquells que es dediquen a la investigació educativa. El mateix període ha contemplat també fins on va dirigir el govern la política educativa de manera centralitzada. La revisió d'aquests canvis ens acosta a la reforma de l'etapa inicial de l'educació de mestres i a la gènesi i maneres de crear política educativa. Això revela que, en diferents moments, la influència entre les evidències i la ideologia ha anat oscil·lant, igual que la relació entre els dissenyadors de les polítiques i els docents. Es consideraran les implicacions d'aquestes oscil·lacions per als departaments universitaris i per als investigadors educatius. ; En los últimos treinta años, hemos asistido a una reconsideración radical de los modos como los licenciados universitarios han sido iniciados en la enseñanza en Inglaterra y Gales. A pesar de tratarse de un breve lapso de tiempo, es posible discernir un cambio significativo en el modo como se ha tratado de llevar a cabo un cambio en este aspecto de la educación. Los años ochenta se caracterizaron por una prudente y gradual evolución hacia un sistema de «asociación» entre las escuelas y las universidades, con los estudiantes ocupando la mayor parte de su tiempo de instrucción en la escuela en vez de hacerlo en la universidad. Más recientemente, el acercamiento a la escuela como base de la formación fue redefinido desde un modelo precipitado y poco consensuado de acreditación según «competencias». El contraste con las anteriores modalidades de formación de maestros en Inglaterra y Gales es todavía más notable. El artículo subraya los cambios de enfoque en la reforma de la etapa inicial de la educación de maestros en Inglaterra y Gales y, asimismo, considera las implicaciones derivadas de dichos cambios para aquéllos que se dedican a la investigación educativa. El mismo periodo ha contemplado también hasta donde dirigió el gobierno la política educativa de modo centralizado. La revisión de estos cambios nos acerca a la reforma de la etapa inicial de la educación de maestros y al génesis y modos de crear política educativa. Ello revela que, en diferentes momentos, la influencia entre los indicios y la ideología ha ido oscilando, al igual que la relación entre los diseñadores de política y los docentes. Se considerarán las implicaciones de dichas oscilaciones para los departamentos universitarios y para los investigadores educativos.

[EN] EHISTO (European history crossroads as pathways to intercultural and media education) is concerned with the mediation of history in popular (science) media and the question of social and political responsibility of journalists and other mediators of history, especially teachers, in the field of commercial presentation of history. The project responds to the increasing significance of a commercialised mediation of history within the public historical culture and reflects the fact that these representations, which do not always meet the EU standards for history education, can have a lasting impact on the young generation's understanding of history. Using the example of popular history magazines, the project shall, besides the necessary basic research, develop didactically reflected materials for both history education in school as well as initial and in-service teacher training. On one hand enable a media-critical examination of history magazines and on the other hand, by working with the history magazines, the project addresses itself to popular interpretations of history from the participating countries and reflects their similarities and differences in European cultures of remembrance. Therefore, this approach not only trains mediacritical competences but furthermore enables a multi-perspective and comparative access to history. The project EHISTO will last two years and is funded by the EU Lifelong Learning Programme with about 300,000 euros. Partners from six European nations take part in the project.