I've used this ‘About’ section to explain my experiences in teaching and history education as this may help teachers in future years to understand the development of the site. But I've also borne in mind a passage from one of my very favourite books, Alan Plater’s Oliver’s Story. Oliver has been made redundant from a teacher-training college which had recently deluded itself into believing it was first a polytechnic and then a new university.

The new vice-chancellor has just handed Oliver his CV:

"Oliver browsed openly through his career record. He found it difficult to believe that one small adventure could fill so much space, while at the same time omitting everything of interest. To be sure, there were dates in abundance and curriculum details he had long forgotten. But where were the jokes? Where were the lateral thoughts and trivial perceptions? Where was the accumulated daftness of a lifetime?"

So I've omitted dates and small details, and stuck to explaining how my experiences have influenced the development of the site. A little 'accumulated daftness' is visible but that's never been an indulgence – it's always central to helping students learn.

Read more about Ian's experiences and influences, and the development of this website HERE …

Why the One-Eared Bear Logo?

The one-eared bear commemorates one of my favourite activities, Je Suis le Roi! HERE …

Like all good ideas, it came out of the blue. I was driving round the Leeds ring road on the way into the second day of the SHP conference some years ago, having already demonstrated this activity in one workshop. For no reason that I can recall, it suddenly occurred to me that the Harrying of the North section of the activity would be more memorable if, instead of just sweeping the teddy bears off the desk, I slowly and calculatingly cut an ear off one of the bears to reflect William the Conqueror’s treatment of the north.

I tried it at the next workshop and was rewarded by anguished cries of “No, don’t!” from mature and hard-headed teachers. Since then, bears have been being mutilated in classrooms all over the country. Students of all ages find the unusual and unexpected memorable. In the activities on the site, you’ll find plenty of stuffed toys, a hairdryer, anachronistic mobile phones – but always with a serious purpose!

Looking Back

In 2021 I wrote a series of memoir articles looking back over my involvement in history teaching.

You can read these articles HERE …

 

A Saturday evening session at the SHP conference

 

How to Contact Ian

Details on how to contact me are available HERE …